Australian's Under Fire Intro Pt2

 

Well, hello everyone, it is slightly cold and wet day here in Newie.

Here is a little more the introduction in the book Australians Under Fire 1942.

During the 1930s and early 1940s Australia watch Japan invade Manchuria and China, march through Indo-China (now Vietnam), Cambodia and Laos. Then, came Malaya followed by the attack on Pearl Harbour.

In January 1942 Japan seized Rabual on the island of New Britian to Australia’s north this saw British, Dutch and American colonies in the region fall quick smart.

Singapore fell on the 15 February; Singapore had been considered a British bastion for the defence of region.

These actions made Australia aware of how vulnerable this island continent was. This was brought home with the bombing of Darwin on the 19 February, more about that in a later post.

Even the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur (who my uncle was named after) on 17 March was tinged with a sense of defeat, as he had been forced to flee from the Philippines.

The United States High Command chose Australia as a base from where the war against Japan could be planned.

For a while there seemed no stopping Japan but then came the battled of the Coral Sea in May 1942 which was a win for the Allies. It was this battle that prevented Japan taking Port Morseby and invading Northern Australia.