U S Troops down under during WW11

 

This week we will look be looking when the USA invaded Australia during WW11. Kinda…

In my area of Australia there was the Joint Overseas Operations Training Services.

The Port Stephens area was the centre of much activity during 1943-44, 20,000 US servicemen and 2,000 Australian servicemen trained for beach landings. 

A country club became headquarters for amphibious warfare training area know as JOOTS (Joint Overseas Operations Training Services).

Port Stephens an area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, it is just north of Newcastle.

This came about due to Australia asking for help from the States to dissuade the Japanese from trying to invade and it worked.

For America, Australia was a natural springboard for a major counterattack against Japan and the Newcastle area saw plenty of evidence of the American commitment.

HMAS Assault was a naval training centre established by General Douglas MacArthur. The base was chosen because it was a safe haven from Japanese submarines and was a small, isolated fishing village. The HMAS Assault was used to train landing craft crews, beach parties, and signal teams.

Tomaree Head was a critical part of Australia's defence of the east. It includes a curved concrete wall with a gun that protected Newcastle and the Williamtown airbase. 

You can take a guided tour of the historic gun emplacements at Tomaree Head in Tomaree National Park.

In total nearly one million US troops passed through Australia during World War II. The first US troops arrived in Brisbane in December 1941. 

By 1943, there were 250,000 Americans stationed in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

The US Army used Australia as a base of operations to support US forces in the Philippines. 

Their main role in north Queensland was to provide services and supplies, and there was a large presence in Queensland mostly around Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Townsville. 

The US Army also had a joint command with the British, Dutch, and Australian forces in the Pacific. 

They had a substantial impact on the local economy and influenced fashion, consumerism, and domestic technology. 

Of course, at times there were tensions with some Australians, which sometimes erupted into fighting. 

There was also a large social impact on Australia, including many Australian women marrying US servicemen. 

The US Army's presence in Australia was part of a larger US deployment to combat zones overseas during World War II.