History Yearly

WW2
- September 1939 - September 1945
Causes
-

The defeated Germans in WW1 were forced to accept the Treaty of

Versailles which they regarded severe and unfair which left a sense of
bitterness
The treaty of Versailles:
War guilt cause accept the blame
Reparations to pay 6,600 million pounds for the damage caused
by the war
Disarmament only allowed to have a small army and six naval
ships. No tanks, no air force and no submarines. The Rhineland area
was to be demilitarised
Territorial causes land was taken away and given to other
countries. Union wit Austria was forbidden
The policy of appeasement failed however as it directly conflicted with
Germanys goal of expanding the empire and they broke the Treaty of
Versailles as well, moving troops into a demilitarised area and Austria
became a part of Germany
Policy Appeasement based on the belief that the avoidance of war was
the highest goal and that somehow Britain and France had to deal with
Hitler and seek to settle the German problem peacefully
After successfully occupying Czech Slovakia they planned to attack Poland
To the western powers it was clear that the policy of appeasement had
failed
League of Nations an international organisation in which all the great
powers would work together to prevent future wars. The most important
nations in the League were Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Germany, but
for political reasons the United States were never a member and this
seriously weakened the organisation
By the 1930s, democracy had failed in a number of important countries,
including Germany, Italy and Japan. These countries left the League in the
1930s and followed policies of deliberate aggression against other nations
In 1931 Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria (northern China).
When the League condemned this aggression, Japan simply left the
organisation
In 1937 Japan invaded the rest of coastal China and the League took
no action except to condemn the aggression and the atrocities the
Japanese committed against the Chinese
In 1935 Italy, under the dictator Mussolini invaded the African state
of Abyssinia. The league tried to punish Italy but failed, and Italy
walked out of the organisation soon after
In 1933 the German dictator Adolf Hitler took Germany out of the
League
Allies Britain, America, Australia, China and Russia
Axis Germany and Italy

War declared

Australia was in war because Great Britain was at war an many held
loyalty and affection for Britain
Australia believed that Britain would protect them if danger threatened
because of the isolation
Australia maintained its trade links with Britain, with most of our exports
going to Britain and British goods imported to Australia were given with
lower tariffs
As a loyal member of the British Empire, Australia was willing to support
Britain in its military conflicts

WW2 Timeline
1933

Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi party in Germany, become Chancellor
of Germany

9-10 Nov
1938

A series of attacks take place on Jewish homes, businesses and

synagogues across Germany and Austria. The attacks become known
Kristallnacht (the Night of the Broken Glass)

Sep 1939 Britain declares war on Germany following the German arms invasion of
Poland. Australia also declares war on Germany
May
June
1940

Germany invades Denmark, the Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands

and Luxembourg and France)

July 1940

Germany launches an air assault on Britain known as the Battle of Britain

Sep 1940 Germany commences its bombing campaign on Britain, known as the
Blitz. It continues until May 1941.
April
1941

Australian troops are involved n the Siege of Tobruk

June
1941

Hitler launches Operation Barbossa. The start of war on the Eastern front;
and begins planning the final solution

Decembe Japan attacks the US naval base in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. The USA enters
r 1941
the war.
February
1942

Singapore falls the Japanese and may Allied soldiers are taken as POWs.
Japanese aircraft bomb Darwin

May
June
1942

The USA inflicts heavy losses on the Japanese navy in the battle of the
Coral Sea and the Battle of the Midway

July-Nov
1942

Australian troops defense of the Kokoda Trail prevents Japanese forces

from taking control of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The Allies win a
decisive victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Feb 1943

Germany surrenders at the Battle of Stalingrad

May- June US Forces in the pacific capture the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa
1944
6 June
1944

D-Day Allied forces invade France and begin invading towards

Germany from the west, liberating France in August 1944

May
1945

Germany surrenders and Allied soldiers liberate prisoners from Nazi

concentration camps

Aug 1945 The USA drops two atomic bombs on Japan. Japan surrenders on
September 1945

Where did the Australians fight?

-

Greece
Crete
North Africa
Libyan port of Tobruk
New Guinea

Kokoda Campaign
-

The Kokoda Trail is approximately 96km narrow path connecting to Port

Moresby in Papua New Guinea
In 1942 the Japanese navy had been in frustrated attempts to seize Port
Moresby from the sea, so they were forced to launch an overland assault
on the town via the Kokoda Trail
If they were successful it couldve been used as a base for attacks on
northern and eastern Australia
PM John Curtin recalled the AIF to defend Australia but it took time for the
troops to be transported, which meant the Kokoda Trail was initially fought
by underequipped militia units known as the Maroubra Force (composed of
CMF and local Papuan infantry units)
It was underprepared for frontline combat, with little training in jungle
warfare, out-dated weapons

23 July

A small Australia platoon slows the Japanese advance across the Kumusi River,
before falling back to Kokoda

29 July

The Japanese attack Kokoda, defended by 8 men who suffer heavy casualties
in hand to hand fighting. On the next morning they retreat along the trail.

8 August

Australians suffer heavy casualties attempting to retake Kokoda There is a twoweek break in the fighting when survivors from the defense of Kokoda meet
with reserves from Port Moresby and prepare to defence the trail at Isurava.

26-31
August

The Battle of Isurava is a victory for Japanese forces with the Maroubra Force
outnumbered and suffering heavy casualties on the first day. The battle lasts
four days, before the Australians are forced to retreat further, mounting smallscale actions along the war. However, the Japanese do not succeed in their aim
of destroying the Australian force the first substantial reinforcements from the
AID begin to arrive, providing a vital boost for the depleted Maroubra Force.

Septemb
er

Australians retreat after actions as Efogi (also known as Mission Ride-Brigade

Hill) and Ioribaiwa Ridge. During September, after being defeating by the Allies
at Guadalcanal, Japanese commanders in Tokyo decide to withdraw their
Kokoda campaign. Japanese forces retreat to Templetons crossing.

October

The Australians defeat the Japanese in a series of attacks at Templetons

Crossing, Eora region.

2 Nov
-

Australians retake Kokoda.

Diseases/injury 80 men suffered heavy casualties
Dysentery, no skin on feet, fractured bones, bitten by leeches,
diarrhoea,
Stench of the dead, wounded Japanese were left to die
Dead bodies bringing disease carrying animals and insects
Weather/terrain heavy rainfall, fierce sun
Steep land, deep gulfs, slush and mud, impenetrable jungle,
slippery moss
Fuzzy wuzzy angels part of the Maroubra Force
Continuous line of stretchers with wounded carried by them
Native men who aided the Australians
Enemy left to die, no prisoners taken, conscription

The Brisbane Line

-

Fear of invasion by Japan in 1942 led to a widespread belief that Australia

would not defend the tropical north. Instead forces would retreat to a line
just north of Brisbane to defend it
many people in the north believed that the government was going to
desert them
the concept of the Brisbane Line created a major political storm

The attack on Sydney

-

On the night of Sunday 31 May and morning of Monday June 1, 1942, three
Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour
Only one successfully launched two torpedoes, where one exploded
against the sea wall killing 21 sleeping sailors and Kuttabul sank, and the
other one had no effect

The bombing of Darwin

-

64 attacks from Feb 1942 until Nov 1943, leading to 243 people killed and
250 injured
Carried out by airplanes launched from Japanese aircraft carriers in the
Timor Sea
8 ships in the harbour were sunk and other vessels damaged and the post
office and wharf destroyed
These first attacks had a major impact on the psychology of Australians
many feared that a successful invasion by the enemy would soon follow
too
The censorship at the time ensured that reports were not communicated
to the public
The day after the southern newspapers claimed that 15 people were
killed and 24 hurt. The later Royal Commission came up with an
official death toll of 243 killed and 300 injured. Some claim it was
higher
The newspapers also claimed that 93 planes were used in the
attack, there were in fact 188 carrier borne aircraft and 54 land
based bombers from Ambon

Interwar World
-

The interwar period can be divided into two:

1918-33: Weimar Germany largely respected the Treaty of Versailles
1933-39: Nazi Germany largely ignored the Treaty of Versailles
German rearmament was the pivotal trend in the weapons development
Other global powers primarily refined technologies fielded in WW1, e.g.
tanks, aircrafts and submarines
Where WW1 was a war of industry, WW2 was a war of science and
technology
Two defining technologies of WW2:
the rocket (V1,V2, multiple rocket launchers)
The atomic bomb

Fall of Singapore
-

Took away the only Asia-Pacific base of Britain, so now Britain was unable
to come to Australias aid even if it had wanted to
It left Australia without an 8th Division, without a forward base away from
the mainland of Australia and without a major ally in Asia
Australia and Asia became an expendable part of the empire as Britain
fought for its own survival in Europe
Australia turned to the US as its major ally, accepted troops from the US as
its major ally, accepted troops from the US and acted as a forward base for
them

Pearl Harbour
-

it brought the USA into the war

it brought the war to the Pacific
it did not destroy Americas capacity to fight in the Pacific though that was
the intent
it brought the possibility of using Australia as a forward base from which to
attack Japan and seek revenge for Pearl Harbour to the forefront of us
thinking and planning
it forced Australia to rethink its deployment of troops overseas to the
Middle East and Europe
it forced Australia to plan to bring back its troops to defend Australia much
to the dismay of the British government
Australia wanted its forward base to be Singapore, where the British were
established and two battle cruisers sailed the waters
The 8th division was diverted to Singapore

Wartime government controls

-

Conscription
Compulsory military training of 20 year olds was introduced in Oct
1939
The trade unions and members of the Labor Party opposed this but
PM Robert Menzies believed it was fair
Australia then had 2 armies:
The Second AIF which was made up of volunteers for
overseas service

The CMF (Citizen Military Forces) made up of conscripts

trained to defend Australia
As the possibility of war increased with Japan they made all
men when they turned the age of 18 register for possible
service
Unlike WW1 there wasnt a big debate on it. both major
political parties saw the need to defend Australia from
possible attacks and when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour our
military forces were mainly overseas
Manpower controls
After the start of war industries became focused on the war effort
Conscription for men took them away from their usual jobs and the
government was faced with the enormous task of supplying food,
clothing and equipment for the overseas forces
Due to conscription there were few men left to work in the war
industries requiring schoolboys to be forced to work in their holidays
They could also assign people jobs and change their jobs if they
needed them to and forced all men and single women to work in
whatever job
Rationing
Most goods were in short supply during the war, as substantial
supplies of food and clothing were needed for the troops so they
could continue fighting
A system of rationing was introduced by the government which
restricted the quantity and types of goods people could buy
Censorship
Censorship of newspaper, radio and also on overseas
communication by telegraph, telephone and post. Radio telephone
services to Britain and New Zealand were stopped
A Department of Information was set up and Australians were told
only what the government wanted them to know
The government believed that this would prevent misleading and
untruthful stories being circulated that could weaken Australian
morale
Personal letters were also heavily censored and servicemen and
women were not allowed to keep diaries in case the enemy
obtained and used them for information
The truth only became widely known after the war had ended
Drills and defence
Examples of precaution include:
Beaches being spread with barbed wire, guards patrolled the
beaches
Windows in towns or cities had to be blacked out to prevent
enemy planes seeing lights from the air
Street lights were reduced and in Sydney every second light
had the globe removed
Street signs and railway station names and signs naming
towns were taken down to confuse the enemy
Every building with more than 130 people working in it had to
have an air raid shelter

Roles of women
-

They played a more active and important role in WW2. They:

Volunteered in the tens of thousands for work in and beyond their
traditional roles
Took on mens role in businesses, on production lines and on the
land
Took on non-combatant roles in the three branches of the military
service
Women knitted, organised entertainment for men on leave and they
formed organisations to coordinate less traditional voluntary work
The WANS (Womens Australian National Service) organised women to
drive service army vehicles, ambulances and aircraft. It also trained
women in air-raid drills, first-aid and basic military drills, skills in shooting,
signalling and mechanics
Three hundred women trained with Womens Emergency Signalling Corps
so that male postal workers could enlist in the army services
Women filled the increased need for workers in both female and male jobs.
They worked in factories in tasks ranging from food production to steel
production, they became bus drivers and drove delivery carts and vans
The AWLA (Australian Womens Land Army) was established and the
farmer, not the government, paid them for their work because they
volunteered rather than officially enlisted for service
Just under 80 000 women enlisted in military services during the war and
5% of them served overseas
A number of Aboriginal women undertook domestic duties and work as
hospital orderlies within the military personnel
The WAAAF (Womens Auxiliary Australian Air Force) was established to
address the urgent need for trained telegraph operators. They were payed
2/3 of the pay of men and worked on the grounds communications as
wireless telegraph operators and mechanical repair work
The WRANS (Womens Royal Australian Naval Service) also confined
women to service on land working as interpreters, wireless telegraphists,
coders, typists, clerks, drivers, etc. pay rates were also restricted to 2/3 of
the pay of men
The AWAS (Australian Womens Army Service) took over the male jobs in
communications, maintenance and transport. They also trained in combat
with the expectation they would also defend Australia if Japan were to
invade
Australians often ridicules women for attempting male work. Women had
to juggle housework, child care and shopping alongside work in factories
and essential services. Some people criticised working women for not
taking proper care for their children, while others criticised them for taking
time off to look after them
The initial pay that was expected for women to receive was 54% of the
pay men received. Trade unions feared the womens cheap labour would
undermine mens positions and wage levels in the workforce. The ACTU
campaigned for the duration of the war for women to receive the same
pay rate as men.
As a compromise the government formed the WEB to decide womens pay
rate between 60-100% of male rates. About 9% of women benefited from
this with women in the aircraft, metal, and munitions industries to receive

90% and women in federal public service clerks, medical officers,

telegraphists and tram conductors to receive 100%
The Bombing of Japan
-

US forces gradually reclaimed Asia-Pacific Islands during 1943-44 which

gave US aeroplanes control of the air
Only two atomic bombs have ever been used in war those who were
dropped by the US on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6 August 1945)
(Little Boy) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) (Little Boy).
Bombs previously used in warfare destroyed the direct target whereas the
wider impact of atomic bombs were far more deadly. Civilians died from
flash and flame burns, falling debris, radiation sickness and other
subsequent illness.
12 square km of Hiroshima was destroyed, 30% of the population killed
immediately and 76% of buildings were destroyed or damaged
Arguments for the bombing:
It was joint decision made by the US and the Allied nations
It ended the war quickly saving lives in the long run that wouldve
been lost if the war was to continue
They had a right to use the new atomic bombing technology
The Japanese wouldve fought to the death rather than surrender for
the sake of maintaining their honour. Twelve thousand US lives
would have been lost through kamikaze attacks
To prevent Russian forces from gaining a foothold in Japan
The conventional bombing of Japanese cities had not forced them to
surrender
Arguments against the bombing:
Innocent civilians not the military servicemen were the main victims
There was no likelihood of Japan winning at this stage, and it was
likely they wouldve surrendered
60 Japanese cities had already been destroyed by conventional
bombing and it was already defenceless and defeated
Radiation blasts would lead to slow and agonising deaths
A main alternative would have been the US to bomb the Tokyo
Harbour instead of the people. Or waiting after the first bombing for
them to surrender

POWs

Crime and Punishment

-

Crime an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is

punishable by law
Types of crime:
White collar (tax evasion, etc.)
Public indecency
Public nuisance
Crimes against humanity
Crimes against property
Theft

Traffic offences
Crimes against country (treason)
Types of punishment:
Max of 25 years in jail
Community service
Fines
Loss of licence/elements
Marital rape is a criminal act
If you hurt, abuse, torture pets it is a criminal act as they are protected by
law
How is crime socially constructed?
It varies according to time and place
Different behaviours may be considered a criminal act in one
society and an act of honour in another or in the same society at a
different time
The social response to crime are based not only on the qualities of
the act but also on the social and moral standing of the offender
and the victim