Content on World War II 1939-1945

This page lists content tagged with "World War II 1939-1945"

Fall of Singapore: In Their Own Words (Video), (Online lesson), (Student activity), (Educational)

Australian veteran experiences of the Fall of Singapore in WWII

Fall of Timor

The Japanese invasion of West Timor in the Netherlands East Indies and the adjacent Portugese East Timor marked the southernmost limit of their occupation of south-east Asia.

Falling back to Deniki

12-14 August 1942 After the second Kokoda engagement the Australians retired to Deniki. There they were attacked by the Japanese and driven back to Isurava...

Father Christmas under shellfire (Video)

Fever caused more grief than the enemy

Shortly after disembarking from the Taroona on arrival in Port Moresby with the 8th Platoon, 55th Battalion AIF, in May 1942, Lionel Abeshouse found himself marching 20 km to camp, carrying full…

Fighter command

Attacked with section astern and fired a long burst into one ME 109 which crashed on landing approx 5 miles (8 km) west of Littlestone.

First engagement at Kokoda 28 July 1942

At the first of two engagements at Kokoda the Japanese defeated Lieutenant Colonel Owen's force and captured the airstrip from which they expected to receive supplies from Rabaul...

Fleets, Roy Scrivener (Audio)

Able Seaman Roy Scrivener, HMAS Hobart with a brief description of the role of the Allied fleets in the Battle of the Coral Sea. [Roy Scrivener, HMAS Hobart]

Food

Hunger became an accepted part of our life … food was just like sex, we tried not to think about it.

Forced marches

Some 5000 Australian soldiers arrived in Germany in 1941 after long journeys through Eastern Europe from Greece. In 1943 another 1000 men crossed the Alps from Italy.

Forever Yours (Book), (Educational)

This commemorative publication contains a collection of stories, letters and photographs which explore love and friendship during wartime. 

Formosa, Korea and Manchuria

It was cold, by jeez it was cold, no vegetation, just flat uninteresting Manchurian plains. Then we saw the camp barracks.

Found

… It was lovely, it was Australia…I just started to howl…[Sylvia Muir]

Four peoples at war

The largest group were Australians, 56,000 of whom were at one time or another either in Papua or involved in air and sea operations there.

Frank Hurley

James Francis (Frank) Hurley was born in Sydney in 1885. He became interested in photography as a young man and in 1905, at the age of 20, he began his career with a Sydney postcard company.

Frank John Partridge

Frank Ward - World War II veteran (Oral history)

Frank Ward - World War II veteran (Video)

Francis (Frank) John Ward was 19 years old when he joined up in December 1942. He trained in Canada for 6 months between May and November 1943 as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).

Fred Riley - World War II veteran (Oral history)

Fred Riley - World War II veteran (Video)

Fred Riley served in the Australian Military Forces before enlisting in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 13 September 1941. He was selected for pilot training.

Fred Sharon - Tarakan: A united effort (Video)

Fred Sharon was a member of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He participated in the first landings in Borneo at Tarakan. He went ashore as part of the RAAF’s ground troops sent in to support…

Fred Sharon - Homecoming (Video)

Frederick 'Fred' Sharon enlisted in the RAAF on 11 March 1944 at 18 years of age

From Eora to Templeton's Crossing

31 August to 5 September 1942 As a result of the defeat at Isurava the Australians withdrew rapidly south along the Kokoda track....

From wool to wirraways

Ordinary Australians were drawn into the war effort on an unprecedented scale.

Fuzzy wuzzy angels

The people who lived in the villages along the Kokoda Track knew little about the war until it came to them.

Fuzzy Wuzzy angels poems (Audio)

Gas alarm (Video)

This silent film taken by war photographer and cinematographer Frank Hurley shows nurses of the 2/5th Australian General Hospital receiving instruction on gas respirators in the western desert in…

GENERAL BLAMEY TO LEAD NEW A.I.F. (1939) newsclip (Image)

This article tells us about the government's preparations for war.

Geoff Chapman - World War II veteran (Oral history)

Geoff Chapman - World War II veteran (Video)

Geoff Chapman joined the Australian Army in March 1943 at Unley Park, South Australia.

George 'Bert' Beecham (Oral history)

Bert Beecham talks about the terrible treatment of the POWs by the Japanese on the Burma-Thailand railway and the awful conditions of the camp.

GERMANY CAPITULATES (1945) newsclip (Image)

This article tells us about Germany's surrender to the Allies in World War II.

Give us this day (Video)

Gladys Waters, wife of Len Waters, Australia’s first Aboriginal Fighter Pilot (Audio)

The 3-nine-39 radio and video series tells the untold stories of veterans, widows and family members from the Second World War.

Gladys Waters, wife of Len Waters, Australia’s first Aboriginal Fighter Pilot video (Oral history)

Gladys Waters talks about her husband Len, Australia's first Aboriginal Fighter Pilot.

Gona coastline from the air (Video)

Gordon Bailey (Oral history)

Gordon Jamieson - World War II veteran (Oral history)

Gordon Jamieson - World War II veteran (Video)

Gordon Jamieson was just 19 years old when he enlisted in July 1940.

Gordon Wallace: Stories of Service (Video), (Online lesson), (Student activity), (Educational)

Gordon Wallace enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1940. He went on to serve in North Africa and New Guinea during the Second World War. This tells the story of Gordon's service…

Grace Cossington Smith

Early life Grace Smith was born in the Sydney suburb of Neutral Bay in 1892.

Great friendships formed in heat of battle

Many great and lasting friendships were formed amongst the men and women who served in Australia's armed forces over the years. Sadly, many such friendships ended suddenly with the death of one or…

Greece and Crete (Book)

This commemorative publication is a part of the series; Australians in World War II. It contains a selection of images and a brief history of the Greece and Crete campaign. During World War II Greece…

Greece and Crete April-May 1941

In March 1941, Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia, with the concurrence of his Cabinet, agreed to the sending of Australian troops to Greece.

Greece and Crete: Educational Activities (Student activity), (Worksheet), (Educational)

This booklet of teaching activities for students complements the book, Greece and Crete. It is aimed at secondary school students and focuses on five different themes: The Greece and Crete…

Guadalcanal (August 1942-February 1943)

The American invasion of Japanese held Guadalcanal in August 1942 diverted Japanese attention from New Guinea and was of great assistance to the Australians in their defence of Port Moresby...

Gunner Cleary

If you escape the same thing will happen to you.

Angas 'Gus' Murray Hughes - World War II veteran (Video)

Angas 'Gus' Hughes enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in July 1942 at the age of 18.

Guy Griffiths - Navy veteran (Oral history)

Guy Griffiths - Navy veteran (Video)

Guy Griffiths was born in Sydney on 1 March 1923 and grew up in the Rothbury-Pokolbin district in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.
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