Content on World War II 1939-1945

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

AMW ART26488 (Image)

An extraordinary war for HMS Kanimbla

The Australian passenger ship MV Kanimbla had an extraordinary war. She was converted into an armed merchant carrier in September 1939 and seconded to the Royal Navy. Apart from capturing 22 enemy…

Andy Anderson - World War II veteran (RAAF) (Oral history)

Andy Anderson - World War II veteran (RAAF) (Video)

Andrew 'Andy' Anderson joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Perth in March 1942.

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

Anne Curtis - World War II veteran (Oral history)

Anne Curtis - World War II veteran (Video)

Anne Curtis had been a keen sailor before the war, so her enlistment in the Royal Australian Navy on 9 November 1942 at Manly, Queensland, was a natural choice.

Anzac Day 2024 poster (Poster)

This poster honours all Australian personnel who have served in wars, conflicts and peace operations. It shows the 2023 Anzac Day service at the local war memorial in Tuross Head, New South Wales.

Anzac Day In Australia (1940) newsreel (Video)

The first Anzac Day of the war was seen very much as a passing of the torch from the original AIF to the Second AIF. In this newsreel footage, we see troops, World War I veterans and police marching…

Anzac Day in Thailand

Just before dawn a few shadowy forms gathered on the road [at 75-Kilo camp, Burma].

Anzac Day Posters 2011 (Poster)

70th Anniversary of the Battles for Greece and Crete The poster features an image of four Australian soldiers at the Acropolis while on leave in Athens. The soldiers arrived in Greece in time to see…

Anzac Day Posters 2012 (Poster)

70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin On 19 February 1942, Japanese aircraft bombed Darwin, killing hundreds of service personnel and civilians. This was the first of a series of almost 100…

Anzac Day Posters 2013 (Poster)

During World War II almost 10,000 Australian prisoners of war worked on the construction of the Burma–Thailand Railway in appalling physical conditions. Construction of the notorious Hellfire Pass…

Armoured fighting vehicles - Australian made! (Video)

Army Salvage (Video)

Army: Victory in the Pacific Day Poster 2020 (Poster)

We've created this poster to commemorate those who served in the Australian Army, the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the Citizen Military Forces (militia) during World War II. For more than 5…

Around the clock at American Service Club (Video)

Story of an American recreation centre in Melbourne, Vic.

Arthur Gould (Oral history)

Arthur James Murch

Early life Arthur Murch was born on 8 July 1902 in the Sydney suburb of Croydon.

Arthur Loudon - Bomber Command navigation (Oral history)

Arthur Loudon - City on fire (Oral history)

Arthur Loudon - ME109 (Oral history)

Arthur Loudon - Bomber Command navigation (Video)

Arthur Loudon enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1943 at the age of 19

Arthur Loudon - City on fire (Video)

Arthur Loudon enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1943 at the age of 19

Arthur Loudon - ME109 (Video)

Arthur Loudon enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1943 at the age of 19

Arthur Roden Cutler

Sir Arthur Roden Cutler is remembered for his lifelong military, diplomatic and community service.

Arthur Stanley Gurney

West Australian, Arthur Stanley Gurney, embarked for the Middle East in July 1941. He was killed in action 12 months later.

Atom Bomb Damage, Hiroshima (Video)

ATOMIC BOMB—A Terrible Weapon (1945) newsclip (Image)

This article tells us about the fear caused by the use of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War. You can use newspapers as a primary source in research to…

Audio commentaries

Recollections of Japanese treatment.

Aussies Arrive In Britain (1940) newsreel (Video)

In December 1940, the first Australian aircrews trained under the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) began to arrive in Britain. In this newsreel footage, we see Australian EATS graduates arriving at…

Aussies evacuate Tobruk (Video)

Australia Aids Coastal Watch AKA Flying Boat Patrols (1940) newsreel (Video)

No 10 Squadron RAAF served in the United Kingdom from the start of the war. It participated in the Battle of the Atlantic and played a vital role in defending the British coast throughout the war.…

Australia and America Drive Japanese from Lae! (1943) newsreel (Video)

This United News footage records the opening of the Allied attack on Japanese forces at Lae, New Guinea. This is where Australian ground troops met with American paratroopers to help secure the area…

Australia and the Second World War

In May and June 1942 the war was brought home to Australians on the east coast when the Japanese attacked Sydney Harbour from the sea.

Australia helps Russia prepare for winter (Video)

Sheep skins shipped to Russia to help clothe Soviet troops

Australia under attack 1940-1945

The Japanese first attacked the Australian mainland on 19 February 1942 when they launched a devastating air raid on Darwin in the Northern Territory

Australia Under Attack: In Their Own Words (Educational), (Student activity)

How would you feel if Australia was under attack? Hear from 5 Australians about their experiences of the air and naval attacks in World War II.

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST MAJOR VICTORY IN WAR (1940) newsclip (Image)

This article is about HMAS Sydney's victory over Italian ship Bartolomeo Colleoni in the Second World War.

Australia's Home Defence 1939-1945 (Book)

This publication is a part of the series; Australians in the Pacific War. It briefly shares the history of Australia's defence against the Japanese from 1939-1945. 

Australia's Prime Minister Speaks (1942) newsreel (Video)

With Japan's entry into the war and the bombing of Darwin, Prime Minister John Curtin and his government put Australia on a total war footing. In this newsreel footage, we see the Prime Minister of…

Australia's Troopship (1939) newsreel (Video)

In March 1939, before war's outbreak, Australian militiamen were sent north to Darwin, as part of the Darwin Mobile Force. Their mission was to defend the northern approaches to the country should a…

Australian advance to Eora

13-27 October 1942 After the Japanese retreat from Ioribaiwa Ridge they dug in to defend a series of positions along the Kokoda track from Templeton's Crossing to Eora villag

Australian horsemen at home in the Kelly Gang

The Kelly Gang was one of the most unusual Allied fighting units during World War II. Made up from an assortment of 70 or so men mainly from C Squadron, 6th Division Cavalry, they rode on captured…

Australian Prisoners in the Asia-Pacific

Locations in South East Asia where Australians were captured and the main sites of capture of Australian POWs including maps and descriptions.

Australian Prisoners of War (Book), (Student activity), (Teacher notes), (Educational)

This educational resource provides teachers and students with activities to investigate Australian Prisoners of War using the stories from the Australians at War Film Archive.

Australian Prisoners of War 1940-1945

More than 30,000 Australians became prisoners of war (POWs) between 1940 and 1945. The Germans and Italians captured Australians during the Mediterranean and Middle East campaigns, and also at sea in…

Australian Prisoners of War 1941-1945 (Book)

This is a part of the series, Australians in the Pacific War. It gives a narrative and pictorial account of life in POW camps north of Australia during World War II. Includes Changi, the Burma-…

Australian troop convoys in the Middle East (Video)

Extracts from Fox Movietone News Vol. 12 No. 39. 1. (53 sec) Naval vessels escort troopships in the Mediterranean

Australian Women and the Second World War: Great Debates (Student activity), (Teacher notes), (Educational)

The Great Debates series is designed to assist teachers with classroom investigations of how war and conflict have affected Australians. This debate resource focuses upon the effects the Second World…
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