Figure 1.-- Australians were shocked by the Japanese carrier attack on Pearl Harbor and rapid military success that followed, bringing the Japanese to Australi's borders. This all came at a time that much of the Australian Army was in North Africa with the British, fighting the German Afrika Korps. Prime Minister Curtin demanded that they be returned home, leading to a row with Prime-Minister Churchill. This was solved by the Americans agreeing to provide troops and supllies and the Australians agreeing to delay the withdrawl of one of the divisions. Here we see Australian Diggers arriving home from North Africa.

The three Australian divisions has been vital in the British operations in North Africa (1941). Because of the stand at Torbuk, they became know as the Desert Rats. The Japanese War Lords, not wanting to miss out on the spoils of war, struck the American naval base at Pearl Harbor launching the Pacific War (December 7, 1941). In a well-coordinated whirlwind offesive, the Japanese among other counties and colonies seized the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) brining the Japanese to the borders of Australia. This was a dangerous time for Australia because it faced a Japanese offensive at a time when most of the experienced combat units were in North Africa. After desroying the American carriers at Midway, the next Japanese effort was to be seizing those islands--Operation FS. As a result of the stunning Japanese offensive the Imperial forces were soon on the borders of Australia. The Japanese began bombing nothern Australian cities and were planning to cut the sea lanes with the United Staes. Australia of course knowing of the brutality of the Imperial Japanese Army understandably wanted to bring back their divisions in the Western Desert. This resuted in a row with Prime-Minister Churchill. Curtin and Churchill were not on the best of terms to begin with because of the Workd War I Galippoli disaster. Churchill made a special plea to President Roosevelt to help save Australia, in part so the Australian divisions could stay in Africa. Transports from the United Sttres poured American troops and material into Australia as well as the islands northeast of Australia even before Guadalcanal. The agreement reached betwween Curtin and Churchill was to return the Australian 6th and 7th Divisioin to Australia immediately. They would form the backbone of operationms against Japan (early-1942). At the time the U.S. Army did not yet have any experienced battle-ready divisios. To strike at Guadalcanal, the Americans used a recently formned and not yet fully trained division with many teenagers. The Australian 9th Division was retained in the Western Desert and played an important role in the climatic Eighth Army victory of El Alamein (October 1942). The rest of the Eighth Army pursued the reteating Afrika Korps west. The Australian 9th Division did not join the pursuit, but remained in Egypt after the battle. It was finally returned to Australia (January 1943). The only Australians left in North Africa old be three squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a few Australians in British RAF units..

Created: 12:46 AM 3/26/2023
Last updated: 12:46 AM 3/26/2023