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Australia declares war on Germany
On the third of September, 1939, Australia's prime minister, Robert Gordon Menzies announced that Australia was at war with Germany. This was made following Britain's declaration of war against Germany earlier the same day. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and took place in the skies above Britain. It was named after a famous speech given by the prime minister of Britain, Winston Churchill. About 450 Australian pilots were fighting in the RAF. It ended on October 31st, 1940. -
HMAS Sydney sinks the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni
The HMAS Sydney shot 956 shells during the on-water battle that caused the sinking of the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni and it's squadron. The battle took place in the waters just north of Cape Spada, Crete. The Italian cruisers could've outrun the HMAS Sydney but they changed their escape route from the south to south-west. This was because the Italians feared being trapped between their enemy and the shores of Crete. The Australian cruiser then closed in on and sank the Italian cruisers. -
HMAS Sydney sinks in the Indian Ocean
The HMAS Sydney sank in the Indian Ocean following a battle against the German raider HSK Kormoran. The Kormoran was also sunk, but 317 members out of 397 were rescued. The sinking of the Sydney remains one of Australia’s greatest wartime mysteries, with not even the location of the wrecks established until 2008. -
Australia declares war on Japan
One hour after Hawaii was struck by Japanese bombers on the morning of December 7, 1941, The prime minister of Australia at the time, John Curtin, declared "From one hour ago, Australia has been at war with the Japanese Empire."
War was formally declared on December 9th at 11:15am, Australian time. -
Singapore surrenders to Japan
The British military in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese on 15th February, 1942, causing over 60,000 British, Commonwealth and Empire troops to be captured by an army of only 35,000 troops. This was the biggest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. -
The Bombing of Darwin
The Japanese flew 64 raids on Darwin and 33 raids on other targets in Northern Australia. 188 planes were launched against Darwin, while it's harbour was full of Allied ships. It was the biggest attack since the attack on Pearl Harbour. -
Japanese midget submarines attack Sydney Harbour
In the night of May 31st to the very early morning of June 1st, 1942, midget submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle. Two of the submarines were detected and destroyed before they could successfully engage any Allied vessels.The third sub tried to torpedo the heavy cruiser USS Chicago, but missed and hit the HMAS Kuttabul. The fate of the third sub was unknown until the wreckage was found by scuba divers in 2006. -
First battle of El Alamein
The first battle of El Alamein was fought along the northern coast of Egypt. The battle was a bit of a stalemate but it prevented the Axis Powers from advancing further into Egypt. It ended on July 27th, 1942. -
HMAS Canberra sinks in the Battle of Savo Island/Sea
In the darkness of the early hours of the morning on August 9th, 1942, the RAN heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra was severely damaged off Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands) in a surprise attack by a powerful Japanese naval force. This battle became known as the Battle of Savo Island. The Canberra was hit 24 times in less than two minutes and 84 of her crew were killed. Following an order to abandon ship, the Canberra was sunk the next day by a torpedo from a US destroyer. -
Australians beat the Japanese landing at Milne Bay
Japanese naval troops attacked the Allied airfields located at Milne Bay. Due to poor intelligence work, the Japanese miscalculated the size of the predominantly Australian garrison and, believing that the airfields were only defended by two or three companies, initially landed a force roughly equivalent in size to one battalion. The battle ended on September 7th, 1942. -
Second battle of El Alamein
After the first Battle of El Alamein, more Axis troops were located near El Alamein only 66 miles from Alexandria. They were too close to major population areas and the status quo could not be kept. This is what sparked the Second Battle of El Alamein later on. It ended on November 11th, 1942.
