Australian World War 2 timeline

By Traceyz

  • Australia Joins the War

    The German invasion of Poland on the 1st of September 1939 prompted Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Australia quickly followed suit in support of Great Britain and entered the war in June a year later. This time, in contrast to the commencement of the first world war, the news was not met with enthusiasm or joy.
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    Battle of Britain

    Australian Air force aided Britain in its defence against air raids conducted by the German air force after the Australian Air Force's entry into the war in June.

  • Battle of Cape Spada

    The Battle of Cape Spada was fought between Italy, Australia, and Britain. The fight took place in the Mediterranean Sea, near the island of Crete. It was an Allied success, with 121 Italian men killed and the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni lost.
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    Greece and Crete (Part 1)

    Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies agreed to send soldiers to Greece in March 1941, despite worries about the threats. The Australians joined British, New Zealand, and Greek soldiers to protect Greece against an impending German invasion, but were unable to prevent the German advance. After a month of combat, part of the Allied forces were evacuated from the Greek mainland, while others were transported to Crete, where they established 'Creforce' and prepared to face the German invasion.
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    Greece and Crete (Part 2)

    Continuing from part 1:
    Despite strong opposition, the Allied forces were finally forced to withdraw from Crete as well. On April 6, 1941, approximately 39 percent of Australia's forces in Greece were killed, injured, or taken prisoner of war and more than 450,000 Greeks perished over the following four years, nearly 25,000 of them executed for assisting the allies.
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    Siege of Tobruk

    Australians fought in Egypt and Libya, with the 6th, 7th and 9th AIF divisions, RAN ships, and RAAF squadrons supporting ground forces. The Australians captured Bardia and Tobruk from the Italians, used as a garrison by Australian and British Troops, but were later besieged in Tobruk for eight months by Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. This was the first occasion in the war that German Panzer units had been stopped, and boosted the morale of countries of the British Empire and the Commonwealth.