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Battles of World War II involving Australia

  • Western New Guinea campaignThe Allied command set a clear goal for early 1944. They needed to bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions in the Pacific theater.
  • Operation CompassOperation Compass began on the night of the 9th of December 1940 with a force of about 31,000 soldiers, 120 guns, 275 tanks, and sixty armoured cars…
  • Second Battle of El AlameinOn the 23rd of October 1942, a calm and clear evening under the bright sky of a full moon marked the start of a thirteen-day battle near the Egyptian railway…
  • Operation SonnenblumeIn September 1940, the Italian 10th Army advanced about 65 miles into Egypt to seize Sidi Barrani. Marshal Rodolfo Graziani halted his forces there to build…
  • Italian invasion of British SomalilandOn the 9th of May 1936, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaimed the foundation of Italian East Africa. This new colony combined Italian Eritrea, Italian…
  • Battle of OkinawaThe island of Okinawa became the stage for Operation Iceberg, a massive military campaign that began on the 1st of April 1945.
  • Fall of SingaporeIn the interwar years, Britain established a naval base in Singapore after the Anglo-Japanese alliance lapsed in 1923. This base formed a key part of British…
  • First Battle of El AlameinIn June 1942, the British Eighth Army collapsed after their defeat at the Battle of Gazala in Eastern Libya. Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie ordered a…
  • Anglo-Soviet invasion of IranIn 1940, Britain faced a war with Germany in North Africa and grew deeply concerned about German access to the Persian Gulf.
  • Malayan campaignIn 1941, the Japanese military found itself trapped by its own expansion. Four years of fighting in China had drained resources, and oil imports from the…
  • German invasion of GreeceIn the early hours of the 28th of October 1940, Italian Ambassador Emanuele Grazzi presented Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas with a three-hour ultimatum.
  • Battle of Buna–GonaJapan's entry into World War II began with the attack on Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. This coordinated assault included simultaneous strikes on…
  • Invasion of Lingayen GulfOn the 22nd of December 1941, the Japanese 14th Army under Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma landed on the northeastern shores of Lingayen Gulf at Agoo…
  • Guadalcanal campaignOn the 7th of December 1941, Japanese forces attacked the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack killed almost 2,500 people and…
  • Siege of TobrukThe Western Desert Campaign stretched from Mersa Matruh in Egypt to Gazala on the Libyan coast, covering a distance of about 480 kilometers along the Via…
  • Kokoda Track campaignIn early 1942, the Australian government and many citizens feared a Japanese invasion of their mainland. The entire 8th Division had been lost or rendered…
  • Battle of CreteHitler signed Directive 28 on the 25th of April 1941, ordering an invasion of Crete. The German Army High Command remained preoccupied with finalizing…
  • Operation CartwheelIn February 1942, Japanese forces captured Rabaul on the island of New Britain from Australian troops. This location became a major forward base for Japanese…
  • Siege of Malta (World War II)In June 1940, the British Crown Colony of Malta held a population of around 250,000 people. Most lived within two miles of Grand Harbour, where density…
  • Battle of Rabaul (1942)Rabaul lies on the eastern end of New Britain, an Australian Territory in 1942. The town served as capital for the region since Germany lost control there in…