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Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand start the war on Germany.
In 1939, the Allied Forces of Great Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand responded to Nazi Germany's invasion by declaring war. On 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies told everyone that Australia was at war with Germany. -
Battle of Britain.
In the summer and autumn of 1940, the Royal Air Force (RAF), fought a prolonged battle in defence of Britain against an experienced and numerically superior German Luffwaffe.
This air campaign, known as the Battle of Britain, officially lasted from 10 July to 31 october 1940. The battle began with Germany attacks on coastal conuoys in an effort to draw RAF fighters into battle. -
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Battle of Bardia.
The Battle of Bardia was fought over three days between 3 and 5 January 1941, as part of operation compass, the first military operation of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. It was the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took apart the first to be commended by an Australian general and the first to be planned by an Australian staff. -
The Sinking of HMAS Sydney, November 1941.
On 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney, a light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy with an impressive record of war service, was last following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran in the Indian Ocean, off the Western Australian coast. -
Australia declares war on Japan.
1 hour after Japanese bombers struck at Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941, Prime Minister John Curtin of Australia declared that "From 1 hour ago, Australia has been at war with the Japanese Empire. -
Over 15,000 Australians become prisoners of war.
Over 15,000 Australians went to Singapore from Australia, but as soo as they arrived there, British surrender ad the Australians ended up in the Japanese concentraition camps. The Australians were treated so badly. They didn't feed Australians and made them work for more than 20 hours a day. -
Japanese Aircraft Bomb Darwin.
The bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the largest single attack mounted by a foreign power against Australia. On this day 242, Japanese aircraft attacked ships in Darwin's harbour. Many people died during bombing. -
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The Battle of El Alamein.
The battle of El Alamein was between July and November 1942, and were the turning point of the war in North Africa. -
HMAS Canberra.
In the darkness of the early hours of the morning of 9 August 1942, the RAN heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra was severely damaged off Guadalcanal (Solomon Island) in a surprise attack by a powerful Japanese naval force in an action that became known as the Battle of Savo Island. Canberra was hit 24 times in less than 2 minutes. -
Australians Recapture Kokoda.
In the morning fog on 25 October 1942, while the two armies fought at Eora Templeton's 25 Km to the South, Winkle, having come from an Australian patrol base in the Yodda Valley, crossed the Kokoda airship and entered Kokoda governmnet. -
The final (Third) Sandakan Death March Begins
In 1942 and 1943, Australian and British POWs who had been captured at the Battle of Singapore in February 1942, were shipped to North Borneo in order to construct a military airstrip and POW camp at Sandakan, North Borneo (Sabah). -
Australians capture Brunei.
The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was one of the most complex operations involving Australian land, air and sea forces in the war. It was also the last Australian compaign to be planned and undertaken. Borneo had been taken over by Japanese in early 1942. -
Japan surrended to the Allies.
Following the drroping of 2 atomic bombs on their cities the Japanese finally surrended to the Allies ending WWII.
