Caption: "This man is your friend : Australian : He fights for freedom."
This poster was part of a series of posters in 1942 depicting allies to the United States. The other five posters in the series showcase images of typical soldiers of different nationalities within the Allied powers. The other five featured soldiers of Canadian, Chinese, Englishman, Russian, and Dutch nationalities. What strikes interest for me in this poster (and its series) is this sense of allyship and friendship.
Citation: Office of Facts and Figures, United States. “This Man Is Your Friend : Australian : He Fights for Freedom.” UNT Digital Library. United States Government Printing Office, June 13, 2006. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc236/.
- The Second World War for Australia -
On the very day Great Britain had declared war on Germany for the invasion of Poland, Australian prime minister Robert Menzies delivered a speech announcing that Australia had also declared war on Germany and would follow their mother country in this endeavor against Germany. For Australia, going into this war was not only about doing the right thing, but it was also a duty in helping their oldest ally, mother country, and the head of the British Empire. While their army was very small at only 3,000 men at the time, they quickly made up their numbers and by the end of the war. Close to one million Australians (men and women) would serve. For Australia and its people, the war was immediate, real, and close. Australians were deployed in the Middle East, Mediterranean, North Africa, Europe, and most important for them, the Pacific.
The Pacific theater was where arguably the toughest fighting in the world was. In many pictures you will see serviceman wearing shorts, being shirtless, rolling up their sleeves if they're in a long sleeve shirt, wearing a brodie helmet for protection and sometimes decorating it with leaves for camoflauge, and doing many more things to remain as tactically efficient and functional as possible while remaining personally functional in the tropical climate. It is arguable that this is where the toughest fighting happened because of the tough combatants, the hellish terrain and climate, the difficult nature of the theater and the war across the islands as well as other factors and elements are what lead to this being where the war ends when the United States inevitably drops the atomic bombs upon Japan causing their unconditional surrender.
Citation:
“Australia's Involvement in WWII - behind the News.” YouTube. Behind the News, August 14, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mshs4HLZB0.
- The Australian Army -
The AIF was the Australian Imperial Force. Being the second rendition of the AIF, the first being made for the first World War and being disbanded shortly after, this was a larger deal for the Australians than most other nations could realize. Their military was only at 3,000 when they followed Great Britain into war so to increase numbers the Australian government created an expeditionary fighting force. This would be known as the AIF. For nearly two decades their country had seen little to no need for a large scale and fully mobile military, so when the need arised, most men would heed the call. In this poster we see [presumably] a man's loving wife telling him where his hat, a signature part of the Australian uniform, is. Her extending it out represents so much more than a loving wife supporting her husband and giving him the last thing he needs before he picks up his rifle and is sent across the world. Her extending it out represents women's support of the nation entering the war. Their support for the men of the nation. Their support is a a pure representation of Australian values.
Citations:
"Mister, here's your hat": “Mister, Here's Your Hat! Join the A.I.F Now!” Australian War Memorial. R H James and Australian Commonwealth Military Forces, 1941. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1215223?image=1.
“Second Australian Imperial Force.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, November 9, 2022. https://tinyurl.com/2ndAIFWiki
- New Guinea -
New Guinea is an island a little over the size of Cuba (by about 200 miles) and is just as close to Australia as Cuba is to America. Making a comparison like that, we can begin to understand its importance to Australia during a war setting. Australia had acquired Papua (the eastern half of the island) New Guinea after the first world war, it had been under German control and Australia assumed control over it under the League of Nations mandate system. A mandate or trustee or protectorate is what most would understand to be a territory. Now as the second world war was underway, and the Empire of Japan was looking to increase its holdings in the world and take control of access to the Pacific Ocean, this would lead them to take control of Papua New Guinea and create conflict with Australia.
On December 7, 1941 the attack on Pearl Harbor would take place and on the following day the United States of America would declare war on Japan.. and the same day Australia would declare war on Japan. The Australian military had done fighting within Europe and North Africa as soon as the war broke out, but in late January of 1942 the fighting in Papua New Guinea would start. In the book The Toughest Fighting in the World: The Australian and American Campaign for New Guinea in World War II the writer of the introduction, who was Australian and the actual author being a war correspondant during the war, describes their nation as being in the same position Britain was when France fell. Not having much to work with. Though, with their need, they found ways and fought for them and their position changed and suddenly the war on their doorstep seemed to be one that the brave men could be optimistic about.
In the months following the campaign in New Guinea beginning, the northern part of Australia would suffer air raids and Sydney's harbor would face submarine attacks by the Japanese. The fighting in New Guinea and nearby locations, as well as these attacks leads them to fall under the identification of "The Battle for Australia." With a name like that, its no wonder why the men fighting there fought as ferociously as they did. Once the Americans joined the fight in New Guinea in May of 1942, things changed. With American aid in the air, the water, and on foot, the Australians had an ally who was fresh in the fight and not afraid to get dirty in the sand. The Americans would learn from the Australians the science of jungle warfare, and together would combat the Japanese in New Guinea, and from there the rest of the Pacific. Together they cut off Imperial support to the island and closed in on Japanese forces by December 1944. Making Australia safer, freeing more of the Pacific, getting Allied forces closer to Japan to invade Japan, and bringing the war one step closer to ending.
Citations:
Johnston, George H. The Toughest Fighting in the World: The Australian and American Campaign for New Guinea in World War II. Westholme Publishing, 1943.
“New Guinea.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., February 18, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Guinea.
“New Guinea: U.S. Army Center of Military History.” New Guinea | U.S. Army Center of Military History. U.S. Army Center of Military History. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/USArmyNewGuinea.
“Papua New Guinea.” National Museum of Australia. National Museum of Australia, September 28, 2022. https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/papua-new-guinea.
“Papua New Guinea Country Brief.” Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Accessed April 15, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/AustDFATPapuaNewGuinea.
“With the Australians in New Guinea (1943).” YouTube. British Pathé, April 13, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppIRy9Aj5WM.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Where is Margaret's brother stationed/posted near?
What theater of war is he in? Is he in North Africa, Europe, or the Pacific?
What battle was Isabels friend's husband killed in? We know it was in France, but which one?
- Battle of Guam -
A little over a week before this letter was written, the Battle of Guam was finished and won by Allied forces. It was fought from the 21st of July to the 10th of August 1944 and resulted in America reclaiming one of its territories and more ports and airfields for their military to use in future endeavors during the war. However, this being one of the last battles, not much would occur after this in the Pacific except for the battles in Manila, Iwo Jima and Okinawa whose casualties would lead to President Truman deciding the end the war with the dropping of the atomic bombs.
Citations:
“Battle of Guam.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed April 15, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Guam-1944.
“Pacific Battles.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Accessed April 15, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/NPSPacificBattles.
- Australia and United States relationship -
The relationship between the United States and Australia is multi-faceted and complicated. Having always been allies, one might not believe what you may tell them about the Battle of Brisbane, especially not after hearing about the cooperational effort between Australia and America in the Pacific. The Battle of Brisbane is the name of the altercations that took place on two nights between United States and Australian serviceman. United States serviceman posted in Brisbane, Australia did not have a popular reputation among Australian serviceman or citizens, and they did not have a respectful attitude with them either. The differences between the two parties led to riots where hundreds were injured and only one Australian serviceman was killed. Details of the event were swept under the rug or not given at all
Aside from that, the Australians and Americans enjoyed the luxury of a powerful alliance. In the book The Toughest Fighting in the World: The Australian and American Campaign for New Guinea in World War II, the writer of the introduction states, "supreme difficulties and hardships alwasy draw brave men together," and indeed that was true in the Pacific. The two nations, who shared similar ideals and history came together and were anchors of democracy in the hot and hellish fighting they were about to encounter for four long years. The two armies had shared history fighting together in World War I and their comradery still held true. The freshness of the Americans, the distinguishedness of the Australians, and the two both being people who would never give up in the face of a challenge is what would lead victory. Not victory in the Pacific, victory in the world. For it was their friendship that brought about the end of the war.
Citation:
“America vs. Australia in WW2.” YouTube. Simple History, December 8, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVROKW-_Qmo&t=127s.
Johnston, George H. The Toughest Fighting in the World: The Australian and American Campaign for New Guinea in World War II. Westholme Publishing, 1943.
“The Battle of Brisbane: When Allies Fought Each-Other.” YouTube. The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered, March 13, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx_GuNizRNk.
Citation: “Battle for New Guinea | 1942-1945 | Australian & American Soldiers in Action | ww2 Documentary Film.” YouTube. The Best Film Archives, October 19, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYIAt-1fDU8.
Caption: 'Muddy and rain-soaked members of the Australian 2/7 Cavalry Regiment move toward Buna, still confident in the face of savage enemy resistance. The smiling soldier at right carries a 23-pound, .303 Bren light machine gun'
This image was taken as Australian forces approached Buna, a village in Papua New Guinea. These men knew what savagery they were marching towards and about to engage in. They knew the hell they were in. And even still, one managed to crack a smile.
Citation: Brown, John. “Holding New Guinea: A First Defeat for Japan's Land Forces.” Warfare History Network. Warfare History Network, September 12, 2022. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/holding-new-guinea-a-first-defeat-for-japans-land-forces/.