The Pacific War was a part of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean. Another name that was sometimes used to refer to this war was the Asia-Pacific War. The Australian military were fighting in the war against Germany in Britain in 1941 when the Japanese attacked Australia. In December, some of the troops had to be brought home to protect their country and to fight the Japanese which had entered into the war. The Australian's part in the war was of great value in helping the allies to defend the Pacific islands and to fight off the Japanese. In many other battles the Australians also helped in being the decisive factor in fighting off Japanese invasions on land and on sea.
Australia attacked
Australia was attacked by air by the Japanese on February 19,1942 in the northern part of the country, in Darwin. On May 31, 1942, three small submarines attacked Sydney's harbour and shelled the shore from sea. By September 1943, the Japanese had flown 97 air raids against the country of Australia.
In May 1942, the HMA Ships Hobart and Australia were part of a task force in the coral sea. They were sent to help stop the Japanese from attacking Port Moresby in the Coral Sea. The Australian ships sent aircraft to locate the Japanese and to attack them. The Japanese and Australian ships never saw each other during this battle. The battle became an intense battle between the Japanese and Australian air forces. On both sides, ships were under attack from the air, but the battle ended with the Japanese turning back and Port Moresby being saved.
The attack on Milne Bay from the Japanese happened at the end of August in 1942 and lasted for about 2 weeks with intense fighting. The objective of the battle was for the Japanese to attack and take over the air base. They needed the air base to further their fighting and to expand their empire in the area. The Australians defeated the Japanese from taking the air base, causing them to retreat from Milne Bay.
During the Pacific War, many Australians became observers for the allied forces. They spent their time on islands, many of which were inhabited by the Japanese military. They would watch the movements of the Japanese ships and ground forces from high locations on the islands. Their objectives were to collect information and radio it back to allied forces. The Japanese knew that these watches were there and that the Australians were always trying to find them. The watchers were always having to keep moving and stay hidden to avoid detection and capture.
On August 14,1945 the Japanese accepted the Allied demand to surrender unconditionally. The war was finally over, but the loss of life was high for the Australians. The Australian military casualties in WW2 was over 39,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the battles. A lot of these were soldiers who were taken captive by the Japanese from the islands in the Pacific, over 36 percent of the captive soldiers died.
There were many battles fought by the Australians during the Pacific War. The men on the ships and those who flew the aircraft and fought on land all sacrificed their lives to fight off the Japanese. These men should be greatly acknowledged and appreciated for their part in bringing this war to an end.