HMAS Castlemaine

HMAS Castlemaine PDF Author: Kerry Hodges
Publisher: Seabooks Press
ISBN: 0648985121
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Fifty-six Australian corvettes went to war in the 1940s. Thirty years later most had been scrapped, and the hulk that was once HMAS Castlemaine was also heading for the breaker's yard. Then in 1973 the Maritime Trust of Australia came to the rescue, and its volunteers took Castlemaine home to her birthplace of Williamstown, Victoria. Over decades they restored her wartime configuration, and today maintain the heritage-registered corvette. HMAS Castlemaine, still afloat, tells her story of conflict in the Pacific - and of the young men who confronted its dangers with courage, hard work and good humour.

HMAS Castlemaine

HMAS Castlemaine PDF Author: Kerry Hodges
Publisher: Seabooks Press
ISBN: 0648985121
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Get Book Here

Book Description
Fifty-six Australian corvettes went to war in the 1940s. Thirty years later most had been scrapped, and the hulk that was once HMAS Castlemaine was also heading for the breaker's yard. Then in 1973 the Maritime Trust of Australia came to the rescue, and its volunteers took Castlemaine home to her birthplace of Williamstown, Victoria. Over decades they restored her wartime configuration, and today maintain the heritage-registered corvette. HMAS Castlemaine, still afloat, tells her story of conflict in the Pacific - and of the young men who confronted its dangers with courage, hard work and good humour.

HMAS Armidale

HMAS Armidale PDF Author: Frank B. Walker
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780646005416
Category : Shipwreck survival
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
True story of the sinking of HMAS Armidale in the Timor Sea in 1942 and the battle of the surviving sailors and soldiers to stay alive. Using now declassified documents, the book describes the Timor Sea operation as a botched affair subsequently covered up by the Navy. The author is a journalist and fiction writer who joined the Australian Navy at the outbreak of World War II.

The Sinking of HMAS Sydney

The Sinking of HMAS Sydney PDF Author: Doctor Tom Lewis
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1923004336
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
HMAS Sydney was the pride of the fleet during the Second World War. A light cruiser and one of Australia’s main combat vessels. On the 19th November 1941, off the coast of Western Australia, The Sydney engaged in a fierce and bloody battle with the German raider Kormoran. Following this action, The Sydney failed to return to port. An extensive search and rescue carried out, but the warship had disappeared with all 645 men on board. Whilst the battle lasted little more than an hour, this single ship engagement remains Australia’s greatest naval disaster. More Australian servicemen died in the battle between the German raider Kormoran and the light cruiser HMAS Sydney than perished in the Vietnam War. It was not until 2008 that the wreck was discovered. The passage of time between the sinking and the discovery led to numerous mystery and conspiracy theories, all of which started replacing the truth. Now, with an explanation of how those on board lived, fought, and died, this book tells the full story.

Teddy Sheean VC

Teddy Sheean VC PDF Author: Doctor Tom Lewis
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922387916
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
No-one will ever know what made him do it. In 1942, 18-year-old Edward “Teddy” Sheean was one of the youngest and most inexperienced sailors on board the the corvette HMAS Armidale. Whilst on operation in the Timor Sea this warship came under heavy attack by Japanese aircraft. Armidale began sinking while swarmed by Japanese aircraft, strafing and bombing the stricken vessel and the crew who were desperately trying to Abandon Ship. The wounded Ordinary Seaman turned back to his gun, an Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft cannon and strapped himself into the harness. He began firing at the attacking Japanese aircraft, a courageous young man, determined to do his best to save his mates. This selfless act of valour helped save the lives of 49 crew, before Teddy himself went down with the Armidale. No member of the Royal Australian Navy has ever been awarded a Victoria Cross. Teddy’s family and many others took up his case and fought for his recognition. It took more than 70 years for Teddy to becomes the first in Australia’s Naval history to receive this highest award ¬– confirming Teddy Sheean is an Australian hero. Sheean is the 101st VC awarded to an Australian

Century of Silent Service

Century of Silent Service PDF Author: Graham Seal
Publisher: Boolarong Press
ISBN: 1922109894
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
Australia’s Submariners are a group with an extremely strong sense of identity that goes well beyond occupational comradeship or the esprit de corps of military life in peace or war. Since 1914, the unique skills, attitudes, values and demands of the work they do and the environment in which they do it have forged unparalleled camaraderie. A camaraderie that extends beyond nationality, embracing submariners past and present of every other nation. No one but submariners understand the experience of diving deep beneath the waves in technology filled tubes of steel, each submariner totally dependent on the other for a safe return to the surface. The ethos of Australia’s submariners is based upon these factors and remains strong even when they leave the sea and take up other occupations. Australia’s future submarines will certainly present challenges in terms of sophistication, technology and capability however the characteristics of our submariners evolved over previous generations will remain much the same; trained and equipped to meet the challenges; just as they have been met and surmounted so many times, in silence, over a century of service.

Commandos

Commandos PDF Author: Frank Walker
Publisher: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 0733631681
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
Amazing revelations and extraordinary exploits of Australia's elite secret warriors. There was something unique about Australians and New Zealanders in war that prompted World War II Allied commanders to turn to ANZAC soldiers, sailors and airmen to carry out the most dangerous and virtually impossible missions behind enemy lines. Paddling canoes 4,000 kilometres to attack enemy ships in Singapore; lightning raids on Rommel's forces in the deserts of North Africa. Flying bombers at tree-top level deep into Nazi Germany to destroy vital targets; rescuing sultans and future US presidents from under the noses of the Japanese and playing crucial roles in the greatest commando raid of the war at St Nazaire - the Aussies and Kiwis were there. The special forces showed incredible bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. They were determined to complete their missions. Often alone and far behind enemy lines,they demonstrated resourcefulness, spirit and a humanity that inspired others to follow them. Frank Walker, author of bestselling books on the Vietnam War and the British atomic tests in Australia, brings to life the amazing exploits and extraordinary stories of this select band of heroes..

Australia Navy Handbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Weapon Systems

Australia Navy Handbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Weapon Systems PDF Author: IBP USA
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1433002973
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
2011 Updated Reprint. Updated Annually. Australia Navy Handbook

The Men Who Came Out of the Ground

The Men Who Came Out of the Ground PDF Author: Paul Cleary
Publisher: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 0733627218
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
'This account . . . is breathtaking in its scope and riveting in its research' - Sydney Morning Herald The gripping story of a small force of Australian Special Forces commandos that launched relentless hit and run raids on far superior Japanese forces in East Timor for most of 1942. These Australians were the men of the 2/2nd Australian Independent Company - a special commando unit. Initially stranded without radio contact to Australia, the Japanese declared these bearded warriors ‘outlaws’ and warned they would be executed immediately if captured. The Australians drawn mainly from the bush, were chosen for their ability to operate independently and survive in hostile territory. As film-maker Damien Parer said after visiting in Timor in late 1942, ‘these men are writing an epic of guerrilla warfare’. Expertly researched by Paul Cleary, who is fluent in Tetum, the main language of the indigenous group of East Timor, it also contains insightful black and white photos. 'A cracker of a read' - The Age 'Paul Cleary has brought to life one of the great success stories of World War II' - Daily Telegraph

In the Fight

In the Fight PDF Author: Andrew Kilsby
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1923144561
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
Forgotten men and women from Australia in a forgotten war – Burma 1942-1945. If you didn’t know that Australians were involved in the longest campaign of WWII, in Burma, in what was called ‘a forgotten war’, this book illuminates the lost stories of their service. In the Fight tells the compelling stories behind the involvement of Australians in what became one of the great sagas of the war against the Japanese in Southeast Asia, encompassing India, Ceylon, Burma, China, Thailand, Indo-China, Malaya, Singapore and Sumatra. While Australian airmen attached to the Royal Air Force were heavily engaged, many other Australians both uniformed and civilian were part of the monumental struggle to turn ‘defeat into victory’ in Burma. Australian war correspondents, Red Cross nurses, Royal Australian Navy sailors, war artists, commandos and saboteurs, soldiers serving with the British Indian Army, the Women’s Auxiliary Service (Burma), well known sportsmen, government officials dealing with the terrible Bengal famine, Qantas crews and POWs in the Rangoon Jail are all covered in these detailed accounts. Written by leading authorities and expertly edited by Andrew Kilsby and Daryl Moran, In the Fight reveals the long-hidden stories of the Australians and the war in Burma.

High Lean Country

High Lean Country PDF Author: Iain Davidson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 100025741X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description
High Lean Country captures the rich history and haunting character of the New England region of northern New South Wales. The authors explore how memory - of land, of family, of patterns of life on the other side of the world - has influenced the identity of New England. They also consider how the high country itself has shaped its people and their sense of regional uniqueness. In doing so, this book sets a new direction for understanding Australia as a whole. Weaving together the histories of human settlement, economic, social and cultural development, as well as interactions with the environment, High Lean Country shows how colonial settlers strived for decades to literally create a new England. It traces the story of the graduates of Oxford and Cambridge who turned their hands to sheep husbandry and developed a squattocracy, the establishment of schools and other institutions, and the cultivation of traditional arts. It also examines the early colonial bushranging period, and a history of not always friendly relations between white settlers and the local Aboriginal population. A project of the Heritage Futures Research Centre at the University of New England, High Lean Country is a fascinating study of this distinctive Australian high country.