Bookshelf — Vetaffairs April 2026

Long Tan – Memories, Myths and Reality

By Kevin O’Brien

Cover of Long Tan - Memories, Myths and Reality

The author assesses the Battle of Long Tan through a fresh lens – often challenging the official history view. Using evidence that was not available in the aftermath of the battle, retired Brigadier Kevin O’Brien forensically examines the narrative in clear logical steps. Starting with the bigger picture of why Australians were deployed to the war in Vietnam and then concluding with why, politically, they could not be seen to fail. The book is richly illustrated with clear maps and supporting photographs. It is a “must have” reference for historians and a “must read” for all Vietnam veterans.

Gallipoli – An Australian Medical Perspective

By Mike Tyquin

Cover of Gallipoli - An Australian Medical Perspective

The maintenance of health in any army is a key factor in warfare. The seeds of ultimate defeat at Gallipoli in December 1915 were the risks that accompanied a hugely ambitious, complex and large-scale amphibious operation – the landings on well-defended shores under cover of darkness. Tragic and sometimes avoidable errors were made, putting pressure on the Australian Army Medical Corps which received aid from, and gave support to, all 5 forces at various times during 1915. This book explores these complexities and mistakes through the eyes of the infant Corps.

  • Pages: 140
  • Cost: $19.99
  • To buy: Big Sky Publishing

Proud to be a POGO – Aussie Diggers Supporting the Combat Force

By Russ Morison

Cover of Proud to be a POGO

This book is about Vietnam veterans, the forgotten ones. It is the story of the quiet, unsung heroes of the Vietnam War, who left behind family, home and a population who were not all behind them, to help bring about peace in that troubled land called Vietnam. They didn’t all “hit the two-way firing range”, but they effectively supported those who did. They were the Personnel on Garrison Operations, or POGOs, as they were affectionately called. This is their story.

Australia’s Coastal War – When World War Two Reached Our Shores

By Dr Tom Lewis

Cover of Australia's Coastal War

This book uncovers the full scale of the Second World War’s forgotten battles along our coastline. From German surface raiders laying deadly mines to Japanese submarines prowling offshore and enemy aircraft launching hundreds of attacks, the war on the coast stretched across thousands of kilometres. Scores of ships were sunk, thousands of lives lost – yet much of this story remains unknown. Among the tragedies are gripping accounts of heroism and heartbreak, and tales of misjudgement and misadventure. Australia’s Coastal War reveals it all – a sweeping and deeply human account of a war far closer to home than most Australians ever realised.

  • Pages: 440
  • Cost: $34.99
  • To buy: Big Sky Publishing

The Catalina Flying Boat in Australian Service during WWII

By Don Williams

Cover of The Catalina Flying Boat

Catalina flying boats had unique characteristics and were operated by the RAAF in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War, serving in several key roles. Catalinas serving as bombers were one of the few Allied planes with the range to strike the key Japanese base of Rabaul. They also monitored the enemy advance up to the Battle of the Coral Sea and paid a heavy price at the hands of Japanese fighters. This is a complete operational history of the Catalina in Australian service throughout the war, during which 225 airmen lost their lives.

Against the Rising Sun

By Jeff Steel

Cover of Against the Rising Sun

This book chronicles the survival of an Australian POW, Don Graham, from Changi prison to the deadly Yoshikuma coal mine near Nagasaki. Trapped in the greatest defeat of the British Empire, he endured Changi, survived a torpedoed prisoner ship, and lived through Tokyo’s firebombing – all as a forced labourer. Each day was a gamble of exhaustion, punishment or death – until he witnessed the strange, mushroom-shaped cloud that would signal the war’s end. Don’s incredible resilience and heroism reveal a forgotten Second World War survival story of grit, mateship and unbreakable spirit.

  • Pages: 368
  • Cost: $36.99
  • To buy: Big Sky Publishing

Discovering Hitler’s Führerbunker

By David W. Cameron

Cover of Discovering Hitler's Fuhrerbunker - Secrets Beneath Berlin

This book uncovers Adolf Hitler’s final refuge, the Führerbunker, deep beneath Berlin, a sprawling underground network with tunnels and shelters throughout the Chancellery, creating a vast, fortified command centre built to withstand relentless Allied air raids and protect the leader. Tracing its construction, life inside the complex, and the desperate final days of the Third Reich, it dispels myths, reveals Soviet efforts to destroy it, and exposes the grim realities of the war’s closing chapter.

  • Pages: 322
  • Cost: $32.99
  • To buy: Big Sky Publishing

The Air Mobility Workhorse

By Bill 'K9' Kourelakos 

Cover of The Air Mobility Workhorse

This book recounts the operational history of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules in the RAAF, spanning the A, E and H models from 1958 to 2012, leaving the current J model to be covered in the future. The author, retired Air Commodore Bill Kourelakos, has intimate knowledge of the aircraft along with extensive service on them. He brings an insight that only someone who has flown the aircraft in testing times can bring. The book is a detailed and balanced reflection of what the mighty Hercules did for Australia and how it impacted the lives it touched.

  • Pages: 1,216
  • Cost: $89.99
  • To buy: Big Sky Publishing

1976

By Shane C Richards

Cover of 1976

The cover of 1976 shows the author as a fifteen year old in that year, when he enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in which he served for 9 years. Shane Richards’ book features poems which represent a deeply personal journey through the author’s mental health experiences. Each piece was composed during various admissions to mental health units over the past decade. These writings capture the author’s thoughts and emotions during some of the most challenging periods of his life, offering readers an intimate glimpse into the struggles and reflections that shaped this collection.

Hedwig for the Win! Life with a Psychiatric Assistance Dog

By Fiona Kuilboer

Cover of Hedwig for the Win!

This is the story of Hedwig, a golden Labrador, and how he turned from 'just a dog' into Fiona’s lifeline. The book explores the lived experience of working with a Psychiatric Assistance Dog. It aims to help others better understand how the fogs support mental health, build independence, and change lives. Whether you're considering a Psychiatric Assistance Dog, already on the journey, or just love a good dog story, this book will remind you that courage can be quiet and healing might have four paws. The author, a RAAF veteran, also includes a brief section outlining DVA’s Psychiatric Assistance Dog Program.

Sheer Bloody Hell

By David Pullen

Cover of Sheer Bloody Hell

Sheer Bloody Hell is based on the poem of Albert James Pullen and historians Meleah Hampton and Joy Pickett’s accounts of Private Walter James Stafford, an Aboriginal Anzac killed in action on the Somme battlefield during the First World War. It is a real life story, dubbed the “Australian version of Saving Private Ryan”, and is to be read as historical fiction based on facts, Aboriginal oral history, truth telling and fictional embellishing by the author, with links to Dharug Aboriginal warriors. It is self-published by Lessons With David.

A Journey Shared – Mateship, Malaya and Me

By John Meldrum

Cover of A Journey Shared - Mateship, Malaya and Me

This book follows John’s transformation from a restless Sydney teenager into a disciplined young soldier. Raised in a working class family shadowed by hardship, John sought freedom and purpose in the Australian Army. From gruelling training at Kapooka and Ingleburn to the camaraderie and chaos of service abroad with 2 Royal Australian Regiment, immersed in the heat, culture and danger of 1960s Malaya, John learned the true meaning of mateship, courage and resilience – not against an enemy, but against fear, fatigue and self-doubt. (All proceeds from sales are going to Motor Neurone Disease research.)

  • Pages: 104
  • Cost: $22 (paperback), $8.24 (e-book)
  • To buy: Amazon

War Spoils

By Paul Dobbyn

Cover of War Spoils

This hybrid book about ‘a childhood painting, my grandfather, his sons and a stunning revelation’ takes the reader on a very personal journey into First World War battlefields as witnessed by Paul’s grandfather, Captain Henry Dobbyn. The reader is also aboard the fatal flight of Paul’s uncle, Pilot Officer Robert Dobbyn over Europe in 1944. And it considers the challenges Paul’s father, Lieutenant Denis Dobbyn, faced as an Australian Intelligence Corps officer dealing with Japanese forces in post-surrender Rabaul in 1945–46. Paul’s poem War Spoils, inspired by the discovery of Captain Dobbyn’s journal, opens the book.

Memoirs of an Aviator – A Personal Journey

By Roger Buck

Cover of Memoirs of an Aviator

This is an adventure story of 6 years RAAF service: 367 days of active service on helicopters in the Vietnam War, plus 33 years of low-level operations as an Agricultural Pilot. A legend in his own lifetime, Roger Buck entered the RAAF to become qualified as an Engine Fitter, then cross-trained onto Iroquois helicopters to become a Flight Fitter. His Vietnam experience involved on-line maintenance and flying as a Flight Fitter on gunships and troop carriers from Vung Tau and Nui Dat. Roger’s writing on engine emergencies and flight procedures is of real practical value to pilots of all levels.

2 Transport Platoon RAASC: Aussie Diggers Supporting the Combat Force

By Rus Morison

Cover of 2 Transport Platoon RAASC - Aussie Diggers Supporting the Combat Force

This book is about the military truckies of the Vietnam War era, and in particular the history of 2 Transport Platoon, Royal Australian Army Service Corps (RAASC). The platoon is one of 5 RAASC platoons that served our combat forces, supplying and delivering the material that enabled our forces to establish a firm foothold in enemy territory who once prospered in Phuoc Tuy Province. Their story has finally been told here.

I Still Don’t Know What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

By Ric J Frawley

Cover of I Still Don't Know What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

Ric Frawley describes his book as ‘a soldier’s journey through war and aftermath’. Serving across multiple infantry battalions in the Vietnam War, Ric witnesses the reality behind the headlines: fear, brotherhood, violence, numbness and the emotional cost of staying alive. But the battle does not end when the uniform comes off. PTSD, anxiety and the silent war within threaten to dismantle his life, his relationships and his identity. Through perseverance and brutal honesty, Ric reveals how a man can lose everything and still rebuild.

  • Pages: 310
  • Cost: $24.71 (paperback), $5.98 (e-book)
  • To buy: Amazon Australia