85 years on – Remembering Australian service in the Second World War
This year marks 85 years since Australians served in key battles in Libya, Syria, Greece and Crete during the Second World War.
Bardia, in the Italian colony Libya, was the site of the first land battle fought by Australian troops in the war. The 6th Australian Infantry Division, alongside British and Indian soldiers, helped defeat a much larger Italian army, resulting in the loss of 130 Australian lives.
Australian forces were then sent to Greece to join British Commonwealth forces in the defence against a looming German invasion. Plagued by communication and supply problems, many Commonwealth forces were evacuated to Crete.
In May 1941, the Australian 6th Division, including infantry, artillery, engineers, medical and other units fought in the Battle of Crete. More than 270 Australians were killed, over 500 wounded, and more than 3,000 were taken prisoner defending the strategically important island. The battle ended with the German occupation of Crete, though some Australians were able to hide with the help of local Cretan people. Those who managed to escape the island withdrew to Egypt; the rest were taken prisoner, and many saw out the remainder of the war in Axis captivity.
After the Allied capture of the strategically important port of Tobruk, in January 1941, a multi-national garrison made up of troops from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, India and Poland, held the city. In April, German and Italian forces laid siege to Tobruk forcing its Allied defenders to endure extreme desert conditions, water scarcity, and disease along with constant air and artillery attack for 8 months.
The Tobruk garrison aggressively defended the port, patrolling and hitting the enemy day and night, denying Axis forces the initiative. More than 850 Australians died during its successful defence, becoming part of Australian wartime legend. The determination and resilience of the defenders led pro-Axis propagandist Williams Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) to call them the ‘Rats of Tobruk’ – a nickname that the Australians proudly embraced.
To resupply the defenders during the Siege of Tobruk, Commonwealth ships had to run a dangerous gauntlet of Axis air attacks. On 29 June, Australia lost HMAS Waterhen, the first RAN warship ever lost to enemy action, though fortunately all on board were rescued. On 27 November 1941, HMAS Parramatta was sunk by German torpedoes, with the tragic loss of 138 lives.
Australians also took part in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign against Vichy French forces, participating in the initial invasion from Palestine into Syria and Lebanon. On 21 June, despite some heavy fighting, Allied forces captured the Syrian capital, Damascus. Beirut, the Lebanese capital, fell 3 weeks later, ending the campaign.
Eighty-five years on from these important battles, we pay tribute to the sacrifice of nearly one million Australians who served in the Second World War.