What was Australia busy with during the two world wars?

Australia participated in two world wars. And the effect is not small.

First, Australia's performance in World War I

Australia was originally a place where Britain exiled criminals. 193 1 year, the British Parliament passed the Westminster Act, which made Australia independent in domestic and foreign affairs and became an independent country in the Commonwealth. However, due to its close "blood relationship" with Britain, Australia has volunteered to send troops to help Britain fight many times without treaty provisions. Before the Federation was founded, Australia intervened in Boer War and Maori War for Britain. However, Australia played a small role and did not leave a deep impression.

19 14 World War I broke out, and on August 4th, Britain declared war on Germany. As usual, the Australian government immediately stated that it would follow Britain in the war. In this way, Australia, a young country, took the initiative to get involved in the bloody World War I. At that time, the soldiers who participated in the Australian Expeditionary Force were all temporary volunteers. For a time, young people of school age all over the country enthusiastically signed up for the army. Although Australia has become independent, King George of England is still the head of state, and many Australians are immigrants from Britain. So many people think that they should be duty-bound to contribute to the king and the empire. In addition, you can also take the opportunity to go overseas to broaden your horizons. Of course, the treatment of the army is also impressive. At that time, the daily salary of an ordinary soldier was six shillings.

In this way, the first batch of 20,000 people who joined the army left home happily and joined the Australian Expeditionary Force. 19 14 12.3, the Australian army landed in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and formed Australia with the New Zealand army. The New Zealand Legion, the ANZ Legion, participated in many famous battles on the Western Front during World War I, such as the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of ypres, the Battle of Pashdale and the Battle of Vail? Battle of Boutonneau and so on. ANZ Corps is considered as one of the best allied forces, and its tenacious fighting spirit and military quality have been appreciated by the highest allied military officials. During the war, more than 400,000 Australian youths volunteered to join the army, of which more than 330,000 were sent to Europe, Asia and Africa to fight, and 50% of them were either killed or injured.

19 18, World War I finally ended. The Australian army showed amazing courage and perseverance in the battle, which was recognized and respected by the world. At the same time, half of Australian soldiers were killed or injured. After the war, New Guinea, which originally belonged to Germany, became the territory of Australia and was officially recognized. Australia's national spirit was also formally formed during this period. Australians used to say "I'm from Victoria" and "I'm from New South Wales" when introducing themselves to foreigners. After World War I, many people began to say proudly, "I am Australian!" " For Australia, a new era has begun.

Second, Australia's performance in World War II

1940, more than 20,000 Australian soldiers participated in the Second World War, one in Singapore, one in North Africa and one in the Italian front. They fought against Japanese fascism in Asia and German fascism in Europe. In World War II, the battlefield in North Africa was for the Australian army to resist Rommel's attack, hold the bloody sand and win time for the future counterattack. On the Pacific battlefield, the Royal Australian Navy and the US Army hit imperial japanese navy hard.

In the Battle of Kokoda in port moresby, the Australian troops stationed here were mainly composed of the National Army, with little experience and poor equipment. When I first met a strong enemy, I seemed a little flustered. I had to fight and retreat, using the cover of trees to deal with the Japanese aggressors. In the following three months, various Australian armies fought tenaciously against the Japanese invaders in the jungle of Papua, and saved port moresby at a heavy price (for example, Victoria 39th Battalion, the national army, with an average age of only 18 years and 6 months, almost all of them were killed).

Although the number of casualties in Australia in World War II was half that in World War I, the losses were even heavier because Australia was violently attacked by Japan.