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Conclusion

1942 in reflection

from Part 4 - The war on Australia’s doorstep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2013

Peter Dean
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
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Summary

Australia’s experiences in 1942 were just one small part in a global conflict. While the shadows of war merely touched Australia’s shore, millions of people across the globe lived in the darkness that came with Nazi or Japanese occupation. Outside of the Pacific, 1942 also saw a number of critical battles and events. The Allied victory at the second battle of el Alemein (23 October – 4 November 1942) coupled with Operation Torch, the invasion of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (8 November 1942), saw the turning of the tide of the war in North Africa, while the battle for the Atlantic continued to see-saw. In Eastern Europe, where the bulk of the German military effort was directed, Hitler’s forces suffered a devastating defeat at the battle of Stalingrad (21 August 1942 – 2 February 1943). In the air 1942 also saw the Allied strategic bombing offensive against Germany swing into full action when, on the night of 30–31 May 1942, the RAF launched its first 1000-bomber raid on the German town of Cologne. One thousand and forty-six aircraft rained more than 2000 tonnes of bombs on the city, reducing 13 000 houses to rubble. In the Pacific, tens of thousands of Allied military personnel became prisoners of war of the Japanese, while the Sino-Japanese war in China continued unabated, occupying the bulk of the Japanese Army. Yet, while the Second World War was global in nature, its ramifications were felt most significantly at the local level.

Speaking in Federal Parliament on 27 January 1943, Prime Minister John Curtin reflected on what had been achieved during the year to ‘save this country from invasion’ and to ‘protect our own soil’. The successes were self-evident. ‘Nowhere in Australia last night’, he continued, ‘did people fear that air-raid warnings would interrupt their slumber or work.’

Type
Chapter
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Australia 1942
In the Shadow of War
, pp. 240 - 241
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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  • Conclusion
  • Edited by Peter Dean, Australian National University, Canberra
  • Foreword by Kim Beazley
  • Book: Australia 1942
  • Online publication: 05 January 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139540681.019
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  • Conclusion
  • Edited by Peter Dean, Australian National University, Canberra
  • Foreword by Kim Beazley
  • Book: Australia 1942
  • Online publication: 05 January 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139540681.019
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Edited by Peter Dean, Australian National University, Canberra
  • Foreword by Kim Beazley
  • Book: Australia 1942
  • Online publication: 05 January 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139540681.019
Available formats
×