Australia 1942
In the Shadow of War

31st Mar 2014 by Robbo

As Professor David Horner writes in an instructive opening chapter, 1942 was a pivotal year in Australian history. The long term effects of the challenges faced at that time changed forever Australia’s character, and how we thought about ourselves in the world arena. Looking back 70 odd years, one sees a vastly different, under developed. sparsely populated country with limited infrastructure. Yet, in those dark days Australia was pivotal to Allied success in the South West Pacific, providing a base from which the Americans could sustain the initial counter offensive against the Japanese. 1942 was not only a contest to preserve the lines of communication between that base and the United States, it ushered in a new era in Australian society. Covering a wide spectrum in twelve tightly written chapters, Dean and his co-authors trace the political, strategic, and societal impact on Australia, the poor state of our defences, and the desperate, hard fought battles in the horrendous terrain of Papua. Along the way a few well worn myths are disposed of, and Albert Palazzo reminds us of the folly of entrusting a nation’s defence to another country on the other side of the globe, and allowing our own defence capabilities to erode to such a parlous state. Dealing with the Home Front, Pam Oliver suggests our relationships with the Japanese before the war which were friendlier than post war views would have us believe, Kate Darian-Smith highlights the lasting impact the influx of American servicemen made on society in general, and Ross McMullin provides a hagiological view of the Curtin government that seems short on objective assessment. Several chapters explode the myth of intended Japanese invasion, and in particular Hiroyuki Shindo and Steve Bullard demonstrate that while the Japanese Navy certainly considered it, the Army had no interest and both Services had overreached their capacity to do so. In a similar vein Alan Powell places the air raid on Darwin in perspective, demonstrating that its significance, both as a military operation and within Australian history, is a recent phenomenon generated by successive governments to boost the Northern Territory’s profile. Ian Pfennigwerth delivers a fine analysis of the RAN’s readiness, capabilities and contribution during 1942, which sadly the RAAF chapter does not, and Karl James brings a balanced view of the Kokoda and Milne Bay campaigns free of nationalistic hyperbole. Perhaps the best analysis is Peter Dean’s assessment of the battles for the beach heads around Buna, Gona and Sanananda, in which he places the pressures on MacArthur and Blamey, together with the relative performance of the AIF, Militia and US Forces, in objective perspective. Australia 1942 is a welcome addition to the historiography of this momentous year in Australian history. Well written, well researched, objective in its analysis, and instructive in its topics it is a strong antidote to the mythology peddled by the more popular histories.

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