Swastika over the Acropolis is a major reinterpretation of the conduct and significance of the Greek campaign of 1941, and its place in the history of World War II.
This article investigates an under-studied aspect of the British/Australian defence relationship in the immediate post-Boer War period. The essential nature of the Australian Imperial Force was not ...an accident of 1914. Rather, as this article will show, the form, style and structure of the force that fought at Gallipoli was set in stone more than a decade before that famous name entered the popular Australian lexicon.
Khaki in the classroom Stockings, Craig
History of education review,
01/2008, Volume:
37, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The aim of this article is to detail the day to day experience of the Junior Cadet component of the Australian scheme of universal military service from 1911-31. Its focus, therefore, is on ...describing the administrative and practical functioning of the Junior Cadet system. It does not, for example, seek to address issues such as the social or psychological impact of the scheme or its long-term effects on the development of education in Australia. Nor does it explore questions of how or why the system evolved as it did. Such matters have been the subject of past, and will no doubt be the focus of future research. As space precludes an in depth investigation of all aspects of the practical conduct of the Junior Cadet scheme, a number of important themes will therefore be traced that, taken together, provide a reasonably full picture of how the system functioned. Beginning with its origins, the article traces the evolution of its purpose, organisation structure, teacher-officer instructional staff, training activities, and the eventual dismantling of the scheme. Building on the practice of military-styled 'drill' in many colonial schools prior to Federation, and embedded in the wider theory and practice of universal military service, this scheme was (and remains) a unique experiment in the history of Australian education.
The national military cadet movement in Australia marked its centenary in 2006. In total, however, taking into account their colonial forebears, cadets have existed in this country for more than 140 ...years. The scale of the organisation over time, in the context of a relatively small regular army and situated (for the most part) within secondary schools, serves to emphasise its importance as a nexus of military, educational and social history. Throughout time the movement has been characterised by two key features. The first is that all cadet schemes, from 1866, have operated on the basis of consistent military, educational and social support. The second is a conspicuous lack of published material concerning the history of the movement. The purpose of this article is therefore twofold. It aims to explain the longevity of this three-sided commitment; why the army, state schooling systems, and the community at large have underwritten the movement for so long. What did they expect in return? In doing so the article traces a cyclic balance between the expectations of these three groups - to this end it is a survey of changing aspirations. As a secondary objective, it hopes to help fill the near historiographical vacuum surrounding the movement. Author abstract
From May to September 1900, a large proportion of Australian colonial troops serving in South Africa in the ongoing war against the Boers did so as part of the 1st Mounted Brigade during Lord ...Roberts' march to Pretoria. The successful conclusion of this large-scale offensive marked the end of 'conventional' operations on the veldt and the beginning of the 'guerrilla' phase of the war. The operational experiences of this brigade have not figured largely in the history of Australia's involvement in this war.
From May to September 1900, a large proportion of Australian colonial troops serving in South Africa in the ongoing war against the Boers did so as part of the 1st Mounted Brigade during Lord ...Roberts' march to Pretoria. The successful conclusion of this large-scale offensive marked the end of 'conventional' operations on the veldt and the beginning of the 'guerrilla' phase of the war. The operational experiences of this brigade have not figured largely in the history of Australia's involvement in this war.
The Minefield of Australian Military History Crotty, Martin; Stockings, Craig
Australian journal of politics & history/Australian journal of politics and history,
12/2014, Volume:
60, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Between 2014 and 2018 Australia, like many other nations, is commemorating the centenary of the First World War. This article explores the difficulties that many academics have in traversing the ...divide between academic and popular history, and suggests why the public reaction to academic military history is often so hostile. It points to the role of national ideals that are underpinned by the Anzac mythology surrounding egalitarianism, mateship and martial courage, and to the role performed by conservative commentators. However, the article also argues that the popularity of military history in Australia, and growing signs of openness to challenging interpretations from some organisations, present opportunities for academic and professional historians, who in turn must rise to the challenge as part of their responsibilities as public intellectuals.
There is no question that the First Libyan Campaign of 1940-41 was an Italian military disaster of the highest order, within hours of Mussolini's declaration of war British forces launched a series ...of very successful raids against Italian targets by air, sea and land in the North African theatre. Despite such early setbacks, however, a long-anticipated Italian invasion of Egypt began on 13 September 1940. After three days of ponderous and costly advance, elements of the Italian Tenth Army halted 95 kilometres into Egyptian territory and dug into a series of fortified camps south-west of the small coastal village of Sidi Barrani.
There is no question that the First Libyan Campaign of 1940-41 was an Italian military disaster of the highest order. For all of the ethnic slurs and cultural stereotyping levelled at Italian ...military performance in North Africa by historians and popular authors, the last 70 years has seen relatively little research effort invested into identifying the real military disadvantages under which Mussolini's soldiers in this theatre fought. When understood as a product of measurable and objective military factors, like the issue of leadership for example, the rout of the 10th Army takes on an entirely new complexion. The subsequent reputation of Italian soldiers as embarrassing battlefield liabilities in the Western Desert in this period is unfair. This overlooks the handicaps they fought under, and often ignores the bravery displayed in spite of them all. Like the Australians, the Italians in the Western Desert were ordinary men, no more and no less. In truth, it is singularly unsurprising that so many were killed or surrendered without putting up much real resistance. They faced challenges and conditions that would have handicapped troops from any country. Adapted from the source document.
