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In this fascinating account, leading Australian military historians tackle 10 of the most enduring historical zombies, or national myths, that have staggered their way through the halls of military history for more than 200 years. From Aboriginal resistance and invasion to Australia’s recent involvement in East Timor, this record disproves the incorrectly memorialized and so-called gallant deeds of past Australian servicemen. Provocative and opinionated, this record attempts to correct the historical record.  

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'War has been one of the defining forces in Australian history ...Participation in war, whether actively in the armed forces or on the home front, or in opposition to a particular war, has shaped the lives of successive generations of Australians in the twentieth century. Today ...questions relating to defence do not usually seize the attention of the media, but the Department of Defence remains one of the largest single consumers of the annual federal budget, and Anzac Day continues to hold a special place in the Australian calendar.' These words introduced the first edition of The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History in 1995. More than a decade later much has changed. Australian forces are currently employed in widely dispersed operations around the world, in particular in Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands, and questions of defence, broadly understood, have once again become a matter of public debate and controversy. This substantial new edition of the Companion builds on the strength of the first edition.Many of the original entries have been retained, some with minor emendations or additions, while others have been rewritten in the light of recent scholarship.There are also many new entries on topics that were omitted from the first edition, either because they did not seem to warrant inclusion or simply because they were overlooked, while others have assumed a new significance in the light of developments since 1995. In all cases the editors have sought to retain the original aim of combining information, some of it technical, with analysis, and to do so in a manner that will make the Companion accessible and useful both to the general reader and to the specialist. ... Read more

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Australia and the United States have found themselves fighting common enemies on the battlefields of the world for over half a century. Australian ground forces have repeatedly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops in conflicts from Korea and Vietnam to Afghanistan - and now in the 2003 Iraq war. This study looks closely at the key factors which, for over fifty years, have shaped, interpreted and applied the aims and aspirations of this mutual defense agreement to the real world of shifting threats, changing strategic balances and the democratic uncertainties of domestic politics. A departure from the current literature, the ANZUS alliance, now updated to take account of the new post 11 September 2001 realities, is presented as an accessible and concise survey of this often neglected but increasingly important trans-Pacific link between the American giant and its durable Australian ally. Suitable as supplementary reading at the 3rd year undergraduate and postgraduate levels of courses studying international relations generally, but also useful for those engaged with elements of global and regional security, and strategic defense analysis. ... Read more

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A wide range of research conducted by the Australian Defense Force is offered in this clinical study of managing stress in a high-risk environment. Drawn in large part from the experience of soldiers but applicable also to individuals who work in emergency situations, this research considers a number of different settings, including operational deployments, trauma situations, family disruptions, and the day-to-day demands of service life. These findings are presented to improve the combat effectiveness of soldiers under stress, help build resilience, and facilitate coping. ... Read more

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Significant reference
I purchased this impressive volume when I began doing research for my own book, Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops. The editors of Military Stress and Performance say that 'lessons in the management of both the psychological casualties of combat and the returning veterans have had to be repeatedly relearned, at great personal cost to service personnel affected by the stress of war.' I couldn't agree more. Combat PTSD is not a failure of country, but of humanity itself. Important resource. ... Read more

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A unique account of Australia’s involvement in the Korean War, this record tells the story of destroyer HMAS Bataan’s 1952 tour of duty. Written from two contrasting perspectives—namely from a “lower deck” seaman and an “upper deck” commander—this narrative draws on a variety of archival sources, including the ship’s monthly log, a collection of poetry written aboard the ship during the war, letters, and photographs. Peppered with intimate insights from the unpublished notebooks, this chronicle will entice those interested in naval and military history.

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Not your usual ship history
With the recent tragic sinking of the South Korean warship 'Cheonan' by North Korea, this book is a timely look at the naval side of the Korean War 60 years ago. The story is about an Australian Tribal class destroyer, but it could equally tell the story of just about any allied warship operating in those waters - US, British, or Canadian - many of which are mentioned in the book. The author's angle is that his father served on Bataan in 1952, and his letters are one of the major sources used. However, the book is a lot better than a mere memoir, as it is extensively researched from Australian archives and from a broad reading of all the relevant Korean War and naval literature. His father was also the source of the book's photos, very few of which have been seen before, & many of which are like tourist snaps taken on the frontline. These visual sources add authenticity to the book's narrative of what it was like being at war in the navy in the mid 20th Century.

The navy in the Korean War did not suffer the losses the army had to endure, but there was still plenty of risk, as the story makes clear. Bataan was ambushed by a communist shore battery at the start of her tour and hit by a 76mm shell. The author's account of that action makes gripping reading. He also includes lots of screw-ups in this 'warts and all' account of combat service, with mechanical breakdowns and collisions and conflicts with higher command. The ship's captain, Commander 'Braces' Bracegirdle, was a piratical figure famous in the Australian Navy from his combat service in WW2, & judging by the author's account was quite a character - they'd be very few like him left in today's navy, I'd say.

This story is honest, entertaining, funny, critical. It makes a serious contribution to naval history. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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"The Commanders" tells the story of 16 of Australia's most eminent military men as they performed under the stress of strategy-making and in the heat of battle. The questions it addresses include: Is there an Australian style of command?; how well have Australian officers been prepared for high command?; how have Australian commanders handled the problems of coalition war or co-operation with allies?; how have political direction, organizational structures and entrenched defence policy affected the performance of commanders in the field?; the commanders put under the spotlight are: Bridges, Brudenell White, Creswell, Chauvel, Monash, Lavarack, Sturdee, Gordon Bennett, Morshead, Blamey, Rowell, Herring, Vasey, Robertson, Scherger and Wilton. Each of the 16 lives examined presents a revealing account of the conditions under which crucial military decisions are made and carried out - on the battlefield, at headquarters, in victory and defeat. "The commanders" will appeal not only to students of military affairs but to everyone interested in Australian history and biography. MARKET. "Lieutenant Colonel David Horner is the Research Officer at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.He is the author of "Crisis of command, High command: Australian and allied strategy 1929--45" and " SAS : phantoms of the jungle, "and editor of "Duty first: the Royal Australian Regiment in war and peace. ... Read more

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Here are over 140 noteworthy military careers, covering the colonial war and the Great War, told by Australia's leading historians. It is a fascinating look at the men and women who established the reputation of the Australian Digger in the annals of world history. ... Read more

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A collection of lessons and homespun wisdom for every age. ... Read more

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Chapters: Australian Military Personnel Killed in the Iraq War, Australian Military Personnel Killed in the Second Boer War, Australian Military Personnel Killed in the Vietnam War, Stan Reid, Jacob Kovco, Charlie Moore, Peter Badcoe, Kevin Arthur Wheatley, Australians Missing in Action in the Vietnam War, Frederick Isacc Kilpatrick. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 55. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Stanley Spencer Reid (12 July 1872 - 23 June 1901) was an Australian rules footballer with the Fitzroy Football Club from 1891-1898, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Imperial Forces in the Anglo-Boer War, firstly as a trooper in the Second Western Australian (Mounted Infantry) Contingent (2WAMI) in 1900, and then as commissioned officer in the Sixth Western Australian (Mounted Infantry) Contingent (6WAMI) in 1901. He died in active service in the Anglo-Boer War. Stanley Spencer Reid was the second child of Rev. John Bentley Reid (1843-?) and Sibyl Rose Reid, née Drury (1849-1943). The Reids had arrived in Australia in 1871 on the Hampshire, and moved straight to Swan Hill, Victoria where Rev. John Reid became its first Presbyterian minister. He was ordained as soon as Swan Hill's first Presbyterian Church, The John Knox Church, was completed in December 1872. After spending some time in Victoria Rev. John Bentley Reid moved to Western Australia. He was the joint minister of both the Leederville and the Subiaco Presbyterian churches in 1899. Stan was born in Swan Hill, Victoria on 12 July, 1872. He attended Caulfield Grammar School, Scotch College, the University of Melbourne, and Ormond College. He graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1896. Reid made his debut for the VFA team Fitzroy in 1891, He played quite a number of...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=16474665 ... Read more

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This is the post-war history of the Citizen Military Forces (CMF), the predecessor to today's Army Reserve. Once numerically superior to the Australian Regular Army, it was the predominant component of the Army until the changing nature of warfare favored the use of professional, regular soldiers. This book illustrates its organization, role and social composition along with the rivalry with the Regular Army. ... Read more

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Written by a leading military historian, this book seeks to preserve for posterity the poorly-recognized contribution of the Royal Australian Survey Corps. ... Read more

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This is an account of Australia's military involvement in the Malayan Emergency waged against the armed forces of the Malayan Communist Party between 1948 and 1960, and in confrontation, an undeclared war initiated by Indonesia to destabilise the emergency Federation of Malaysia and fought largely along the common border in the northern part of Borneo between 1962 and 1966. As part of the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve, Australian soldiers engaged in protracted operations in northern Malaya and along the Thai border, while Australian airmen flew bombing sorties against suspected enemy concentrations, usually in deep jungle. While the Emergency concluded, Australian forces saw service again in the 1960s as part of a Commonwealth force in Borneo. Operations in both campaigns were gruelling and drawn out. Their success helped to protect emergency democracy of post-colonial Malaysia, while they also provided valuable experience for Australian soldiers in the skills of jungle warfare, counter-insurgency and small unit action. ... Read more

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excellent overview
This book is a must for students of Australian military history and foriegn policy.

It details the steps take by the British and their Australian acolytes to tie Australia into the British military structure.It details how Australia's army was structed according to British needs andrequirements. It also tells how Australian nationalist officers wereundermined and defeated (usually by Empire loyalist Australians) in theirattempts to define an Australian role for Australia's army.

The mostinteresting part of the book is the description of how the planning for1914 was commenced secretly in 1911. The traditional picture of Australia'srapid, spontaneous, 1914 mobilization gives way to a carefully calculatedscheme - the planning, equipping and roles for any Australian commitmenthad been long planned, and planned with British interests firmly inmind.

The focus of Austalian defence commitment this century has itsfoundations in the period under discussion. This book gives the clearestpicture yet as to what happened and why and is essential reading for anyoneseeking to understand what made Australia do what it did both in 1914 and1939. ... Read more

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The military has been a significant influence in Australia's political history. This study documents how recognized military figures have become members of state and federal parliaments as well as members of government at both these levels, how they have occupied vice-regal positions and how they have influenced political events from behind the scenes. ... Read more

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a waste of time
Australian politicians and soldiers have intermixed careers ever since the fomation of colonial volunteer forces. The interplay of such roles forms a fascinating part of Australia's military history - indeed the SouthAustralian Minister responsible for Defence was a Sergeant in the Militia.Several interesting occurances happened in his fulfillment of theseroles!

This book, unfortanately, is a confused overview of the subject.It begins merely as a description of some of these colonial soldierpoliticians and ends up merely listing ex-servicemen who went on to becomepoliticians, with a sidebar look at some of our vice-regalservicemen.

There is no analysis of the role & influence theseex-servicement brought to their positions and no attempt to place them intothe overall context of government decision making. The role of the RSL inAustralia has been influential, but there is no indication how this wasassisted by the ex-servicemen politicians.

It was such a disappointingbook that I gave it away to the 2nd hand shop. ... Read more