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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Battles and operations / WWII operations

WWII operations

HMAS Vendetta WW2

William F. Cook, MVO, Captain, RAN (Rtd) · Sep 30, 2004 ·

This is part 3 of an hitherto unpublished personal account was given to the Editor shortly before the death of the author, together with several other brief accounts of his ...

The Great Amphibious Invasion: D-Day, 6 June 1944

Strazcek, Joe, LCDR, RANR · Sep 30, 2004 ·

One of the clearest demonstrations of sea power occurred on 6 June 1944, when the Allies landed in German-occupied Normandy in the greatest sea-borne invasion in history. Operation OVERLORD was ...

Action off Endau

Sinfield, Peter · Jun 30, 2004 ·

After the tragic loss of Force Z (HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse) the previous month, HMAS Vampire experienced a short, defiant action against the invading Japanese off the Malayan ...

Australians in Midget Submarines

Worledge, Ray · Jun 30, 2004 ·

A short account of British midget submarine operations during WW2 in which Australians participated with considerable success. Previously published in ANWM Wartime Issue 19 and the Naval Officers’ Club Newsletter ...

HMAS Hawkesbury and Singapore POWs return

Thomson, Max · Jun 10, 2004 ·

With the unveiling by CDF General Cosgrove at Ballarat on 6 February 2004 of the memorial dedicated to 35,000 Australians who became prisoners-of-war in all conflicts, journalist and Navy veteran ...

HMS Vanessa North Atlantic 1941

Crockett, Davie, Sub-Lieutenant, RNVR · Jun 10, 2004 ·

A Lower Deck account of the misery at sea in an old destroyer during an Atlantic gale. WHEN I JOINED THE NAVY the probability of encountering dangerous weather did not ...

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HMS Viscount 1940

Taylor, Buck, Lt. · Jun 10, 2004 ·

Lt. Taylor is a former Supply Assistant and this is  an account  of his service in a V&W destroyer. Contributed by Old Hands of Ballina Maritime Museum. I ‘VOLUNTEERED’ FOR ...

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Ping Wo’s Golden Secret

Eagles, James · Mar 30, 2004 ·

HMAS Ping Wo was not the most glamorous ship ever requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy. Described by at least one of her crew as a ‘rust bucket’, the 3105grt ...

German U-Boat Surrender 1945 – U-977

Schaeffer, Heinz · Mar 10, 2004 ·

A previous article described how surrendering German U-Boats were boarded and taken as prizes into captivity to remote lochs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. One wonders what the German Navy ...

HMAS Sydney – An End to the Controversy

Mearns, David L · Dec 17, 2003 ·

FOR SIXTY YEARS a copy of Captain Theodor Detmers’ Gefechtsbericht or action report of the fight between his ship, the German raider Kormoran, and the Australian cruiser Sydney in November ...

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Book Review: Full Circle – Log of the Navy’s No. 1 Conscript

Book reviewer · Sep 18, 2003 ·

Full Circle: Log of the Navy’s No. 1 Conscript By John Gritten Cualann Press, ISBN 0 9535036 9 0. 6 Corpach Drive, Dunfermline, Fife, KY12 7XG Scotland. Reviewed by Ian ...

Obituary: Captain Stan Darling, OBE, DSC**, VRD, RANR

A.N. Other · Jun 16, 2003 ·

JUST PRIOR TO THE START of last year’s Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race a simple ceremony was conducted from the RAN diving launch Seal as the ashes of this distinguished ...

Book Review: Lost but not forgotten – a bitter sweet victory

Book reviewer · Mar 18, 2003 ·

Lost but not forgotten – a bitter sweet victory HMAS Sydney II – in memory of the 645. by Keith Shegog Self-published Reviewed by Peter Colthorpe This book is no ...

Submarine Memories

Selby, Gordon · Dec 15, 2002 ·

ON 1ST JULY 1941 Lieutenant Wanklyn received his promotion to Lieutenant Commander and the Malta based submarines became the 10th Submarine Flotilla. At about the same time I was rated ...

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Service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve 1940 – 1946

Buckley, Lieutenant N.W. AM RNVR · Dec 15, 2002 ·

A short account of some wartime experiences – Awarded Second Prize, Naval Officers Club Literary Prize 2001 THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR in September 1939 caught most people, ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

U Boat surrender in Loch Eriboll – 8th to 23rd May 1945

Whitehouse, John · Dec 14, 2002 ·

VE DAY, 8TH MAY, was a day of bright sunshine and stiff breezes, and we sailed north through the Minches with the Scottish coast to starboard and the islands of ...

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Book Review: Kill the Tiger

Book reviewer · Dec 9, 2002 ·

Kill the Tiger By Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin Published by Hodder Headline Australia. $29.95 Reviewed by John Jones “Kill the Tiger” is the story of Rimau, the special forces ...

Book Review: So Long Singapore

Book reviewer · Dec 9, 2002 ·

So Long Singapore by Hugh Campbell and Ron Lovell. Reasonably priced at $25.00 plus $7 postage and packing, this book is thoroughly recommended. Available from the author (Hugh Campbell) at: ...

Operation Pedestal – 60th Anniversary

Ministry of Defence (UK) · Sep 10, 2002 ·

15th August 2002 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the arrival in Malta of the Pedestal convoy, delivering at heavy cost the critical supplies that saved the island from having to ...

RANVR Yachtsmen in World War II

Germaine, Max, OAM, Lieutenant, RANVR · Sep 10, 2002 ·

On that fateful Sunday 3rd September 1939 when England declared war on Germany, an angry Hitler in messages to his army in the west and the German people, called the ...

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HMS Byron and the Surrender of U-1009 at the End of WW2

Whitehouse, John · Sep 10, 2002 ·

U.1009 was a Type VIIC, the standard operational U Boat, and although there were bigger, faster boats at sea at the time these were comparatively few in number. U.1009 was ...

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Memorial: HMAS Canberra lost at the Battle of Savo Island

Sinfield, Peter · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Their Excellencies the Governor-General the Right Reverend Doctor Peter Hollingworth AC OBE and Mrs Hollingworth attended the 60th anniversary, Memorial Service in Canberra to commemorate the loss of the first ...

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Book Review: War in a String Bag

Francis, Richard · Jun 9, 2002 ·

Title: War in a String Bag – Autobiography of WW2 Fleet Air Arm Pilot Charles Lamb Author: Charles Lamb Publisher: Cassell ISBN:0 -304-35841-X This is an autobiographical account of Charles Lamb’s exploits in ...

Naval Action at Darwin – 19 February 1942

Lewis, Tom, AOM, Lieutenant RAN · Jun 9, 2002 ·

Nine ships were lost on the 19th February 1942, seven within Darwin Harbour, and two in waters north of the harbour. Many others were damaged, and in the main, this ...

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Some Truths About Darwin and the Air Raid – 19 Feb 1942

Minto, Thomas, MN, Captain · Jun 9, 2002 ·

The Harbour The hospital ship Manunda arrived at Darwin on 14th January 1942. That day she received instructions that lighting was to be reduced as much as possible, i.e. this ...

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