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

WWII operations

HMS Cossack

Stevens, Errol · Jun 8, 2001 ·

The name COSSACK, to many people, means a fierce sabre-wielding horseman from southern Russia. To most World War II naval veterans it reminds them of the exploits of the Tribal ...

The Role of the RAN in the Liberation of the Philippines

Royle, Guy, Admiral · Mar 30, 2001 ·

An address by RADM Guy Griffiths, AO, DSO, DSC, RAN Retd at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne (Oct 2000) Together with the widely dispersed set-backs in late 1941 – early ...

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Missing were the usherettes and the popcorn

Thomson, Max · Mar 30, 2001 ·

As movies, so many of the films were easily forgettable; yet the locations and especially the settings and circumstances under which they were screened, were gems of wartime naval service ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Torpedoing of SS Ormiston – 1943

d'Alpuget, L.A., Lieut., RANVR (Rtd.) · Dec 30, 2000 ·

On May 12, 1943, I was Captain of an anti-submarine Naval Auxiliary Patrol vessel, commissioned HMAS 539 (Topsy A), a heavy, converted fishing trawler driven by three engines. We were ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

The HMAS Sydney – HSK Kormoran Engagement (November 1941) – Part 2

Nicholson, Ian · Sep 7, 2000 ·

“The first casualty in War is the Truth” Some German naval records relating to the Kormoran fell into British hands at the end of the war in Europe and are ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Operation “Meridian” – Palembang Oil Refineries, 1945

Hobbs, D.A., MBE, Commander, RN · Sep 7, 2000 ·

“Whatever its demerits, into the execution of this plan as it stood the squadrons put the limit of human endeavour; that they achieved so great a measure of success against ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

Book Review: Alone on Guadalcanal – A Coastwatcher’s Story

Duchesne, Tim · Jun 20, 2000 ·

ALONE ON GUADALCANAL – A Coastwatcher’s Story, By Martin Clemens CBE OBE AM MC High on anyone’s list of largely unsung heroes of the Pacific War must come the British and ...

HMAS Sydney Inquiry (Letter No. 2)

Letter Writer · Jun 20, 2000 ·

A further detailed letter has been received from member James Eagles, ex-RAN Communicator, documenting many instances of the Germans decoding British naval and merchant ship signal traffic in 1941, etc. ...

HMAS Sydney Inquiry (Letter No. 1)

Nicholson, Ian · Jun 20, 2000 ·

Earlier correspondence from a member concerning an important point of ship recognition vis-a-vis Kormoran and Straat Malakka deserves response. He queries how the Dutch merchantman with a distinctive counter stern ...

Disaster at Bari

Barton, Alan · Jun 20, 2000 ·

Mustard gas in World War II? Let me tell you of the happenings at Bari in Italy on the evening of 2 December 1943. Bari had recently become the main ...

Letters – Loss of sea language

Letter Writer · Mar 19, 2000 ·

Sir, Reading Roger Puttman’s letter (NHR 20-2) and his shared complaint concerning the loss of sea language put me in mind of an incident aboard Quiberon during Arch Harrington’s command ...

The Sydney – Kormoran Engagement – Part 1

Nicholson, Ian · Mar 19, 2000 ·

“The first casualty in War is the Truth.’” Some say that HMAS Sydney (II) and her crew should be left in peace and I agree. Location and examination of the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Operation Downfall

Letter Writer · Mar 19, 2000 ·

Regarding “The Century’s Greatest Untold Story” in Vol. 20, No. 4, although OPERATION DOWNFALL may have been top secret, it was generally known, even in the BPF, that an invasion ...

Operation Downfall – The invasion of Japan – a sequel

Letter Writer · Mar 19, 2000 ·

Almost as sensational as “OPERATION DOWNFALL” – the top-secret plan for the invasion of Japan as detailed in the last issue of Naval Historical Review (Vol. 20, No. 4) – ...

The chase and sinking of the ‘Bismarck’

Patterson, W.R, Captain, RN · Mar 1, 2000 ·

The Commander-in-Chief, having received information that the Bismarck had put to sea, made suitable disposition of the forces at his disposal and sailed in HMS King George V, accompanied by ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Book Review: The Raider Kormoran

Nicholson, Ian · Sep 5, 1999 ·

Title: The Raider Kormoran Author: Captain Theodor Detmers Publisher: Tandem (UK, 1959) with numerous German & English reprints (This, the only book written by a participant, calls for close analysis in the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: Atlantic Odyssey

Book reviewer · Sep 1, 1999 ·

Title: Atlantic Odyssey Author: Michael Thwaites Publisher: Self-published This is a fascinating account of a little-known aspect (in Australia at least) of the Battle of the Atlantic, seen through the ...

Book Review: Bombers and Battleships

Loosli, Geoffrey, Rear Admiral, RAN · Jun 1, 1999 ·

Title: Bombers and Battleships, The struggle between ships and aircraft for the control of the surface of the sea Author: David Hamer Publisher: Allen and Unwin, Sydney The endless conflict between submarines ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Letters: Beattie of the St Nazaire raid

Letter Writer · Jun 1, 1999 ·

A small point that may be of interest to your readers (St Nazaire – The Greatest Commando Raid of WW II) is that Lieutenant Commander (as he then was) Beattie ...

Letters: Inquiry into the Loss of HMAS Sydney – Communications

Eagles, James · Jun 1, 1999 ·

The recent edition of the Naval Historical Review with the single page article on the Inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney, written by Commodore I. H. Nicholson. RAN (Ret’d), ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Letters: Inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney

Winter, Barbara · Mar 1, 1999 ·

Ref: Naval Historical Review, Dec. 1998 The generally intelligent and logical analysis by I.H.N. of the communications aspects of the encounter between Sydney and Kormoran falls down in one respect where ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

St Nazaire – The Greatest Commando Raid of WWII

Evans, P. · Mar 1, 1999 ·

The following article is copyright© and has been prepared by P. Evans, on behalf of the Fairmile Association, for the Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. It is for their ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Inquiry into the loss of HMAS Sydney by Joint Parliamentary Sub-committee

A.N. Other · Dec 18, 1998 ·

This is a naval communicator’s comments after studying most if not all the available evidence, including the voluminous “Submissions” to the Inquiry and the Hansard Transcripts of the public sessions: ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Letters – Sinking of Royal Oak

Letter Writer · Dec 18, 1998 ·

I was most interested to read the account in the Naval Historical Review of June 1998 of the sinking of the British battleship Royal Oak. I was in command of ...

Letters – Unacknowledged heroes

Barton, Alan · Sep 18, 1998 ·

I have read with interest the comments in the Naval Historical Review on HMAS YARRA and Leading Seaman Taylor’s heroic action. I also believe this last action of YARRA’S has ...

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