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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Naval history / History - WW2

History - WW2

Book Review: Australian Minesweepers at War by Mike Turner & Hector Donohue

Book reviewer · Sep 24, 2018 ·

Published by the Sea Power Centre, Canberra, 2018. Paperback of 328 pages with numerous black & white illustrations, portraits, tables and maps. The first edition of this publication was sold ...

Book Review: Tobruk and Beyond: War Notes from the Mediterranean Station 1941–1943.

Book reviewer · Sep 24, 2018 ·

 By Albert Lawrence Poland, Published by Halstead Press, Canberra, 2018. Hard cover, 176 pp with b&w illustrations, maps and portraits. Available from booksellers at about $33.00. Peter Poland, the editor ...

The Hospital Ships Buenos Aires Maruand Wah Sui

Editorial Staff · Sep 24, 2018 ·

Was the sinking of hospital ships isolated incidents which could be put down to mistaken identity or were they deliberate acts of destruction by those who had thrown away the ...

Australian Merchant Navy Day – Remembrance Address

A.N. Other · Sep 24, 2018 ·

By LCDR Desmond Woods, RANR Membersof the Merchant Navy War Memorial Fund, Veterans, War Widows, Merchant Mariners, members of associated organisations, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. The maritime history of ...

Occasional Paper 14: Interview with Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie Gregory, R.A.N. Rtd

A.N. Other · Sep 15, 2018 ·

Amended interview with Australians at War Film Archive This original interview is from this page, the Australians at War Film Archive. There is also a copy of the uncorrected interview ...

HDML 1321 and what she represents

A.N. Other · Aug 1, 2018 ·

Java is heaven, Burma is hell but you never come back alive from New Guinea – Japanese wartime saying An eagle-eyed member of our Society drew attention to this short ...

Royal Navy Colours of World War Two – Standard Camouflage Colours

David Stratton · Jul 30, 2018 ·

Author James Duff Introduction In the final months of and in the years after World War Two, many resources, documents and records relating to Royal Navy camouflage were purposely destroyed. ...

Royal Navy Colours of World War Two – The Patterns 507, G10 and G45

David Stratton · Jul 30, 2018 ·

  Collaborative works by: Michael Brown, Sean Carroll, James Duff, Lindsay Johnson   Introduction   In the final months of and in the years after World War Two, many resources, ...

An American at War in the Pacific Memoirs of Chief Radioman John Ottomar Adams, USNR

A.N. Other · Jun 24, 2018 ·

 A long standing member of our Society, David Mattiske, was a friend of John Adams who died early in 2017. David presented us with a self-published memoir of John Adams ...

They Also Served – LCDR Donald R Wilson, DSC, RANVR

Editorial Staff · Jun 24, 2018 ·

Lieutenant Commander Don Wilson had a remarkable wartime career but as this was mostly spent on loan to the Royal Navy, there is little mention of his exploits in our ...

Letter: HMAS Arunta and Operation Hamburger

Letter Writer · Mar 24, 2018 ·

Dear Editor The December 2017 edition of the NHR contains an article on the evacuation of Lancer Force from Timor by HMAS Arunta in January 1943. As my father was CO ...

Lieutenant (SP) H.L. Billman, DSC, RANVR

A.N. Other · Mar 24, 2018 ·

By Hector Donohue Harold Leon (Bill) Billman had a relatively short war in the RAN of just three years, but as a bomb and mine disposal officer he was regularly ...

Tales of the South Pacific, Broadway and a South Pacific World War II Museum

Editorial Staff · Mar 24, 2018 ·

The South Pacific has a wondrous reputation as the home of tales from the sea, producing great characters such as Robinson Crusoe and Bligh of the Bounty. In later times ...

Another Coastwatcher – Ron (Dixie) Lee

Editorial Staff · Mar 24, 2018 ·

As told to our Editor by Ron (Dixie) Lee The December edition of this magazine contained a story The Last Coastwatchersfeaturing James (Jim) Burrowes. Mention was also made of endeavours ...

Book review: The Rag Tag Fleet (and George Franki)

Book reviewer · Dec 6, 2017 ·

By Ian W Shaw. Published by Hachette Australia, Sydney, 2017. Soft cover of 310 pages with black & white photographs. Available from booksellers and online from $32.99 but discounts readily ...

Australian Political and Military Strategies in the Second World War – to Lead or to Follow

Fogarty, Michael · Dec 6, 2017 ·

This paper is by Mike Fogarty a former RAN officer and diplomat. In 2016, he completed an MA (Military History) at UNSW with ADFA. The war in the Pacific was ...

HMAS Arunta and Operation Hamburger

Editorial Staff · Dec 6, 2017 ·

Whichever way you looked at a Tribal class destroyer, she was not just handsome, she was beautiful. The balance between hull and superstructure and the proportions of her two funnels ...

Malta Revisited: Wartime Memories of HMAS Vendetta’s Malta Sojourn in World War II

A.N. Other · Dec 5, 2017 ·

We are indebted to ex Supply Assistant Gordon Hill for this wonderfully illuminating description of his wartime service in the destroyer HMAS Vendetta when based at Malta. The George Cross Island ...

Occasional Paper 16: HMAS Australia and Atlantic rescue of Coastal Command Sunderland – 1940

Gregory, Mackenzie J. · Oct 1, 2017 ·

October 2017 On Monday 28th October 1940, I was serving as an eighteen year old Midshipman in HMAS “Australia”, an 8 inch gun cruiser. At that time, we had arrived on ...

Book review: Under the Water Under the Wire and the men who sank the Sydney

Book reviewer · Sep 5, 2017 ·

By Grahame Wilson. Self-published via Publicious P/L in 2015. Paperback, 281 pages with b&w illustrations. Available from Amazon and Booktopia and selected booksellers from $30. EBook version is also available ...

AK 121 Aroetta

Editorial Staff · Sep 5, 2017 ·

 A previous edition of this magazine (March 2017) outlined the exploits of HDML 1321 and favourably mentioned her commanding officer, Lieutenant Ambrose Palmer, RANR. This article explores an earlier career of ...

Occasional Paper 13: Local Australian/USA Submarine Initiative Helps Turn the Tide of War Against Japan in 1942

A.N. Other · Aug 1, 2017 ·

August 2017 The following story provided by Commodore Bob Trotter OAM RAN (Ret’d), National President of the Submarine Association is about a little-known part of the shared Australia/USA submarine history ...

Occasional Paper 10: The Loss of HMAS Kuttabul

A.N. Other · Jul 18, 2017 ·

The following address was delivered Captain Christopher Skinner RAN Rtd during the 75th anniversary ceremony conducted by HMAS Kuttabul on Garden Island, Sydney 1 June 2017. Good morning to you ...

Book Review: HMAS Sydney II in Peace and War

Book reviewer · Jun 30, 2017 ·

By Wes Olson, Privately Published at Hilton, WA in 2016, 610 Pages with maps and photographs. Available direct from the author at email: wes.dale@westnet.com.au. Price $60.00 plus postage. Aside from ...

Book Review: HMAS Canberra – Casualty of Circumstance

Book reviewer · Jun 30, 2017 ·

By Kathryn Spurling, Publishers New Holland, Sydney, 2016. Paperback, 255 pp with b & w illustrations, maps and portraits. Available most bookshops from $33.00 with discounts available. The author served ...

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