The military history of Australia during World War II began with Australia declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and the South West Pacific theatre. In addition, Australia came under direct attack for the first time in its history. Casualties from enemy action during the war were 27,073 killed and 23,477 wounded. While most Australian forces were withdrawn from the Mediterranean following the outbreak of war in the Pacific, they continued to take part in the air offensive against Germany. Australian forces played a key role in the Pacific War, making up the majority of Allied strength in the South West Pacific throughout much of the fighting there. The military continued offensive operations against the Japanese until the war ended. The war contributed to major changes in the nation's economy, military and foreign policy. It accelerated the process of industrialisation, led to the development of a larger peacetime military and began the process with which Australia shifted the focus of its foreign policy from Britain to the United States.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_World_War_II
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
The Ming Dynasty of China fell when the Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty
1792:
The guillotine (example pictured) was first used to carry out capital punishment in France, with crowds marvelling at the machine's speed and precision. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine
1945:
German troops retreated from northern Finland, bringing the Lapland War to a close. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapland_War
1953:
"Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids" by molecular biologists James Watson and Francis Crick was first published in the scientific journal Nature, describing the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_Structure_of_Nucleic_Acids:_A_Structure_for_Deoxyribose_Nucleic_Acid
1990:
Violeta Chamorro took office as the President of Nicaragua, the first woman elected in her own right as a head of state in the Americas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violeta_Chamorro
2005:
A commuter train came off its tracks in Amagasaki, Hyōgo, Japan, and rammed into an apartment building, killing the driver and 106 passengers and injuring 555 others in the Amagasaki rail crash. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amagasaki_rail_crash
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
paint the town red: To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paint_the_town_red
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Man is one name belonging to every nation upon earth. In them all is one soul though many tongues. Every country has its own language, yet the subjects of which the untutored soul speaks are the same everywhere. --Tertullian https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tertullian