Australian Military History

In this interview Peter Mitchell gives a detailed account of a little known event in Australia's military history - the fighting on Java in the opening weeks of the Pacific War. He also provides an insight into the benefits of creative non-fiction as a means of providing factual details about an event while also providing a good story for the readers.

With the fall of Singapore imminent, all nursing staff were given orders to evacuate. Despite the protests of the nurses they boarded the evacuation ships. Those who boarded the Vyner Brook would suffering murder and imprisonment at the hands of the Japanese, but those aboard the other two ships, the Wasui and Empire Star were spared that horror. But that doesn't mean they got away safely. In this amazing book, Colin Burgess tells the story of two of the nurses onboard the Empire Star and their acts of heroism under Japanese air attack.patreon.com/u46029761

Commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on the eve of World War II, HMAS Perth (I) was the only RAN vessel in the Atlantic at the outbreak of war. She returned to Australia for a short period before serving in the Mediterranean, gaining praise for her crew's seamanship and accurate gunnery. Returning to Australia for repairs she was present at the outbreak of the Pacific War and was eventually assigned to waters surrounding the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). It was here that she would meet her fate after an unexpected contact with the Japanese invasion fleet.https://www.australianmilitaryhistorypodcast.com/https://www.patreon.com/c/u46029761?view_as=patron&vanity=u46029761

Colonel Marcus Fielding spent nine months as an embedded Australian officer within the Coalition Forces Headquarters during the final stages of Australia's involvement in the Iraq War. He provides a fascinating insight into the day to day running of a major headquarters and the state of play in Baghdad as the Coalition commitment winds down. https://www.echobooks.com.au/books/red-zone-baghdad

This episode we're looking at the work of the unsung heroes of every campaign which Australia has taken part in - the Military Chaplain. We're going to do this by focusing on Walter Dexter, who was as famous during World War 1 as Jacka or John Monash, but has been largely forgotten in the intervening years. I'm speaking with Professor Daniel Reynaud who has written a book on Walter Dexter's life, and trust me it's an absolute corker of a story. If you prefer, you can check out the video on Youtube by following the link below. https://youtu.be/U3NiyrKs6j8https://www.australianmilitaryhistorypodcast.com/https://www.patreon.com/c/u46029761?view_as=patron&vanity=u46029761

In this bonus episode I interview Aaron Dryden about his book, Between Two Wars, based upon the story of his great grandfather's experiences through WW1 and WW2 and his eventual fate at the Sandakan Prisoner of War camp.https://www.amazon.com.au/Between-Two-Wars-Aaron-Dryden-ebook/dp/B0G441WXNS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ET9QEE6JJB5U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5z7rjnDZolTUhGtW2Jt6CXjTo-YGA_D7Q06rXmD1xLWgjr45nzxvm9AAs2-XGwlQqeqVMH1EGAmm1P_KjXQHW3E3v9NLFlMt3RUEF1YjzlDu-e2ITxSGqV8r1YLRN8IKV5fJMJ2WUVIqbpD-NKlsKGvD4MeBnS7r0SvgnsSL7G6GyuD8csjciNzTvyS3c9cNxO3aOFBn0vl8AGd_2aABrKjOkHOzNBwfmAegeg3YW6I.nDW-kLhisdOHDawGNmL4CT6yCg4Qar1GPdm_--ugT6o&dib_tag=se&keywords=between+two+wars&qid=1774865043&s=books&sprefix=between+two+wars%2Cstripbooks%2C372&sr=1-1https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCsCe3QTQr3MSY6xpQ5Lfqpw/videos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7D

As promised in my last episode, I hereby present to you all a Christmas present to say thank you for your support throughout the year. Have a good one.

Having advanced beyond the village of Pozieres, the 1st and 3rd Brigades of the 1st Division now attempted to realign themselves with the Old German (OG) Lines. The fighting by now was chaotic with orders being issued for local attacks, often without neighbouring units being aware. Miscommunicated orders also didn't help things. But advances were made, lost and made again. The 25th and 26th July 1916 would see the Australians subjected to further bombardment during the days and launching attacks at night. But by the 26th, the men were at the end of their endurance and the process of relieving the 1st Division with the 2nd Division began. https://www.australianmilitaryhistorypodcast.com/patreon.com/u46029761