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9 DEC 1942: World War II and Australians occupy Gona, New Guinea. The Japanese withdrawal from the Kokoda Trail enabled the allies to plan the encirclement of important Japanese positions in the Buna, Sanananda and Gona beachhead. Gona was the first of the three to fall to the allies after weeks of heavy fighting. On […]

9 DEC 1917: World War I and Jerusalem is occupied by the Desert Mounted Corps. The capture of Jerusalem, a city significant for Christians, Jews and Muslems, was one of the triumphs for British empire forces in the Middle East in 1917. In the first Battle of Gaza, 26/27 March 1917, Sir Harry Chauvel was […]

8 DEC 1941: Australia is at war with Japan. Australia announces that it is at war with Japan. Some 17,000 Australians would die in the three-and-a-half-year war against Japan, 8,000 as prisoners of war. Just one hour after Japanese bombers struck at Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941, Prime Minister John Curtin of […]

8 DEC 1941: World War II and Japan invades Malaya and Thailand. This attack (which occurred virtually simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor) would lead within three months to the loss of Malaya and Singapore. The Japanese invasion of Thailand also occurred on this day. It was fought between Thailand and the Empire of […]

7-8 DEC 1941: World War 2 and Japanese aircraft attack the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. With the Japanese attack on European possessions in Asia the Second World War was now a truly global conflict. The road to war between Japan and the United States began in the 1930s when differences over China […]

7 DEC 1915: Evacuation of ANZAC forces from Gallipoli begins. Though the Gallipoli campaign had failed British empire forces at least planned and executed the evacuation without loss. After the failure of the August offensives, the allied forces were preparing to dig in for a difficult winter. Then on 13 November 1915 Field Marshal Lord […]

6 DEC 1951: The Korean War and HMAS Sydney begins its second patrol off the coast. Sydney’s aircraft were used to protect South Korean-held islands on Korea’s north-west coast. The HMAS Sydney in Korean waters launching Hawker Sea Fury fighters, a painting in oils by Ray Honisett. Sydney is flanked on either sides by her […]

5 DEC 1950: The Korean War and the evacuation of Chinnampo, Korea. HMA Ships Bataan and Warramunga took part in evacuating Chinnampo, which involved operating in the very shallow waters of the Taedong River estuary at night. On 1 December 1950 Bataan departed Sasebo for the Yalu River approaches on the west coast and she joined […]

5 DEC 1939: World War II and today sees the first official RAAF operation of the Second World War. A Sunderland aircraft of No. 10 Squadron RAAF, flew on the first official RAAF operation of the Second World War. This was the beginning of six years of war for 10 Squadron, which flew as part […]