I’m reading Bob Wurth’s book on WWII, The Battle for Australia. Apparently:
* Australia was completely unable to defend itself. Japan could have invaded anywhere in Australia and taken control. The country was theirs for the taking. They simply decided not to take it. Australia depended on the Americans to rescue them.
* When the Japs bombed Darwin, Australian military looted the town after the raid. I find it hard to believe that Japan and Germany’s military would have acted similarly in their home countries. Japan and Germany enjoyed more group solidarity than did Australians.
* Australian unions, including vital coal miners and wharfies, repeatedly went on strike when the nation needed their labor the most.
* Australia’s prime minister told the press that the Allies had broken Japan’s communication codes.
* General MacArthur said in 1942: “This war would be a lesson to Australia. She must never again engage in valiant, cavalier expeditions overseas, leaving herself unprepared for the shock of battle on her own shores.”
