On The 3rd of September 1939 Australian and
New Zealand at once joined in the declaration of war against Germany following the British
Declaration of war against Germany. The Australian Government and the people firmly
believed because the destruction or defeat of Britain would be the destruction or defeat
of the British Commonwealth and would leave Australia with "a precarious tenure on
it's own independence".
In Australia all military districts were order to man coastal defences: navel vessels moving to their war stations. Squadrons of their air force were placed on short call for operation. Australia agreed to make the whole squadron available for service in the RAF's Coastal Command and it thus had the distinction of being the first air force squadron of any Commonwealth country to go to action in the war.
When the First World War broke out Australia had offer to send 20 thousand men, but in the Second World War the response was not so enthusiastic. On the fifteenth of September after much debate the Australian Government announced hat an Australian infantry division would be sent to Southern Palatine for training after which it would join the British Expeditionary Force in France.
The Australian government also offered to the British an Australian "air expeditionary force" of six operational squadrons for overseas. However this plan was superseded when the British began organising the Empire Air Scheme, the greatest cooperative air training plan of its kind in history. A massive rearmament effort by Germany had resulted in the build-up of predominant strength in ariel weapons and many military strategists believed that mastery of the air could well be the key to victory.
After the defeat of France many young Australians joined the war effort in the hope that they could turn the tide. Many lost their lives doing so but in the end, despite great odds, they succeeded.
Caleb Zaicz, Herberton, Australia
References
George Odgers Diggers Life Distributors
Picture from The Down Under Collection Delux, New Horizons, Armidale, Australia, 1995.