Australians at War

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[edit] General Information

War Documentary published by ABC, Others in 2001 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

"Australians At War is the most comprehensive visual record ever made of our wartime history. Australian men and women, veterans of all our conflicts and witnesses to our past, speak movingly of the events that shaped their lives and those of millions of Australians. "

[edit] Episode 1

In 1899, taking the chance to prove themselves, Australians sailed to the Anglo-Boer War. For nearly three years, they fought across the South African veld, discovering that war was not just about courage, but terror and death. The Boer War saw Australia become a federated nation, the upturned slouch hat and rising sun badge become national icons, and the establishment of the Australian soldier as equal to any in the world.

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On 25 April 1915, the legend of Anzac began on the beaches at Gallipoli. The young men who charged ashore had enlisted to fight Germans and show the world what Australians could do. By the time they left, eight months later, they had endured horror and futility and displayed heroism and loyalty of a rare kind. This isolated part of Turkey was to become Australia�s most enduring national symbol.

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From 1916 to 1918, thousands of Australians died as great armies were thrown against each other. Australia was gripped by two bitterly divisive conscription referendums and in virtually every Australian home, death and suffering became all too familiar. Many Australians believe we lost the best of a generation in those years, and the survivors are the closest we have to national treasures.

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The nearly one million Australians who served in the Second World War came from a different Australia, a country of loyalty to Britain and Empire. They were men and women hardened by the experience of the Great Depression and memories of the First World War. From Tobruk to Singapore, they fought in desperate campaigns as the war brought us close to the edge, with the Japanese pushing relentlessly towards Australia.

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As the Second World War continued, Australia faced a struggle for its survival. Ill prepared for the Japanese threat, our forces were divided across the world; our airmen in Bomber Command suffered appalling losses flying against the Germans, and our troops fought bravely at El Alamein. In Papua and New Guinea, Australian forces fought the Japanese to a standstill until Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the horror to an end.

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Scarcely had Australia become used to peace when communist aggression in Korea broke out into full-scale war. Answering a call from the United Nations Organization, Australia quickly committed to service personnel. Despite more than 300 Australians killed during the war, most Australians have little knowledge of this �forgotten war�. Like the Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation that followed, it faded from memory.

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The Vietnam War was out longest war, and one that divided the nation. It was a war where the line between ally and enemy was blurred, and where the constant questions were whether the war was valid, conscription was just and if the war could be won at all. In Vietnam, Australian servicemen and women continued to uphold the same traditions of mateship and strength of spirit as their forebears.

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There has been a strong resurgence of interest in the Anzac tradition and its values. Over the past century the impact war has had on our nation and our people can be seen in the importance of remembrance and commemoration. Australia today has a significant international profile and reputation as a successful peacekeeping contributor. For all Australians this is one of the answers to the central question of Anzac Day: �What have we done with the peace that was won for us?�