How Did Australia Contribute To The Western Front

Australia entered the war in 1939 and it became at their doorstep on the 19th February 1942, Nazi Germany and Japan were major enemies to Australia during the war. Australia’s foreign policy and changing alliance during 1942 impacted our national identity because Australia developed a new relationship with America, while it weakened the strong connection with Britain, which demonstrates that Australia was starting to become its own independent country. At the beginning of war, Australia had a strong relationship and alliance with Britain, making Britain their leaders when entering the war. Secondly, as the war progressed Australia began to look to America as an opportunity for protection from the Japanese, while Britain was fighting their own

Australia's participation in the First World War began when Britain declared war with Germany war on August 4, 1914. The outburst of war was received in Australia with huge keenness. So, acting upon the tremendous quantity of volunteers, the authorities implemented rigorous physical standards for them. However, most recruiters were accepted into the military. Bushmen, farmers, agricultural and rural workers, basically people with no experience in war. The Australian Imperial Force was created on August 15, 1914. The Australian government had promised to supply twenty thousand men, organized as one military unit. The first Australian Imperial Force military troop continued to grow with the arrival of the second Division, which was trained in Egypt. After the retreat from Gallipoli, the military unit experienced a great development and created the fourth and fifth Division. The third Division was created in Australia and navigated straight to England for additional preparation before moving to the Western

New weapons and defensive techniques were implemented here, a huge turning point for battle tactics and causes of death for the remainder of WW1. Hazardous gases were used alongside new machinery such as military tanks to form a stronger defensive stance, and although trenches were used in Gallipoli warfare, they became increasingly more popular in attacking techniques at the Western Front. The major Battle of Fromelles was also a great struggle for Australian soldiers as their enemies held higher grounds where possible, and there was little experience in working the artillery fire as it was the first ever battle for the AIF (Australian Imperial Force). Additionally, the Australian troops were placed majoritively on the front line at all times by the British. This accounted for the large number of losses and sacrifices of the ANZACs at the Western Front battles compared to the soldiers of other nations who also fought alongside the British. A quote from Lieutenant Hugh Knyvett, 59th Battalion, 15th Brigade (1916) expressed the great hardships that the soldiers were soon to face on the Western Front, unprepared and inexperienced. Knyvett is a credible source as he was one of the soldiers who fought on the Western Front, and was a Lieutenant during these battles. Knyvett says: “We had not been two days in the trenches before we knew that we were destined for an attack on the trenches opposite and we had not had time even to know the way about our own lines” (Wilkinson 2011). In addition, a letter sent home by John Alexander Raws, a credible SA Soldier who also took part in WW1 (1916) furthermore displays what hardships presented itself on the Western

World War One is regarded as a major turning point in history and modern warfare which has impacted Australia monumentally, scarring the nation’s history. Australia played a significant role in World War One and the Gallipoli campaign, which is considered the birthplace of the ANZAC legend. These events have immensely shaped Australia as the nation we know of today. World War One began in 1914 from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ended in 1918 on November the 11th which is now recognised as a day of mourning and a time given recognition to the lives taken on the battlefield. To a prominent extent, the ANZAC legend is significant to the concept of Australian identity and nationalism through the origins of the ANZAC legend, the key events that have helped form Australia as an independent nation, and in addition to how ANZAC day is commemorated today.

One of the reasons the fighting was so horrible is that the British trenches were not as developed as the Germans. The British trench was more constructed to maintain readiness, rather than being prepared for different elements. Also, many toes were amputated because of being exposed to cold water. This is more commonly known as “trench foot”.

The enthusiasm of many Australians led to the numerous volunteers participating in world war one in the defence of their British mother country against the Germans during world war one in Gallipoli, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

The main theatre of fighting in World War One was on the Western Front. The

In order to understand why the Anzac legend became so prominent, an understanding of Australia’s reasons for entering the First World War must be understood. Firstly, it was the first major war Australia would participate in as a state in its own right, less than two decades after Australian became a federation in 1901. According to Stanley,

The Western Front, while the main focus of combat in WW1, many Australians ignore this part of the war, as they focus more on the Gallipoli campaign and its legend. However with the centenary of the First World War here, many people have begun to realise that Australia was involved in other theatres of the war, and not just Gallipoli. The focus of this essay will be on the Events leading up to Australia’s involvement, the weapons of the western front, life in the trenches, trench warfare, The Battle of Fromelles and the End of the war.

World War one, or ‘The Great war’ first started in late June 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated causing threats to start the war by mid August. This was a chance to introduce the world to modernised weaponry such as gas bombs, machine guns and tanks. Australia has always been known as the country where anything goes. Where we enjoy gathering together to enjoy all of Australia’s achievements. That was no different in 1914. Australia was thrilled with the idea of going to war, we wanted the chance to show the world what we could give. Even though Australia had no choice in matter of going to war as it was already arranged. Gallipoli is known as a successful failure

The Western Front was a series of trenches the Germans built that span through 700 Kilometres of land. These trenches ran from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border. Many battles were fought in this piece of land but in the end they reached a stalemate.

After the build-up of tension and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, World War 1 began on the 4th August 1914 between the Central Powers, led by Germany, and the Allies, led by Britain. When Britain, in order to defend Belgium, declared war on Germany on the 4th August, Australian Prime Minster Joseph Cook also declared war on Germany. In commemorations which honour the Australians who fought in the war, there should not only be a focus on the events of Gallipoli, but also on the Western Front and the significance of Australia’s involvement in World War 1. Australia had strong ties with Britain and automatically became involved in the war to support Britain. Not surprisingly, many Australians rushed to enlist, for various reasons.

Being that Australia was apart of the British monarchy Australia sent many thousands of troops to fight for Britain during the First World War between 1914 and 1918. Thousands lost their lives at Gallipoli, on the Turkish coast and many more in France. Both Australian victories and losses on World War I battlefields contribute significantly to Australia's national

There were many impacts on the Australians home front throughout World War 1. World War I also known as the Great War took place from July 28th 1914 to November 11th 1918. These impacts included the Australian Commonwealth Government passing the War Precautions Act that gave the government many wartime powers including which were not supported by the constitution; the impact women made towards the war effort; how people with heritage from countries in the triple alliance who were living in Australia were known as enemy aliens and were often sent to internment camps; and the many different effects on the Australian economy. These different impacts on the Australian home front that created a change in how Australian society worked.

World War I (1914-1918) was considered the 'Great War' and Australia’s Gallipoli campaign has always been considered as the pinnacle of the Australian military feats. This is due to the constant glorification of the event despite the fact it was an unmitigated failure. However, the work of the Australian army force in the most important battleground of WW1 the 'Western Front' is often cast under the shadow of Gallipoli. The battles on the Western Front took place in France, Belgium and parts of Germany and this is where some of the most pivotal battles were fought. The contribution and success of the Australians will be assessed through the analysis of several sources related to four major contributions related to the Western Front. These include the amount of Australians involved, the external opinions of Australia in the Western front, The Battle of