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Military history of Australia during World War I
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When World War I broke out in 1914, all of the Commonwealth nations, including Australia, were called to defend Great Britain. Like most of the Commonwealth nations, Australia's sacrifices and contributions to the war would change many facets of Australian history.
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When World War I broke out in 1914, all of the Commonwealth nations, including Australia, were called to defend Great Britain. Like most of the Commonwealth nations, Australia's sacrifices and contributions to the war would change many facets of Australian history. Australians fought in German New Guinea, Turkey, Palestine and on the Western Front. The landing of Australian troops at Gallipoli is recognized as one of the defining points in modern Australian history. As well, The First World War did much to highlight the differing views in Australia on Conscription.
Outbreak of the war
When Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August, 1914, Australia and the other members of the British Empire were automatically involved. On 5 August, 1914, the Prime Minister Joseph Cook declared a war between Australia and Germany by stating "When the Empire is at War, so also is Australia." Since Australia was a colony founded by the British, there was support from all corners of the country. Australians flocked to recruiting centres in order to fight for country and empire. When Prime Minister Andrew Fisher's Labor Party came to power in September 1914 Fisher reiterated Cook's statement saying, "Should the worst happen", Australia would "rally to the Mother Country", "to help and defend her to our last man and our last shilling."
Preparations
Within the opening days of the war plans for an Australian expeditionary force were laid up by Brigadier General William Throsby Bridges and his staff officer Major Cyril Brudenell Bingham White. White proposed a force of 18,000 men (12,000 Australians and 6,000 New Zealanders), this proposal was approved by Prime Minister Cook but increased the offer to 20,000 men. The offer to the British was 20,000 men to serve in any destination desired by the Home Government. On 6 August 1914 London cabled its acceptance of the force and asked it be sent as soon as possible. Recruiting offices opened on 10 August 1914, men flocked to them. By the end of 1914 52,561 volunteers were accepted. The Australian government placed strict guidelines on volunteers, who had to have a high level of physical fitness.
German New Guinea
In 1884 Germany had colonised the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups. By the outbreak of the war the Germans had been using the colony as a wireless radio base, and supporting the German East Asia Squadron which threatened merchant shipping in the region. As a consequence Britain required the wireless installations to be destroyed. Shortly after the outbreak of war, following a request by the British government on August 6, 1914, the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) began forming. The objectives of the force were the German stations at Yap in the Caroline Islands, Nauru and at Rabaul, New Britain. The AN&MEF comprised one battalion of infantry (1,000 men) enlisted in Sydney plus 500 naval reservists and ex-sailors who would serve as infantry, under the command of Colonel William Holmes.
The task force reached Rabaul on September 11, 1914 finding the port free of German forces. Sydney and the destroyer HMAS Warrego landed small parties of naval reservists at the settlements of Kabakaul and the German gubernatorial capital Herbertshöhe on Neu-Pommern, south-east of Rabaul. These parties were reinforced firstly by sailors from Warrego and later by infantry from Berrima. A small 25 man force of naval reservists was subsequently landed at Kabakaul Bay and proceeded inland to capture the radio station believed to be in operation at Bitapaka, seven kilometres to the south. The Australians were resisted by a mixed force of German reservists and Melanesian native police, who forced them to fight their way to Bitapaka. By nightfall the radio station was reached, and it was found to have been abonded, the mast dropped but its instruments and machinery intact. During the fighting seven Australians were killed and five wounded, whilst the defenders lost one German NCO and about 30 Melanesians killed, and one German and ten Melanesians wounded. Later it was alleged that the heavy losses among the Melanesian troops was the result of the Australians bayoneting all those they had captured during the fighting. As a result of this engagement Seaman W.G.V. Williams became the first Australian fatality of the war. The German territory surrendered on September 17, 1914.
Although successful the operation was arguably not well managed, and the Australians had been effectively delayed by a half-trained native force. The losses of the AN&MEF were light in the context of later operations but were sufficiently heavy given the relatively modest gain. These loses were further compounded by the disappearance of the Australian submarine HMAS AE1 during a patrol off Rabaul on September 14, with 35 men aboard. Following the capture of German possessions in the region, the AN&MEF provided occupation forces for the duration of the war.
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force began forming shortly after the outbreak of war and was the brain child of William Throsby Bridges and Cyril Brudenell Bingham White. The force was to be an all volunteer force for overseas service. The original force was made up of the First Australian Division, which was made up of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade. A Light Horse Brigade, the 1st Light Horse was also formed as part of the force. The original brigade commanders were Henry MacLaurin (1st Brigade), James McCay (2nd Brigade) and Ewen Sinclair-MacLagan (3rd Brigade). The light horse Brigade was commanded by Henry George Chauvel, Artillery was commanded by Colonel Talbot Hobbs and medical services by Neville Howse.
The men of the First Australian Imperial Force were selected under some of the toughest criterion of any army in World War I. In order to enlist, men had to be aged between eighteen and thirty-five years of age (although it is believed that men as old as seventy and as young as fourteen managed to enlist), and they had to be at least five foot six inches tall (168 centimetres), with a chest measurement of at least thirty-four inches (86 centimetres). Many of these strict requirements were lifted later in the war, however, as the need for replacements grew. Indeed, casualties among the initial volunteers were so high, that of the 32,000 original soldiers of the AIF only 7,000 would survive to the end of the war.
The AIF continued to grow through the war, eventually numbering five Australian and one New Zealand infantry Divisions, 2 Cavalry Divisions and a mixture of other units.
(Note: The Australian 6th Division was partially formed in February 1917, until casualties from the First Battle of Bullecourt and the Battle of Messines caused the disbandment of the partially formed unit to allow the other (established) divisions to be brought back up to strength.)
Gallipoli
The AIF departed in a single convoy from Albany, Western Australia on November 1, 1914. The AIF was sent initially to British-controlled Egypt, undergoing training at Camp Mena near Cairo, expecting to being sent to France to fight on the Western Front. The infantry were formed into the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) which comprised the Australian 1st Division and the New Zealand and Australian Division. Later in November, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill put forward his first plans for a naval attack on the Dardanelles. A plan for an attack and invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula was eventually approved by the British cabinet in January 1915. It was decided that the Australian and New Zealand troops would take part in the operation. The goal of the invasion was to open up another front against the Central Powers and to open Black Sea's only entrance the Bosphorus, to allow shipping to Russia all year round.
The invasion plan of 25 April 1915 was for the 29th Division to land at Cape Helles on the tip of the peninsula and then advance upon the forts at Kilitbahir. The Anzacs were to land north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast from where they could advance across the peninsula and prevent retreat from or reinforcement of Kilitbahir.
The Anzac covering force, the 3rd Brigade of the Australian 1st Division, began to go ashore shortly before dawn at 4.30 am on April 25. The intended landing zone was a broad front centered about a mile north of Gaba Tepe. For reasons that are debated to this day, the landing went awry and the boats concentrated about a mile and a half further north than intended in a shallow, nameless cove between Ari Burnu to the north and Hell Spit to the south. The cove today is known as Anzac Cove.
The Anzacs were confronted by a treacherous, confusing tangle of ravines and spurs that descended from the heights of the Sari Bayir range to the sea. The landing was only lightly opposed by scattered Turkish units until Mustafa Kemal, commanding the 19th Division and perceiving the threat posed by the landings, rushed reinforcements to the area in what became a race for the high ground.
The contest for the heights was decided on the main ridge line where the Anzacs and Turks fought over a knoll called Baby 700. The position changed hands a number of times on the first day before the Turks, having the advantage of the higher ground on Battleship Hill, took final possession which they never relinquished. Once the Anzac advance was checked, the Turks counter-attacked, trying to force the invaders back to the shore, but failed to dislodge them from the foothold they had gained. A trench perimeter quickly developed and a bloody stalemate ensued until August.
After eight months of bloody fighting it was decided to evacuate the entire force on Gallipoli. Suvla and Anzac were to be evacuated in late December, the last troops leaving before dawn on 20 December 1915. Troop numbers had been progressively reduced since December 7 and cunning ruses were performed to fool the Turks and prevent them discovering the Allies that were departing. At Anzac, the troops would maintain utter silence for an hour or more until the curious Turks would venture out to inspect the trenches, whereupon the Anzacs would open fire. As the numbers in the trenches were thinned, rifles were rigged to fire by water dripped into a pan attached to the trigger. Ironically the evacuation was the greatest Allied success of the campaign, with not a single casualty.
The following is a list of battles that Australians took part in during the Gallipoli Campaign.
* Gallipoli Campaign
Australia and New Zealand commemorate the ANZAC Day public holiday on April 25 every year to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), and of all those who served their country. During the Battle of Gallipoli there were 28,150 Australian casualties with 8,709 fatalities and 19,441 wounded. After Gallipoli Australian troops returned to Egypt and the AIF underwent a major expansion. In 1916 the Infantry Divisions began to move to France while the cavalry units stayed in the area and combated Turkish troops.
Egypt and Palestine
After the Gallipoli Campaign, Australian troops returned to Egypt and the AIF underwent a major expansion. In 1916 the infantry forces began to move to France while the cavalry units stayed in the area and fought Turkish troops. Australian troops of the Anzac Mounted Division and the Australian Mounted Division saw action in all the major battles of the campaign, first seeing combat in the Battle of Romani.
The Battle of Romani took place near the Egyptian town of Romani which lies 23 miles east of the Suez Canal from 3 August to 5 August 1916. The Turkish army goal was to control or destroy the Suez Canal, thereby denying the use of the waterway to the Allies and in doing so aiding the Central Powers. The Anzac Mounted Division, under General Henry George Chauvel saw considerable action during the battle. The Turks initially pushed the Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade back to Wellington Ridge, but by dawn the next day had forced the Australians from this position also. The Turks were eventually pushed back by the heavy artillery of the British 52nd (Lowland) Division and other units of the Anzac Mounted Division. The battle cost the Allies 1130 casualties of which 202 were killed, of these 935 were Australians and New Zealanders.
The Battle of Magdhaba took place near the tiny Egyptian outpost of Magdhaba in the Sinai desert, some 22 miles from El Arish on the Mediterranean coast during December 1916. The Australian light horse advanced to El Arish on December 21 but found it abandoned by the Turks who had retreated along the coast to Rafa and inland up the Wadi El Arish to Magdhaba, the Anzac Mounted Division, commanded by General Chauvel, moved on Magdhaba on the night of December 22. The assault on Magdhaba was made by the 1st and 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigades, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade supported by three batteries of horse artillery. The town was captured by 4:30pm with casualties of 22 dead and 121 wounded.
Following victory at Romani on August 4, the British forces had been on the offensive in the Sinai. However their pace of advance was governed by the speed by which the railway and water pipeline could be constructed from the Suez Canal. On the evening of 8 January 1917 the Anzac Mounted Division, under the command of General Chauvel rode out of El Arish towards Rafa where a 2,000-strong Turkish garrison was based. The attacking force comprised the Australian 1st and 3rd Light Horse Brigades, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, the British 5th (Yeomanry) Brigade and three battalions of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade. The Allied troops captured the town by nightfall with the loss of 71 killed and 415 wounded.
The First Battle of Gaza occurred in southern Gaza on 26 March 1917. At around noon two mounted brigades of the Anzac Mounted Division attacked Gaza from the north and east. At 6 pm the Turkish position had become perilous with the ring closing tightly around Gaza. However, in a decision that dismayed most of their soldiers the British commanders decided to call off the attack and retreat, delivering victory to the Turks. A second attempt was made to capture Gaza on April 19 by which time the Turkish defences were even more formidable and the task confronting the British even more difficult. This battle became known as the Second Battle of Gaza. The Anzac Mounted Division played only a minor role in this battle suffering only 105 casualties out of the 5,917 suffered. The second battle of Gaza was a disastrous defeat for the Allied forces.
With the failure of the Second Battle of Gaza a third assault was launched on Gaza between 31 October and 7 November 1917. Units from the Anzac Mounted Division and the Australian Mounted Division took part in the battle. The battle was a complete success for the Allies. The Gaza-Beersheba line was completely overrun and 12000 Turkish soldiers were captured or surrendered. The critical moment of the battle was the capture of the town of Beersheba on the first day by Australian light horsemen. The Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade, under Brigadier General William Grant, charged more than four miles at the Turkish trenches, overran them and captured the wells at Beersheba. In the capture of Beersheba, the 4th Light Horse Brigade took 38 officers and 700 other ranks prisoner as well as four field guns. In the two regiments, only 31 men were killed (including two officers) and only 36 men wounded (including eight officers).
Later in the conflict the Australian mounted troops assisted in pushing the Turkish forces out of Palestine, taking part in the Battle of Mughar Ridge, Battle of Jerusalem and the Battle of Megiddo. The Turkish government signed an armistice on 28 October 1918 and outright surrendered two days later. Australia played a pivotal role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign a large majority of the troops present were Australian and New Zealanders.
The Western Front
Divisions of the First Australian Imperial Force began transferring to France from Egypt in March 1916. The first Division to arrive was the 2nd Division followed by the 1st Division later in March. 4th and 5th Division left Egypt in June 1916 for France. The 3rd Division was formed in Australia during March 1916 and it moved to England to train in July 1916. In December 1916 it moved to France, becoming the last division to do so. At first Australian divisions operated under the command of I Anzac Corps and II Anzac Corps, on 1 November 1917 the Australian divisions of the two ANZAC corps were all transferred into the Australian Corps.
The Battle of the Somme
Four Divisions of the Australian Imperial Force saw action during the Battle of the Somme; the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th. The 5th was the first to see action during the Battle of Fromelles, the 5th was positioned on the left flank of the salient. During the Battle of Fromelles the 5th suffered 5,533 casualties which effectively incapacitated the 5th for many months afterwards. The 1st Division entered the line on 23 July 1916, it took part in capturing the town of Pozieres at great cost suffering 5,285 casualties on its first tour of Pozières. The 2nd Division took over the sector on July 27 and General Gough, eager for progress, pressed for an immediate attack. By August 5 the brigades of the 2nd Division were exhausted and were to be relieved by the 4th Division.
Following the attack on Pozieres the Australians were called upon to attack Mouquet Farm. The task fell to the 4th Division, which had already suffered 1,000 casualties resisting the final German counter-attack, but both the Australian 1st and 2nd Divisions would be called on again, followed once more by the 4th Division. The 2nd Division suffered 6,848 casualties while the 4th suffered 4,649.As that battle dragged on, the Canadian Corps took over from the Australians. During the Battle of the Somme the four Australian divisions suffered a total of 23,000 casualties. In October the 5th Division returned to the line and joined the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions on the Somme near Flers.
Battle of Bullecourt
In March 1917 two flying columns from the 2nd and 5th Divisions pursued the German back to the Hindenburg Line and capturing the town of Bapaume. On 11 April 1917 the 4th Division assaulted the Hindenburg Line in the First Battle of Bullecourt. The battle was a disaster and 1,170 Australian prisoners were taken by the German. On 15 April the 1st and 2nd Divisions were struck by a German counterattack at dawn near the town of Lagnicourt, by a force of up twenty-three battalions as the Germans attempted to take advantage of the weakness that had developed in the Allied line following the British offensive at Arras. The Australians were initially forced to abandon the town to the Germans and in the process several artillery batteries were lost, however, at seven o'clock a successful counter-attack was launched by four Australian battalions, resulting in the town being recapture and the guns reclaimed. Later, on 3 May 1917 the 2nd Division took part in the Second Battle of Bullecourt, holding the breach, before being relieved later that month by the 1st Division, which was in turn relieved by the 5th.
Australian Flying Corps
The Australian Flying Corps was created in March 1914 and saw its first action in German New Guinea. However this deployment was soon over since these colonies surrendered before the planes were even unpacked. The first operational flights did not occur until May 27, 1915, when the Mesopotamian Half Flight was called upon to assist the Indian Army in protecting British oil interests in what is now Iraq. The Corps later saw action in Egypt, Palestine and on the Western Front throughout the remainder of World War I. By the end of the war, four squadrons had seen active service.
Mesopotamian Half Flight
The Mesopotamian Half-Flight, or Australian Half-Flight was the first Australian Flying Corps (AFC) unit to see active service. On 8 February 1915, the Australian Government received a request for air assistance from the Viceroy of India. The AFC was still in its infancy and could provide enough aircrews and ground staff for only half a flight: the unit therefore became known as the Mesopotamian Half-Flight, or Australian Half-Flight and Captain Henry Petre was appointed commander. The AFC contingent sailed for Bombay, and on 20 April 1915 it left for Basra. Petre, the last remaining Australian airman in Mesopotamia, left the area on 7 December 1915 and flew the only remaining Shorthorn to Egypt, where he and it were eventually incorporated into 1 Squadron AFC.
AFC on the Western Front
Squadrons
Flying Squadrons
Training Squadrons
Royal Australian Navy operations
At the outbreak of war the Royal Australian Navy consisted of the battlecruiser , the light cruisers , and (under construction), the destroyers , and , and the submarines and . With three more destroyers under construction, the Royal Australian Navy at the start of the war was a formidable force.
The first operation navy in the war was in support of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in the occupation of German New Guinea. The naval portion of the force included the Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, , Warrego, and submarine AE1. The only loss during the New Guinea Campaign was when the AE1 disappeared on 14 September 1914. The first RAN victory of the war occurred when the cruiser, HMAS Sydney sank the German light cruiser, off the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. Ships of the RAN helped provide naval cover for the ambitious landings at Gallipoli, and the submarine AE2 broke the blockade of the Dardanelles to harass Turkish shipping but was later destroyed. Later in the war the RAN assisted the Royal Navy in the blockade of the German High Seas Fleet.
Statistics
During World War I over 421,809 Australians served in the Military with 331,781 serving overseas. The Australians suffered close to the highest casualty rate per head of population of any British Empire army, 65 per cent. The financial cost of the war to the Australian government was £188,480,000. The following table lists the number of Australian casualties by cause during the war.
Australian World War I Casualties | Cause of Death | Number |
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| Battle related deaths | 53,993 |
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| Non-Battle deaths | 7,727 |
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| Wounded in action | 137,013 |
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| Gassed | 16,496 |
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| Prisoners of War | 3,647 |
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| Prisoner of War deaths | 109 |
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See also
External links
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