Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Peer review/Military history of Australia during World War II

Military history of Australia during World War II
I've been working on this article for some time, and would appreciate comments on its structure, content, how it could be brought up to A-class standard and any other topics. I think that some obvious areas which need work are the introduction and balancing the coverage of the different campaigns, but I am interested in seeing what other editors think. Nick Dowling (talk) 11:41, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Skinny87

 * This inadequately equipped and outnumbered Allied force was not able to halt the Germans when they invaded on 6 April and was forced to retreat. - Needs a citation.


 * Lead could probably be expanded a bit more for the size of the article.


 * This inadequately equipped and outnumbered Allied force was not able to halt the Germans when they invaded on 6 April and was forced to retreat. - Could do with a citation, especially if you intend for A-Class and beyond.


 * The collapse of British power in the Pacific also led Australia to reorient its foreign and military policy towards the United States. - Needs citation

That's all for now, I'll add more later. Great article! Skinny87 (talk) 12:06, 15 June 2008 (UTC)


 * You cite that Australia fought two wars in the lead, yet don't cite the number of casualties taken by Australian armed forces. Consistency is needed, either way.


 * In the 'Outbreak of war' section, you should mention that the two wars are WWI and WWII, as this could be assumed to mean any conflict. I would also cite that the Depression caused lower funding and military ineffectiveness.


 * Australia's first shot of the war took place several hours later when a gun at Fort Queenscliff fired across the bows of an Australian ship which was attempting to leaving Melbourne without the required clearances. - German ship, possibly?


 * At the time war was declared the Australian armed forces were less well-prepared than they had been at the outbreak of World War I in August 1914. - Can this be expanded upon, at all, even if it's just a paragraph?


 * ...and whatever auxiliary units the Army could raise within this troop ceiling - Clarification needed for the uninformed reader by specifying that the troop ceiling is the 20,000 troops.


 * During the first years of World War II Australia's military strategy was closely aligned with that of the United Kingdom - Citation needed.


 * Although the fortress was manned by a larger Italian force, the aggressive Australian infantry quickly penetrated the defensive lines with the support of British tanks and artillery - Remove 'aggressive' as a possible weasel word.


 * On 30 March 1941 a German-led force launched an offensive in Cyrenaica which rapidly defeated the Allied forces in the area, forcing a general withdrawal towards Egypt... this whole long paragraph could do with a couple more citations.


 * Following the campaigns of 1941 the Australian I Corps was concentrated in Syria and Lebanon to rebuild its strength and prepare for further operations in the Middle East. Following the campaigns of 1941 the Australian I Corps was concentrated in Syria and Lebanon to rebuild its strength and prepare for further operations in the Middle East... again, needs a citation for this paragraph.


 * These squadrons were unusual in that they were truly Australian, having arrived in the Middle East with Australian ground crews.[24] - Unclear, how were Australian squadrons 'not truly' Australian before this? Needs clarification.


 * While the majority of the Australian military fought on the Western Front in France during World War I, relatively few Australians fought in Europe during World War II. - Citation would be a good idea.


 * The RAAF's role in the strategic air offensive in Europe formed Australia's main contribution to the defeat of Germany. - Citation definitely needed.


 * Measures were taken to improve Australia's defences as war with Japan loomed in 1941, but these proved inadequate - what measures were taken?


 * From 1944 the Australian military was mainly relegated to subsidiary roles, but continued to conduct large-scale operations until the end of the war. - Citation needed


 * Following the withdrawal to Singapore the 8th Division was deployed to defend island's north-west coast... - this whole paraghraph needs several citations.


 * These forces proved too small to resist the Japanese, however, and were swiftly defeated during the first months of the Pacific War. - Citation needed


 * The force (made up mostly of the 2/21st Battalion, 8th Division artillery and support troops) at Ambon was defeated in the Battle of Ambon which was fought between January 30 and 3 February 1942. While the 2/40th Infantry Battalion at Koepang was defeated, Australian commandos waged a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese in Portuguese Timor until February 1943. - This and the next two paragraphs need multiple citations.


 * Curtin refused to authorise this movement and over-ruled Churchill in a heated exchange of cables. Could do with a citation


 * Approximately 30,000 Australians were taken prisoner by the Axis during the war. Only 14,000 of the 22,000 Australian prisoners taken by the Japanese survived captivity. The majority of these deaths were due to malnutrition and disease. Needs a citation for the numbers.


 * References could do with being combined.

I haven't gone through the rest of the article. It's extremely detailed and well-written, it just needs some clarifcation and much more citing if you intend to go for A-Class and beyond. Skinny87 (talk) 15:09, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Hawkeye7
This is a very good article indeed.


 * Greece, Crete and Syria
 * While you mention that Menzies' leadership was weakened, there is no mention of the fact that he was tricked into approving Australian participation in the campaign in Greece.
 * I dislike the characterisation of the Fadden government as "the UAP government" given that Fadden wasn't even a member of the UAP.
 * Curtin's ascension to the prime ministership is mentioned, but not his later death, and his successors.


 * El Alamein
 * The Australian Government agreed to British and United States requests to leave the 9th Division in North Africa until victory over Erwin Rommel was assured, however. True, but this was on the understanding that it would perform garrison duty. It wasn't the Curtin government's intention that it should be committed to intense combat.


 * Italian campaign
 * As most Australian units in the Mediterranean were redeployed to the Pacific during 1942. Coming on the heels of mentioning the Q class destroyers, this is misleading.


 * Malaya and Singapore
 * Lt.-General Percival. I hate abbreviations anyway but this one is kind of weird.


 * The Defence of Australia
 * Although Australian General Thomas Blamey was nominally MacArthur's land force commander, he exercised little control over Allied forces and almost no Australians served in the staff of the main Allied headquarters.
 * MacArthur's headquarters should be referred to as GHQ. Could this be reworded? It seems unnecessarily negative, especially as Blamey also wielded real authority as Commander in Chief AMF and GOC New Guinea Force.
 * You mention that the Army was reduced in size, but not the reasons why.
 * There is no mention of the Volunteer Defence Corps.


 * Papua
 * This force was successful in delaying the Japanese advance but was unable to stop the much larger South Seas Force. The South Seas Force was not actually much larger than Maroubra Force.
 * the Japanese continued to make ground until supply problems and further 7th Division reinforcements forced them to break off the offensive and withdraw on 24 September. Japanese accounts attribute breaking off the offensive to (1) fear of an Allied landing at Buna; (2) supply problems; (3) pressure from Allied air attacks.
 * Due to a lack of supporting weapons and the Allied high command's insistence on unreasonable deadlines The deadlines were not unreasonable under the circumstances, as the Japanese possessed the power to reinforce their garrison. The sudden arrival of a Japanese force could have turned the tables.


 * New Guinea offensives
 * You speak of a 'pincer movement' and a 'race' to Lae but fail to mention the 9th Division's landings east of Lae, leaving the reader to wonder.


 * Advance to the Philippines
 * A RAAF airfield construction squadron Wouldn't it be just as easy to say 'No. 3 Airfield Construction Squadron'? (Is there an article on the airbase construction squadrons?)


 * Mopping up in New Guinea and the Solomons
 * The policy of the Curtin government deserves a passing mention in this regard.


 * Home front
 * This is the part I'd most like to see expanded. Things that might deserve a mention include:
 * Lend Lease and Reverse Lend Lease.
 * Australia's role as an important supplier of food and raw materials
 * The role of industry, particularly the production of aircraft, munitions, weapons, armoured vehicles, and ships
 * Rationing. You mention rationing but not what was rationed.


 * You mention the National Security Act as an example of the expansion of Federal power but not:
 * The Income Tax Act of 1942
 * The Australia First Movement
 * Censorship


 * I'd also like to see more on the role of Australian scientists, including:
 * The tropic proofing effort
 * The Medical Research Unit in Cairns and the fight against tropical diseases
 * The role of Australian scientists in the development of radar, and the Manhattan Project
 * Chemical warfare

Hawkeye7 (talk) 13:58, 16 June 2008 (UTC)