![]() Some British, New Zealand and other national forces also came under MacArthur's command. He also commanded some Dutch forces which had retreated to Australia from Indonesia. But for most of 19, MacArthur commanded more Australian than U.S. On 17 April 1942, the Australian Government, led by Prime Minister John Curtin, directed Australian personnel to treat orders from MacArthur as equivalent to its own. The South-West Pacific theatre included the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (excluding Sumatra), Borneo, Australia, New Guinea (including the Bismarck Archipelago), the western part of the Solomon Islands and some neighbouring territories. The South-West Pacific was one of two theatres of World War II in the Pacific region between 19. General Douglas MacArthur was appointed Supreme Allied Commander South-West Pacific Area. On 30 March 1942, the Allied South West Pacific Area command (SWPA) was formed and U.S. ![]() The fall of Singapore opens the Battle for Australia." "The fall of Singapore can only be described as Australia’s Dunkirk… The fall of Dunkirk initiated the Battle for Britain. ![]() The term Battle for Australia was coined by Australia's wartime Prime Minister John Curtin in a press release dated 16 February 1942 to describe the impending massive struggle to defend Australia against Japanese military aggression. The direct threat of attack from the Japanese and the stable strategic importance of Australia in the south-west Pacific ensured that it should be heavily defended. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |