Australia and the Normandy Invasion

That American, British, Canadian, and French troops took part in the Normandy invasion is generally known. But that there were Australian personnel involved is less widely known - as their participation is never mentioned outside of the Antipodes. Nevertheless, there were nearly 20,0000 Aussies serving in Britain at the time of the landings, and many of them had a direct role in the invasion.

Royal Australian Navy . Perhaps 2,500 RAN personnel were involved. Several ships of the Royal Navy, including destroyers, minesweepers, and torpedo boats had Australian skippers, and there were other Australian officers and enlisted men serving in three British cruisers and three destroyers.
Australian Army. About 25 Australian Army officers served as observers with British units that took part in the landings. invasion. Royal Australian Air Force. By mid-1944 there were the ten RAAF squadrons based in Britain, totaling about 14,000 men, including some 1,500 serving in the 282 RAF and Commonwealth squadrons that took part in the invasion

StrategyPage.com - Military Book Reviews

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman

don't forget the polish too.

Generally the australian role in the war isn't very well-known.

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Thankyou for posting that JCF, I don't like people to forget the 'little countries'

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

I thought some of you Aussies would enjoy it

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman

Thanks Falkenberg, another nice post and yes the Aussies will appreciate. Non of the participating nations will be forgotten. All their flags, including the Austalian, are prominently displayed at the Caen War Memorial. besides the Austalian contribution is also remembered for WWI . There are many Aussie memorials in the North.

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JC, thanks for this previously unknown info-to me. I'd give ya 20 more points but, it said that "I have to spread it around a bit more."

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Actually the problem is that the australian are often considered as british troops and it is not the case as Australia was an independant state after 1931.

It's like the canadian but not like the indians troops which were actually british troops but not only because india had it own flag...

For a frenchman, this seems very very complicate. For us, at least, our colonial empire was very easy to be understand: Algeria was part of france and the other countries weren't but were totally subordinate to France and they had no armies, only soldiers that served in one army, the French one. Appreciate how simple it was. But it was also complicate to deal with this, our colonies cost more money and they often were rebellions.

Maybe is a different vision of the problem: i think that the british often have complicate but intelligent and efficient ways to deal with the probleme, while we are intelligent too but more brutal, simple and direct ( do talk to me of some battles of a certain war) but it isn't always the case.

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So clems just to correct you here. Australia became its own nation independant nation on January 1 1901 which is known as the Australain Cenetary, when all the states joined under one flag and was reconigsed by Britain as its own state, although still offically still under the commonwealth and utimately the King or Queen.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

I thought Australia definitively gotfull independance after. Before it was a "dominion", no ?

I quite don't really understand the system between independant nations of the commonwealth, dominions, sovereign nations that still depends of UK by some aspects...

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We have a Centenary of Federation event every year here celebrating the day when Australia became its own nation, it is also known here as the "Birth of a nation".

WW1 was the chance when teh Australian Troops had a chance have proving the motherland that they could fight on there own without help from Britain, we did prve it with the spirit of the ANZAC's at Gallipoli and Africa.

In ww1 the Australian troops were also granted the right (after much pushiing by our governemnt) to have all the Australian forces under Australian officers and NCO's, thus making Australia commpletely independant, to make her own discisions and to run not only her country but her armed forces as she saw fit, of course still under the supreme command od the British.

If you are really interested, here is a site dedicated to the Centenary of Federation
Federation Story

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

Was the australian army fully independant by WW1 ? They fought notably in Gallipoli, flanders and picardy no ?

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With nation of a commenwealth, basically we are still under the country of the British nation when your are a dominion. However if a said country vote to be independent of the mother country, they have the right (in this day and age) to vote and become their own country and control themselves but still be connected with the mother country, which is what Australia is, we have the Union Jack on our Flag as well as the commenwaelth star, when you become independant such as Australia you a no longer supplied by Britain with resources and supplies but instead have to trade with the Britsh for anything that is needed..

Every few years or so there is a vote here as to whether to change the current setup and become completely independant from Britain. With our oen Flag with the Union Jack and the commenwealth Star, but so far the change has been declined by the public.

The Australian forces were allowed to control their own troops, initaitiing there own training, organising their own supplies and even now being allowed to 'sit in' with Battle organisations and battle planning, they were how ever still under the British control, but with their own countymen in charge at Regiment level, and later in the war the Australian were allowed to have their own division commander.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

Yes, personally, I think the commonwealth is more a matter of "prestige" and keeeping good relations with the former colonies than a true political weapon or a real instrument of power.

Maybe my position is to change if the USA enters in the commonwealth.

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Origianlly it was, back before the Independence war it as part of the British Empire, a dominion nation although unlike Australia they got independence through a war and not a vote.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

yes i know the history of the Thirteen colonies which became a country and a country which became so strong.

But i thought the commonwealth of nations was instaured 140 years after the independance of the USA.

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This is true Clems look at all the commenwealth troops. ANZAC's, Canadians,South Africans, Scottish, Irish, Indian, and I am sure there are more I just think of them of the top of my head, but that just proves your point about all different types under them.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them. Lest We Forget

And I think it's not only true for the colonial affairs but it can be also true about the global expansion strategy and even other things.

And even about before the colonial empires, we often says in France that while the British were looking for a great empire in the world but not in europe we only wanted europe. It isn't so simple meanwhile.

For a long time it have been a difficult thing to be a continental european country. Maybe it was because of geopolitical fact. I think we don't accept so well to retires a little time from the european affairs and that it is more easy for the british. Just find a war in western europe from 1200 to 1945 were france wasn't involve in.

The british always have had a very meticulous preparation of their strategy and always have been a good "alliance plyer/maker" while we were more ambitious and direct and less careful. The napoleonic wars aren't a bad example. France wins , wins and wins again and goes back to war. England first resist on their island, than begins to win, France begins to loose, England then is having a key role in the creation of a last coalition. France can't win anymore and England wins and becomes the greatest nation in europe.

But the french too can have a meticulous and good plan: during the thirty years war for example. Waiting that the germans states are weak and the spanish divided, then attacking and entering in war and at the end becoming the first nation in europe.

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here here well spoken .TC. about the little country's....

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for thow . will be ours someday .we shall have it all
. . und mear

"A German battalion commander wrote:

The Australians, who are the men our troops have had opposite them so far, are extraordinarily tough fighters. The German is more active in the attack but the enemy stakes his life in the defense and fights to the last with extreme cunning. Our men, usually easy going and unsuspecting, fall easily into his traps especially as a result of their experiences in the closing stages of the Western [European] Campaign.

The Australian is unquestionably superior to the German soldier:

1. in the use of individual weapons, especially as snipers

2. in the use of ground camouflage

3. in his gift of observation, and the drawing of the correct conclusions from his observation

4. in every means of taking us by surprise….

Lt. Gen. Erwin Rommel was also impressed by the Australians. He said:

Shortly afterwards a batch of some fifty or sixty Australian prisoners were marched off close behind us-immensely big and powerful men, who without question represented an elite formation of the British Empire, a fact that was also evident in battle. Enemy resistance was as stubborn as ever and violent actions were being fought at many points."

A little known fact about d-day...the film used for numerous landings by allied forces to show d-day, was filmed by a Canadian press/film man, and is noticed by a door opening on landing craft, the house at Ben-sur-mer, and a Canadian soldier patting the back of another...have scene this clip used in US films/media, British, i guess because the helmets look similar...but the biggest blunder in a motion picture was saving private ryan
YouTube - Saving Private Ryan Trailer

does most people know...the Mrs Bixby had only 2 kids...one fighting in the south, and one in the north...when she received this letter from Lincoln, she tore it up with disgust for her hate of Lincoln...as she was claiming insurance/death benefit fraud from the USA...even Spielberg could benefit from some research as the whole premissis of this film is tainted with the false fact of a lady loosing 5 sons in battle...

bf109 Emil

a nice read a big pat on the back of our australian digger

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for thow . will be ours someday .we shall have it all
. . und mear

Another area where the aussies did good was at Villers-Bretonneux.

Not trying to make out us aussies are the best but as far as i can tell every where we go the enemy seems to think we are the elite, ww1, ww2, vietnam etc