On our doorstep

By March 1942 there was a strong fear in Australia of the threat of Japanese invasion. The Japanese had taken Singapore and Malaya and Darwin had been bombed. The Australian Prime Minister had recalled Australian troops who had been sent to the Middle East. They were now required to help defend Australia and our neighbouring countries.

On Our Doorstep by Craig Collie looks at how the Australian government, Australian military and the Australian people reacted to the possible threat to our country and our region. This book examines how prepared Australia was for the war in the Pacific, the fall of Singapore and Malaya, Australia's traditional alliance with Britain and the necessity of forming strong ties with America, political preparedness as well as how Australians at home coped with the rapid changes occurring around them. The book also looks at the bombing of Darwin and the arrival of Japanese submarines in Sydney Harbour.

Australia's dependence on Britain to help defend Australia was forced to be adjusted as it was realised that previously promised help would not be available. Australia therefore had to turn to the United States for military support. On Our Doorstep provides an informative account of this part of Australian history.

Where the flaming hell are we? the story of young Australians and New Zealanders fighting the Nazis in Greece and Crete

My father missed being sent with other members of the 2/4th battalion to Greece in 1941 as he was in hospital in Egypt at the time, however he was on one of the ships that was sent to evacuate Australian soldiers from Crete a few months later. I was therefore interested to read this new book about the experiences of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers plus some British troops who were sent into Greece by the British military on what was always a futile mission.

As with Gallipoli in 1915, the expedition into Greece to stop the possible of incursion of the Germans into the area closer to the British held regions around the Suez Canal was poorly planned. Insufficient troops were sent to the region for the campaign and there was little support from the RAF. The Australian and New Zealand soldiers were untrained and ill-prepared for the task in front of them. Lack of communication between the leaders of the various groups added to the challenges.

In Where the Flaming Hell Are We? Craig Collie has used records of interviews of soldiers who participated in the campaign, military histories of battalions and official sources to tell the story of the campaign and of the experiences of those who participated.

The title of the book comes from a poem by Laurie Ryan entitled The Isle of Doom written in response to Winston Churchill's comments about the role of the RAF in Greece and Crete. Part of the poem reads:

'The RAF', he said, 'in Greece

Is fighting hard to bring us peace'

And so we scratched our heads and thought

This smells distinctly like a rort

For if in Greece the Airforce be

Then, where the flaming hell are we?

The book has extensive notes, bibliography and index plus a section of photos taken in Greece and Crete. Craig Collie has written a readable, thought provoking history of this episode in the Second World War that has become a part of Australian and New Zealand history.