national service that all greens and do gooders should serve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Was Australia in danger of being invaded by the Vietnamese or anybody else for that matter?

So why did we need a conscript army?

Menzies entered the Vietnam conflict to curry favour with the USA and ensure US investment continued in Australia. Lives for dollars. He also had a policy of running election campaigns based on fear of the Red and Yellow Peril. An army fighting the Reds was great for campaigning. No one seemed to understand that the Vietnamese only wanted their countries independence after centuries of being oppressed by colonial powers.

If sufficient volunteers could not be raised for military service in peacetime then the terms and conditions of service needed improvement to the point where such employment became attractive.

---

it may not have been reported by our media much at the time but things were not all honky dory

Indonesian Confrontation, 1963
Strangly even the US suported the commonwealth and Australia then:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by THE BOOGER

it may not have been reported by our media much at the time but things were not all honky dory

Indonesian Confrontation, 1963
Strangly even the US suported the commonwealth and Australia then:)

---

A mate of mine served on an RAN minesweeper during confrontation, he told me they had a framework made on both sides of the sweeper to which was attached chicken wire. The sweepers were used as patrol vessels, and at night , small boats would occassionaly speed out from Indon. waters, and a shower of hand grenades would fly out , the chicken wire would [ hopefully] deflect them. High tech stuff ! He reckoned there were that many boats fishing legally in Malacca straits , it was almost impossible to tell friend from foe, hence the chicken wire. Aussie ingenuity , simple but effective, Bob

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richard4u2

arent you forgetting that america came to our aide when the japanese were heading our way down through PNG so dont you think we should stand with them in other conflicts if it were not for them we would all be speaking japanese now

---

... yes, the same way the Japanese and the Germans all speak English now!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KarlB

... yes, the same way the Japanese and the Germans all speak English now!

---

The Japanese threat in WW2 was the only time Australian forces acted in defence of Australia. All other occasions and locations were in someone elses war.

If it had been left up to our British "allies" we would have been alone.

"Perfidious Albion" is a true and correct description of the poms attitude to any other nation. Self-interest first and foremost. Two faced greedy liars and cheats.

They seem to have forgotten that if not for the successful actions of Commonwealth troops in two world wars then German would be very widely spoken in the British Isles and Land Rover workshop manuals would be printed in German.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

..........

They seem to have forgotten that if not for the successful actions of Commonwealth troops in two world wars then German would be very widely spoken in the British Isles and Land Rover workshop manuals would be printed in German.

---

Errrrr we spoke Dutch (later Afrikaans) before the British finally beat us after two Boer Wars, and then yes, English became very prevalent. So the occupying force does have an influence. But we mostly love our ex-colonial masters just as much as you lot do! ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jakeslouw

Errrrr we spoke Dutch (later Afrikaans) before the British finally beat us after two Boer Wars, and then yes, English became very prevalent. So the occupying force does have an influence.

---

What languages are the van der Merwes learning now:D, Xhosa, Zulu, Swahili?:angel:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richard4u2

arent you forgetting that america came to our aide when the japanese were heading our way down through PNG so dont you think we should stand with them in other conflicts if it were not for them we would all be speaking japanese now

---

Except it was Australian conscripts (as well as non existant lines of supply) that were the first to halt a Japanese Imperial Force near Port Moresby, and then regular Australian forces defeated an attack by Japanese marines at Milne Bay, the first defeat inflicted upon a Japanese land force since the invasion of China ;)

It's a bit of a myth that Australia was directly under threat of occupation, (yes, I'm aware Darwin copped a pizzling and Sydney harbour had a midget sub attack)
The Japanese lines of supply were stretched to absolute breaking point well before getting anywhere near Australia's coastline.

In reality, Japan had no desires on Australia, they desired the natural resources of South East Asia, continental Australia was a step too far.

Quote:

---

In early 1942 elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy proposed an invasion of Australia. The Japanese Army opposed the plan and it was rejected in favour of a policy of isolating Australia from the United States via blockade by advancing through the South Pacific.[51] The Japanese decided upon a seaborne invasion of Port Moresby, capital of the Australian Territory of Papua which would put Northern Australia within bomber range of Japanese aircraft.

---

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War"]Pacific War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]



"I'm arguing that there was in fact no invasion plan, that the Curtin Government exaggerated the threat, and that the enduring consequences of it's deception was to skew our understanding of the reality of the invasion crisis of 1942"

Dr Peter Stanley, Australian War Memorial

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

What languages are the van der Merwes learning now:D, Xhosa, Zulu, Swahili?:angel:

---

Ja well you gotta know if somebody is cursing you ! :eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

and Land Rover workshop manuals would be printed in German.

---

Yes. but think of the quality of the build! Ahhhhh.... a land rover with an MTU engine..........[ mind you, we might not have been allowed out of prison to drive them ] Bob :angel:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

If it had been left up to our British "allies" we would have been alone.

"Perfidious Albion" is a true and correct description of the poms attitude to any other nation. Self-interest first and foremost. Two faced greedy liars and cheats.

---

I think you will find that Britain was quite involved in trying to defend itself from the Germans at the time. It was also being slowly starved to death due to the destruction of the Atlantic convoys by the German U boats. I don't think they actually had any troops spare to support Australia or any other commonwealth country.

Ivan