Date |
Year |
Title |
Event |
1 June |
1918 |
RAN aircraft first used in combat |
First use of aircraft in combat by ships
of the Royal Australian Navy in the Heligoland Bight. Aircraft were
launched from the HMAS Sydney and the HMAS Melbourne to intercept two
German aircraft. |
1 June |
1941 |
Evacuation from Crete completed |
Over 16,000 troops were successfully
evacuated from the island over four successive nights |
2 June |
1967 |
2RAR arrives in Vietnam. |
By 1967 Australia's commitment to the
war in Vietnam was increasing as the task force expanded its control
over areas of Phuc Tuy Province. |
3 June |
1942 |
Battle of Midway begins |
The Battle of Midway was the first
decisive defeat inflicted on Japan by America in the Second World War.
The battle altered the balance of sea power in the Pacific towards the
allies and forced Japan to abandon plans for advances on New
Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa and delayed their offensive in New Guinea. |
4 June |
1900 |
Six Mile Spruit |
Victorians and West Australians heavily
engaged at Six Mile Spruit |
4 June |
1944 |
Allied troops enter Rome |
The Italian campaign, aimed at
exploiting the Allied victory in North Africa and distract German
forces from France and the Eastern Front, became a lengthy war of
attrition that was not brought to an end with the fall of Rome. |
5 June |
1941 |
Cyprus reinforced by Australian troops |
After their heavy losses during the
invasion of Crete German plans to launch a similar attack against
Cyprus were abandoned |
6 June |
1942 |
Battle of Midway ends |
The Battle of Midway was the first
decisive defeat inflicted on Japan by America in the Second World War.
The battle altered the balance of sea power in the Pacific towards the
allies and forced Japan to abandon plans for advances on New
Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa and delayed their offensive in New Guinea. |
6 June |
1944 |
D-Day |
Allies land in Normandy on D-Day opening
a third front against Germany and beginning an eastward drive across
northern Europe that ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945. |
6 June |
1969 |
Battle of Binh Ba, South Vietnam |
Binh Ba, located five kilometres north
of the Australian base at Nui Dat was the site of a battle between a
combined force of Viet Cong guerillas and North Vietnamese Army troops
after they occupied the village. They were driven off after more than
a day's fighting. This was the last large scale clash in Phouc Tuy. |
7 June |
1917 |
Captain R.C. Grieve, VC |
Captain R.C. Grieve, 37th Battalion,
originally from Melbourne, wins the Victoria Cross at Messines. |
7 June |
1951 |
3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment |
3RAR patrols sent across the Imjin River
and commences to win control of the north bank. |
7 June |
1968 |
Prime Minister visits Vietnam |
Prime Minister Gorton begins two-day
visit to Vietnam against a background of both a growing Australian
military commitment to the war and steadily increasing, though not yet
overwhelming, domestic opposition. |
7 - 10 June |
1917 |
Private J. Carroll, VC. |
Private J. Carroll, 33rd Battalion,
originally from Brisbane, wins the Victoria Cross at St Yves (Battle
of Messines).. |
8 June |
1941 |
Australians attack Vichy French in
Syria. |
7th Division and Imperial forces attack
Vichy French in Syria |
8 June |
1942 |
Sydney and Newcastle shelled |
In addition to launching the midget
submarines that attacked Sydney Harbour and attacking shipping on
Australia's east coast Japanese submarines shelled Sydney and
Newcastle with little effect. |
8 June |
1950 |
General Sir Thomas Blamey appointed
Field Marshall |
General Sir Thomas Blamey,
Commander-in-Chief Allied Land Forces, South West Pacific Area, World
War Two, made a Field Marshal. The only ever Australian appointment to
this rank. |
9 June |
1941 |
Liatani River, Lebanon |
Having seen the bridge over the River
destroyed by Vichy French troops, two plattoons of the 7th Division
crossed the Litani River in canvas boats and captured several French
positions on the far shore.. |
10 June |
1940 |
Italy declares war on the Allies |
The Italian dictator, Mussolini, wished
to profit from the German successes early in the war and declared war
on the allies in June 1940, by which time the most vocal Italian
dissidents were in exile or in prison. |
10 June |
1941 |
Recruiting begins for Torres Strait
Defence Force |
Recruitment commenced for the Torres
Strait Defence Force to be drawn from the indigenous population of the
Torres Strait Islands. |
10 June |
1945 |
Landings at Brunei, Labuan and Muar,
Borneo |
Codenamed Oboe 6 the 9th Division's
landings at Brunei, Labuan and Muar were designed to secure the Brunei
Bay area north of Borneo, to permit the establishement of an advanced
fleet base to protect Brunei's oil and rubber resources. |
11 June |
1900 |
Diamond Hill, South Africa |
Members of the 1st Australian Horse and
the New South Wales Lancers participate in the Battle of Diamond Hill,
South Africa |
12 June |
1901 |
Williamsrust, South Africa |
Victorians trapped in a surprise attack
at Williamsrust, 18 were killed and 42 wounded in a five minute
engagement. |
13 June |
1941 |
Battle for Jezzine, Lebanon |
The battle was one of several hard
fought actions in the five week long campaign by the allies against
Vichy French forces in Syria and Lebanon. |
13 June |
1945 |
Australians capture Brunei |
The Australian occupation of Brunei was
aimed at permitting the establishment of an advanced fleet base to
protect Brunei's oil and rubber resources. |
14 June |
1966 |
The 6th Battalion, Royal Australian
Regiment, arrives in South Vietnam |
The deployment of the 6th Battalion,
Royal Australian Regiment, to Vietnam formed part of Australia's build
up of forces in Phouc Tuy Province in the mid-1960s. D Company from
this battalion became involved in the battle of Long Tan in August
1966. |
15 June |
1901 |
Sergeant J. Rogers, VC |
Sergeant J. Rogers, South African
Constabulary, originally from Moama, New South Wales, wins the
Victoria Cross near Thaba 'Nchu, Orange Free State. Rogers was a New
South Welshman by birth. |
15 June |
1951 |
HMAS Bataan bombards Chongjin, Korea. |
After the war in Korea had ended the
Chinese leader, Chairman Mao Tse Tung, admitted one of the principal
factors in denying the Chinese and North Korean's victory was the
superiority of United Nations naval power. Australia's contribution to
the naval war in Korea was significant. |
16 June |
1942 |
HMAS Nestor sunk |
The HMAS Nestor was in the Mediterranean
north of Tobruk when she was bombed and sunk. |
16 June |
1948 |
Malayan Emergency declared |
Lasting 13 years, involvement in the
Malayan Emergency was the longest continuing military commitment in
Australia's history. Fifty-one Australian servicemen died in Malaya,
although only 15 of these deaths occurred as a result of operations,
and 27 were wounded - the majority of whom were in the army. |
17 June |
1945 |
Australians land at Weston, North Borneo |
The Australian landings on Borneo were
aimed at denying the Japanese oil and establishing bases for naval
operations. The value of these operations has been subject to ongoing
debate. |
18 June |
1943 |
Australian Government announces that
Australia is no longer threatened with invasion |
By 1943 it was clear that the Japanese
no longer had the capacity to threaten Australia with invasion, though
it seems that such an invasion was never planned by the Japanese. |
18 June |
1953 |
Australian POWs of the Korean War
released at Panmunjon. |
Twenty-nine Australians were taken
prisoner in Korea. One prisoner died while in captivity. |
19 June |
1952 |
Jamestown Line, Korea |
The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian
Regiment, relieved the 1st Battalion, the Leicestershire Regiment on
the Jamestown line, Korea. |
19 June - 6 July |
1941 |
Lieutenant A.R. Cutler, VC. |
Lieutenant A.R. Cutler, 2/5th Field
Regiment, 7th Division, originally of Manly, New South Wales, wins the
Victoria Cross for a series of actions at Merdjayoun and in the Damour
area, Lebanon. |
20 June |
1864 |
Australians in action at Te Ranga, New
Zealand |
More than 2,500 men from the Australian
colonies crossed the Tasman to fight in the New Zealand Wars, most
joined the Waikato militia regiments and becameinvolved in patrolling
and garrison duties. |
20 June |
1943 |
Darwin bombed |
Darwin was bombed by Japanese aircraft
64 times during the Second World War. |
21 June |
1941 |
Damascus occupied |
Damascus was a secondary objective for
the allies during the five-week Syrian campaign, in which the capture
of coastal towns of Damour and Beirut and the inland town of
Merdjayoun were more important to the outcome. |
21 June |
1951 |
3rd Battalion, Royal Australian
Regiment, awarded United States Presidential Distinguished Unit
Citation |
United States Presidential Distinguished
Unit Citation awarded to 3RAR for "extraordinary heroism and
outstanding performance" at the battle of Kapyong, Korea. |
22 June |
1941 |
Operation Barbarossa launched |
Germany's invasion of Russia led to the
greatest clash of arms in history. The war occupied by far the
greatest proportion of German manpower and much of the burden of
defeating Germany fell to Russia. |
22 June |
1945 |
Beaufort, Borneo, occupied. |
The Australian occupation of Brunei was
aimed at permitting the establishement of an advanced fleet base to
protect Brunei's oil and rubber resources. |
22 June |
1945 |
Japanese resistance on Tarakan ends. |
Codenamed OBOE 1 the landings at Tarakan
were primarily aimed at establishing a fighter airfield, though in the
end this was not done. |
23 June |
1885 |
Sudan contingent disembarks |
The New South Wales contingent spent a
little over two months in the Sudan without seeing any serious action.
Upon their return they spent some time at the North Head Quarantine
Station. |
24 June |
1927 |
Opening of the Menin Gate Memorial
Ypres, Belgium |
The Menin Gate Memorial to the missing
records the names of over 56,000 Allied soldiers, among them 6,176
Australians missing in the battles near Ypres in the First World War. |
24 June |
1942 |
Afrika Korps attack Egypt |
Afrika Korps attack Egypt, forcing
allied forces back to El Alamein where one of the pivotal battles of
the war was fought later in the year. |
25 June |
1917 |
|
United States troops begin to arrive in
France. |
25 June |
1950 |
North Korea invades South Korea. |
Beginning of the three year long Korean
War. |
25 - 26 June |
1916 |
Private J.W.A. Jackson, VC |
Private J.W.A. Jackson, 17th Battalion,
originally from Gunbar, New South Wales, wins the Victoria Cross
south-east of Bois Grenier, near Armentieres, France. |
26 June |
1956 |
Sungei Siput, Malaya |
Men of the 3rd Battalion, Royal
Australian Regiment, attacked a Communist Camp near Sungei Siput in
Perak, Malaya. Three of the Communists were killed in the fight. |
27 June |
1911 |
Royal Military College Duntroon opens. |
The Royal Military College Duntroon was
created at the suggestion of Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, its first
commandant was Colonel W.T. Bridges, who was later killed at
Gallipoli. |
27 June |
1950 |
UN recommends assistance to South Korea |
United Nations Security Council
recommends United Nations assistance to South Korea after the North
Korean invasion of 25 June. |
27 June |
1950 |
RAAF bomber Squadron to Malaya |
Six RAAF Lincolns of No. 1 Squadron and
a flight of Dakotas from No. 38 Squadron formed part of the Far East
Air Force. The RAAF's contribution represented Australia's first
involvement in the Malayan Emergency. |
28 June 1918 |
1918 |
Corporal P. Davey, VC. |
Corporal P. Davey, 10th Battalion,
originally from Goodwood, South Australia, wins the Victoria Cross at
Merris, France. |
28 June |
1919 |
Treaty of Versailles signed |
Paris Peace Conference Concludes with
the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty, signed between
Germany and representatives of 27 victorious powers, punished Germany
territorially and financially for her role in the First World War. The
treaty was supposed also to prevent Germany from having the means to
make war in the future |
28 June |
1945 |
Private L.T. Starcevitch, VC |
Private L.T. Starcevitch, 2/43rd
Battalion, originally from Subiaco, Western Australia, wins the
Victoria Cross at Beaufort, North Borneo. |
28 June |
1950 |
Seoul captured |
The North Korean People's Army captured
Seoul in their initial southward advance, by the end of the Korean War
the city had changed hands 4 times. |
29 June |
1950 |
Australia commits military units to the
United Nations Force in Korea. |
Australia was one of the first nations
to commit units, from each of the three services, to the war in Korea.
Australians in Korea fought as part of the United Nations Command |
30 June |
1941 |
HMAS Waterhen sunk |
The HMAS Waterhen was sunk on the Tobruk
run. |
30 June |
1942 |
Australian troops raid Salamaua. |
The raid on Salamuaua was carried out by
men of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles and the 2/5th Independent
Company, they caused damage to Japanese facilities and supplies. |
30 June |
|
No. 77 Squadron RAAF, committed to
Korea. |
Prime Minister Menzies announces that
No. 77 Squadron RAAF, is to be committed to combat duties in Korea.
This was the first Australian unit committed to the war in Korea, they
were equipped with Mustangs. |
30 June |
1971 |
Final anti-war rally. |
110,000 people in Australian cities
demonstrated against the war in Vietnam |