A Shot Of History Attack On Sydney Harbour

On the night of 31 May 1942, Sydney Harbour was attacked by midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy. An accommodation vessel of the Royal Australian Navy was torpedoed, and 21 sailors died. The midget submarines were hunted down, and two sunk. War had already come to northern Australia, and now the southern cities were made bitterly aware that the world-wide conflict had reached them. The midget submarine attack was only the beginning: gun strikes were made against land targets, and more enemy submarines came south, attacking freighters up and down the continent’s eastern coast. This new accounting of the night Sydney Harbour was attacked reveals new details of the fight that ensued and sets some of the previous historical accounts right. The text is supported by numerous photos as well as extensive plans of the midget submarines, and details of the curious stories following the war, including the discovery of the third midget submarine, sunk off the New South Wales coast.

In May of 1942, the war seemed very far away to most Sydneysiders - until the night the three Japanese midget submarines crept into the harbour and caused an unforgettable night of mayhem, high farce, chaos and courage. A ground-breaking new look at one of the most extraordinary stories of Australia at war. On the night of 31 May 1942, Sydney was doing what it does best: partying. The theatres, restaurants, dance halls, illegal gambling dens, clubs and brothels offered plenty of choice to roistering sailors, soldiers and airmen on leave in Australia's most glamorous city. The war seemed far away. Newspapers devoted more pages to horse racing than to Hitler. That Sunday night the party came to a shattering halt when three Japanese midget submarines crept into the harbour, past eight electronic indicator loops, past six patrolling Royal Australian Navy ships, and past an anti-submarine net stretched across the inner harbour entrance. Their arrival triggered a night of mayhem, courage, chaos and high farce which left 27 sailors dead and a city bewildered. The war, it seemed, was no longer confined to distant desert and jungle. It was right here at Australia's front door. Written at the pace of a thriller and based on new first person accounts and previously unpublished official documents, A Very Rude Awakening is a ground-breaking and myth-busting look at one of the most extraordinary stories ever told of Australia at war.

Non-fiction history commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Japanese submarine attack on Sydney Harbour. The moment World War II became very real to Sydneysiders. Text in both English and Japanese, lavishly illustrated. Premium presentation. Hardback and softcover.

The story of the bombing of Darwin and the Japanese midget sub attack on Sydney Harbour in one volume from the bestselling author of An Awkward Truth and A Very Rude Awakening. 'Grose's compassionate, honest and vivid account deserves to be widely read.' Sun Herald on An Awkward Truth 'About as good as any yarn can get . . . a great retelling of a great story.' Sydney Morning Herald on A Very Rude Awakening Originally published as the best-selling An Awkward Truth and A Very Rude Awakening The bombing of Darwin by the Japanese on 19 February 1942 was the first wartime assault on Australian soil. The Japanese dropped more bombs on Darwin, killed more civilians in Darwin and sank more ships in Darwin than Pearl Harbor. Three months later, on 31 May 1942, three Japanese midget submarines crept into Sydney Harbour and caused an unforgettable night of mayhem, high farce, chaos and courage. The war was no longer confined to distant deserts and jungles. It had well and truly come to Australia. Absorbing, spirited and fast-paced, 1942: the year the war came to Australia tells the story of the under-armed and unprepared soldiers and civilians who faced their toughest test on home soil.

The Truth of War unveils a penetrating exploration of the most contentious facets of military combat, delving into the necessity of killing, the complex decisions surrounding the taking or sparing of prisoners, and the intricate dilemmas concerning the targeting of civilians. With a profound analysis of seven significant conflicts, this book challenges conventional beliefs, arguing that war possesses its own set of rules that often diverge from society's established laws and values. At its core, the book confronts the harsh reality that soldiers engaged in close-quarter combat must swiftly adapt to become efficient killers in order to survive, emphasising the stark choice they face, hone their lethal skills or meet a perilous demise. The author contends that the requirements of war demand an unflinching acceptance of this disturbing truth. By drawing from history, encompassing conflicts such as the Boer War, World Wars I and II, the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, the author presents a comprehensive examination of the ethical dilemmas embedded within each episode. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, The Truth of War peels back the layers of sanitised perceptions, exposing the gritty realities that within the realm of warfare. In unveiling the hidden truths and complexities of war, this brilliant and thought-provoking book shines a blazing light on the multifaceted nature of combat, challenging readers to reevaluate their preconceived notions and confront the uncomfortable truths that lie at the heart of humanity's most enduring and controversial endeavour - war.

This is Book seven in Allan A. Murray's Series, 'Short Military Stories'.The SS Iron Crown was the second merchant vessel sunk by Japanese submarines off the south-east coast of Australia in World War II; she was sunk on 4 June 1942.The loss of 38 men was, at the time, the greatest loss of Australian merchant seamen in the War. Her sinking confirmed the belief amongst the merchant seamen that the laden vessels on the 'black and tan run' between Whyalla and Newcastle were 'death ships', deliberately targeted by the Japanese; she sank in 60 seconds. After some early conjecture, it is now the consensus view that the Japanese submarine I-27 sank the SS Iron Crown having deployed to a position off Gabo Island following the attack upon Sydney Harbour; I-27 was one of three 'mother ships' that launched midget submarines into the Harbour during the Battle for Australia.The sinking off Gabo Island was more than just a single torpedo striking a vessel in the dead of night as the submarine slipped away. It was a daylight attack that developed into a minor engagement between the Japanese submarine, an Australian Hudson bomber and another merchant vessel firing its 4-inch gun.For 77 years, the story of the SS Iron Crown ended there, her final resting place a mystery. Then, in 2019 Australian researchers found her wreck on the sea floor - down 700 metres - finally bringing closure for the relatives and family of those who were lost at sea.

The year 2022 marks the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the penal settlement at Macquarie Harbour. This convict penal settlement located on the isolated primeval rugged west coast of Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) quickly gained a reputation as an ‘Earthy Hell’. Colonial historian John West succinctly recorded in 1852: ‘The name Macquarie Harbour is associated exclusively with remembrance of inexpressible depravity, degradation, and woe. Sacred to the genius of torture, Nature concurred with the objects of its separation from the rest of the world, to exhibit some notion of a perfect misery. There, man lost the aspect and the heart of man …. This region is lashed with tempests: the sky is cloudy, and the rain falls more frequently than elsewhere. In its chill and humid climate, animal life is preserved with difficulty; half the goats died in one season, and sheep perished; vegetation, except in its coarsest and most massive forms is situated and precarious …. The passage to this dreary dwelling place was tedious and often dangerous. The prisoners, confined in a narrow space, were tossed for weeks on an agitated sea. As they approached, they beheld a narrow opening chocked with a bar of sand and crossed with peril. This they called Hell’s Gate – not less appropriate to the place than to the character and torment of the inhabitants: beyond they saw impenetrable forests, skirted with an impervious thicket; and beyond still enormous mountains covered with snow, which rose to the clouds like walls of adamant: every object wore the air of rigour, ferocity, and sadness’. This was just the beginning for those sentenced to Macquarie Harbour the barbaric treatment from officials and fellow convicts alike, resulted in Macquarie Harbour representing a true convict hell hole, not only resulting in murder, but in cannibalism by several men in their attempts to escape.