German Anzacs And The First World War

By 1914, Australia's German immigrants were well-regarded in their communities and made up (after Irish and Scots) the fourth-largest white ethnic community in Australia. This history traces the experience of the immigrants who enlisted for service in World War I and the difficulties they faced.

On 21 September 1918, with retreating German forces on their last legs, the 1st Battalion of the AIF was ordered to return to the front just as they were being relieved and preparing for a well-earnt rest. It wasn’t just the Germans who were on their last legs; the Australians were depleted and exhausted. In what was the largest such instance of mass ‘combat refusal’ in the AIF’s history, the men of one company in the 1st Battalion defied the order. The ‘mutiny’ spread to other companies, and when the battalion did eventually comply with the order, over 100 men were absent. The circumstances surrounding this mutiny have long been a matter of embarrassment for the AIF, and of fascination for military historians. While historians have approached the issue in purely military terms – the men as soldiers, over-extended service, rates of wounding, promotions, and so on – this book approaches these 100 plus men as human beings. Mutiny on the Western Front traces how these events played out in the context of the exhausting demands placed upon a unit that had seen practically continuous front-line action for weeks, if not months, in the war’s final, decisive stages. Author Greg Raffin considers what happens to men’s hearts and minds in the course of a prolonged conflict like the Great War. This story, which will surprise readers – is not just about a group of exhausted and war weary Australian soldiers in 1918, it is a story about humanity in war: about what men do in war, and what war does to men.

This book recounts the life stories of a small group of Queensland 9th Battalion Anzacs who hold the unique honour of being the first soldiers ashore at the Gallipoli landing in 1915. For World War 1 Diggers, their identity was a serious and sometimes contentious matter of battalion pride. Over the decades, these first Anzacs have gained a significant place in the Anzac Legend. Extensive research has confidently identified 26 of the approximate 30 Anzacs who were in this first boat ashore. Their life stories are retold to intimately reveal the war experiences of ordinary Australians. Heroic actions and horrendous ordeals are highlighted. Mateship, self-sacrifice, dedication to duty and changing identity are recurring themes. While many of those who survived returned home to broken lives, for some, the unique and proud identity as first ashore, 'original' Anzacs inspired strength and leadership. Important contributions were made to the post-war community and veteran affairs.

Historian and photographer Williams (Germanic studies, U. of New South Wales) looks at how the media during World War I glorified the prowess and exaggerated the successes of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp as part of the country's war effort, and how later historians and the public have mistaken the propaganda for journalism. US distribution by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

At what point does the will to survive on the battlefield give way to bloodlust? The Battle of Crete was one of the most spectacular military campaigns of the twentieth century. For the first time in history, German forces carried out an invasion entirely from the air while poorly equipped Anzac and British forces, and local Cretans, defended the island. During the campaign, one battle stands out for its viciousness. When the Germans approached the Allies' defensive line--known as 42nd Street--on 27 May 1941, men from the Australian 2/7 and 2/8 Battalions, New Zealanders from several battalions, and British soldiers counter-attacked with fixed bayonets. By the end, bodies were strewn across the battlefield. Later, a German doctor reported that many of the bodies of the German soldiers had been mutilated. Acclaimed historian Peter Monteath draws on records and recollections of Australian, New Zealand, British, and German forces and local Cretans to reveal the truth behind one of the most gruesome battles of the Second World War.

Australian Heroines of World War One tells the story of eight courageous women through diaries, letters, original photos, paintings and specially drawn maps. These women had the courage and strength for which the Anzacs are renowned and the compassion and tenderness that only a woman can bring. Sister Hilda Samsing from Melbourne became a whistleblower when nursing aboard the hospital ship Gascon, outraged by the bungled evacuation of wounded Anzacs. She defied censorship and kept a very frank diary, reproduced here for the first time.In 1914, Louise Creed, a Sydney journalist, was caught in the besieged city of Antwerp and made a hair-raising escape from a German firing squad.Brisbane's Grace Wilson, ordered to establish an emergency hospital on drought ridden Lemnos Island, arrived there to find suffering Anzacs but no drinking water, tents or medical supplies. Grace and her nurses saved the lives of thousands who had been wounded at Lone Pine and the Nek.In France, Florence James-Wallace, Anne Donnell and Elsie Tranter nursed near the front line in Casualty Clearing Stations, treating soldiers with hideous wounds or blinded by mustard gas. In 1918 they had to deal with an epidemic of Spanish flu, killing some nurses. These brave women returned to Australia but their heroism was quickly forgotten. Two of these women received such meagre pensions they died destitute. Publication of this book with its numerous illustrations has been facilitated by a generous donation from Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, keen that these stories become known to Australians of all ages. This is an updated editon with additional information on some of the nurses supplied by their relatives after they read the first edition.

It's early 1918, and after four brutal years, the fate of the Great War hangs in the balance. On the one hand, the fact that Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks have seized power in Russia - immediately suing for peace with Germany - means that no fewer than one million of the Kaiser's soldiers can now be transferred from there to the Western Front. On the other, now that America has entered the war, it means that two million American soldiers are also on their way, to tip the scales of war to the Allies. The Germans, realising that their only hope is striking at the Allied lines first, do exactly that, and on the morning of 21 March 1918, the Kaiserschlacht, the Kaiser's battle, is launched - the biggest set-piece battle the world has ever seen. Across a 45-mile front, no fewer than two million German soldiers hurl themselves at the Allied lines, with the specific intention of splitting the British and French forces, and driving all the way through to the town of Villers-Bretonneux, at which point their artillery will be able to rain down shells on the key train-hub town of Amiens, thus throttling the Allied supply lines. For nigh on two weeks, the plan works brilliantly, and the Germans are able to advance without check, as the exhausted British troops flee before them, together with tens of thousands of French refugees. In desperation, the British commander, General Douglas Haig, calls upon the Australian soldiers to stop the German advance, and save Villers-Bretonneux. If the Australians can hold this, the very gate to Amiens, then the Germans will not win the war. 'It's up to us, then,' one of the Diggers writes in his diary. Arriving at Villers-Bretonneux just in time, the Australians are indeed able to hold off the Germans, launching a vicious counterattack that hurls the Germans back the first time. And then, on Anzac Day 1918, when the town falls after all to the British defenders, it is again the Australians who are called on to save the day, the town, and the entire battle. Not for nothing does the primary school at Villers-Bretonneux have above every blackboard, to this day, 'N'oublions jamais, l'Australie.' Never forget Australia. And they never have.

Greg Kerr retraces the journey of Australian and New Zealand troops from Gallipoli in 1915 to the final penetration of the Hindenburg Line in 1918. While covering the general strategic course of the war, the author focuses on the human side of the war. Similar to his acclaimed Lost Anzacs: The Story of Two Brothers, Kerr follows the experiences of roughly sixty figures--officers, privates, nurses--and captures their experiences through judicious and uncensored extracts from their letters and diaries. The book also includes numerous photos, many previously unpublished. The combination of photos, letters, and historical background make for an unforgettable account of what the war was really like on the ground.