Battle for Australia
.jpg)
The Battle for Australia was a series of battles fought in 1942-43 by Allied forces to defend Australia against direct attacks by the Empire of Japan.
The Battle for Australia involved some fighting over or near the Australian mainland. However, the main focus of Allied defensive efforts was to halt the Japanese advance through New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in order to prevent a more serious threat to Australia from developing. While it was feared at the time that Japanese offensive operations in New Guinea and northern Australia were aimed at invading the Australian mainland, post-war research has found that the Japanese leadership never intended to conduct such an invasion. The Japanese did, however, intend to isolate Australia by occupying New Guinea, New Caledonia and Fiji. As a result, while it is not correct to state that the Battle for Australia prevented an invasion of Australia, it did prevent Australia from being cut off from the major Allied power, the United States.
The following battles formed the Battle for Australia:
- Japanese air raids, including:
- The bombing of Darwin
- The attack on Broome
- Battle of the Coral Sea
- Japanese submarine attacks, including:
- Kokoda Track Campaign
- Battle of Milne Bay
- Battle of Buna-Gona
- Battle of the Bismarck Sea