Hidden for 75 years, the top secret government documents outlining preparations for the event of a Japanese invasion of Australia in 1942 have finally been discovered. They reveal an extraordinarily comprehensive plan to thwart Japanese troops, and a population that would go to great lengths to avoid being enslaved.
In 1942 the threat of Japanese invasion hung over Australia. The men were away overseas, fighting on other fronts, and civilians were left unprotected at home.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese advance south, Prime Minister Curtin ordered state governments to prepare. From January 1942, a team frantically pulled together secret plans for a 'scorched earth' strategy. The goal was to prevent the Japanese from seizing resources for their war machine as they landed, and capturing Australians as slaves as they had done in Malaya and elsewhere in Asia.
From draining domestic water tanks to sinking dinghies and burning crops, from training special citizen squads to evacuating coastal towns, 'Total war, total citizen collaboration' was the motto. Today these plans vividly evoke the fraught atmosphere of the year Australia was threatened with invasion.
After the war, these top secret plans were forgotten. This is the first time they have ever been made public.
By:
Sue Rosen Imprint: Allen & Unwin Country of Publication: Australia Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 154mm,
Spine: 24mm
Weight: 430g ISBN:9781925575149 ISBN 10: 1925575144 Publication Date:24 May 2017 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Preface Timeline Abbreviations Table of Organisation Introduction: 1942-Imperilled Australia! 1. Total War-and Total Citizen Collaboration 2. The Scorched Earth Code 3. The General Citizen Code 4. The General Industry Code 5. Jetties and Wharves 6. Watercraft 7. Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant Supplies 8. Motor Transport 9. Motor Repair Equipment 10. Coal Mines 11. Public Utility Services 12. Organisation of Scorched Earth Support Squads Glossary Notes Acknowledgements
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