What Did Rommel and the Germans Think About Australian Soldiers in WWII? 

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Story from Tobruk... A English officer(lieutenant) approached a group of shirtless Australians digging in at Tobruk. Berating the Australians for not saluting an officer and saying they were undisciplined rabble. The Australians ignored him except one who stopped and started putting his shirt on revealing that he was a captain. He ordered the English lieutenant to salute and piss off.

I met a man and his family 50 years ago in Wollongong NSW. He was of German descent and had been a soldier in WWII. He told me he had served under Rommel in North Africa and had fought the Australians at Tobruk, where he was wounded. He told me that he made the decision then that when the war was over, irrespective of who won, he was going to emigrate to Australia to live, such was his respect for Australians and the bravery and tenacity they showed during the many attacks they suffered. He felt so proud of their fighting prowess, he couldn't live anywhere else. Sadly, he passed away about 10 years later. His wife told me he had refused to be repatriated back to Germany after his death, he wanted to remain in the land of those brave people he had come to love and respect.

My Dad landed in England with his Canadian Dragoon Regiment and were held on the docks for inspection along with a newly arrived Australian group. After a long wait in ranks waiting for a VIP, the Australian officer dismissed his troops by saying "Right, we're off to the pub. Send a runner when the muckety muck arrives". My Dad always admired them for their toughness and their irreverence for authority.

My grandfather emigrated to Australia from Scotland before the war. He fought in Tobruk and told me a couple of amazing stories one of which was about the night some Aussies dismantled and entire steam locomotive and buried it in the sand. He may have told me why but I was just a kid then and that explanation is lost in time. Another story was about how the aussies he was with found a piano in a bombed house and carried it back to the trench and played it during a bombardment. He was very proud to have served with the Australian army.

As an Australian (with mostly English background) I want to bow and give my most heartfelt thanks to everyone who commented that their ancestors served Australia during times of war. Thank you for their service. I can’t imagine how proud you must be. And to those from other nations that have fought for (and alongside) your Australian friends. This video makes me so proud to be Australian. It should almost be compulsory viewing every Anzac Day morning.

The Germans in WW1 hadn't just heard of the Australians from Gallipoli, they had fought them all through France and were well aware of the capabilities of Australian troops.

It's really interesting to know what different nationalities thought of a particular nation's troops. I remember watching a documentary on the Kokoda trail in Papua New Guinea during WW2. An American pilot based in Port Moresby told the story of his interaction with Australian troops. He put in a request for a transfer as he felt the Australian troops all hated him and he didn't know why. They just constantly kept making jokes at his expense. The commanding officer, an Australian, just laughed and said that if they're making fun of you, then they consider you one of their own. If they didn't like you, they'd just ignore you. I found it a pretty interesting observation.

The Australians were the first to defeat both the Germans and Japanese in land battle, 2nd battle of El-Alamein Tobruk and Milne bay respectively. Paving the way for the defeat of Axis. My uncle Tommy AIF 2/15 and 10th fought in both battles plus more, along with my uncle Gil RAN CMF (choko) Milne bay. From the blistering desert to mountainous rain soaked jungle, how good are Australian soldiers? RIP thank you for your service.

There is a story about Generals Montgomery & Freyberg, NZ Div Commander with LRDG Troopers. “Monty: Your chaps don't salute much! Freyberg: Oh if you wave ... They'll wave back!”

As a Australian we aren't actually taught our own history. So this is refreshing to know.

I once read a story about a badly wounded American Soldier who was being cared for by an Aussie nurse during WW2. "Excuse me ma'am, did I come here to die?" The nurse replied, "No mate, yer came 'ere yesterdie".

My grandad died in Kokoda and my uncle Alf fought at Dunkirk, North Africa, Crete and then finally (& by this time a Major) at Milne Bay PNG. In the last few months of his life Uncle Alf became distraught about the lives he had taken. (Crete btw was a bloodbath, completely out of ammunition it came down to bayonets and hand to hand) how could he face God he said after all that he had done? And that’s the legacy of war. Broken Men, sundered family’s. Destroyed lives. My mother losing her father at 6 years of age. An entire generation of the young men of my country sacrificed. Twice. In two world wars. That’s why ANZAC day is such a big deal to both us and the Kiwis. Lest We Forget….

I (German) served with Aussies in the Rhodesian Security Forces. My BN CO was Aussie, Joe Flanagan, the COY OCs were Aussies, Bruce Ralston and Gordon Forgoty. Great Guys. I had the DAK Sign (GermanAfricaCorps) painted on my "Puma" (Armoured Vehicle) and the Aussies Känguruhs. Excellent Soldiers, hard drinkers and very disciplined (could be mistaken for Germans lol)

That was a very gracious report about our soldiers. Thank you for the time that you took in this. Rommel also was a true soldier but not a nazi, earning him the respect of the allied troops

I joined the Australian Army in 1958 as a 17 year old and I can tell you we all looked up to those who went before.I served for 27 years and would like to think that we carried on the tradition of the "Digger" I served in malaya within a british Regt of ROYAL ARTILLERY I also did two tours of VIET NAM I feel sure that we did the memory of the DIGGER proud.

My late father fought with the desert 8th army , he was in the Royal army service Corp , attached to the 51st Highland division , after the large barrage at the opening of the second battle of el Alamein, the Highland division went forward under a creeping barrage with the new Zealanders to there left and the Australians on there right , each division had heavy losses but took there objectives , each of these divisions depended on there colleagues to there left and right , my dad used to quote ( thank god they were ausies and New Zealanders, ), the finest brothers in arms you could wish for , and an honour to serve with , j p

My grandfather fought at Tobruk. Part of the 9th He used to tell me stories of how he and his mates would sneak out at night and leave messages on the wires in front of the German placements in orders to psych them out. He was wounded in action and evacuated,then honorably discharged. He later re volunteered and went to Papua New Guinea.

I'm Aussie, My Grandfathers brother is buried over there in El-Alamein. He fought and died in that battle, His other brother watched him drop from gunfire and just had to leave him there and keep running and pushing forward to advance the position otherwise he wouldn't have made it back either.

My father (English) fought with Australians in the first siege of Tobruk and El Alamein. We migrated to Australia because my father wanted to see what it was about Australia that created the men he fought alongside. One day he said to me if you ever hear stories about the boys pulling the pin out of a grenade and then throw it to each other then out the slot in the pillar box….just before it went off. It was true…..

Congratulations on a very well-presented video. Some things mentioned within it were known to me but other aspects were previously unknown, I found it both enjoyable and educational to watch as well as it gave me a sense of pride to be Australian and that I have family that fought in both World Wars. Thank You very much and keep the videos coming I've also given it a thumbs up. 10/10

I have always been of the opinion that Rommel was an excellent tactician and a worthy foe. It’s truly sad that the Gestapo forced him to commit suicide on Hitlers orders.

My Grandfather, Claude Reid was a Sergeant with 6th Div transport and told us many stories of his experencies in North Africa and the Middle East. As kids we would pore through his photographs of his adventures in Cairo, Tripoli, Palestine , Damascus and other Middle East locations. He even had one of him and some mates on top of one of the pyramids. When in convoys, air attack was always a threat, even from their own aircraft because using salvaged enemy trucks made it difficulr to distinguish who they were. When aircraft were spotted the sop was to go as far off the road as possible, abandon the truck and find some kind of cover. His pet peeves were the .303 and bayonet which was always in the way. As for the rifle, he said "I humped that bloody thing over two thirds of creation and never fired a shot in anger". He made it through, returned home and died at age 98 in Brisbane. He was always a true gentleman.

Mate, thanks for putting this video together! The last flick of them playing cricket on the beach is an absolute ripper and something we still love doing as an activity during summer.

Great video mate, thank you. I'm very proud to be an Aussie with ancestors that served in both world wars. I'll never get tired of learning about these horrific events that shaped our world. Peace to all and let's try and do whatever we can to prevent these things happening again.

My Grandfather , Sir L.F. Smith, was a huge part of this entire event. I loved his stories. He was the RSM of 8th/12th Field Regiment.

My grandfather was a sapper for Australia in this campaign. He hated the Nazis, but respected and admired 'the Desert Fox' his whole life.

Thanks for making this tribute. many of my family fought in both wars and I'm a proud Australian.

My Grandfather was in the 2/8th in El Elemein. I'll never forget him. His father was a Light Horseman in WW1. My wife's Grandfather was a Rat of Tobruk, he died when she was very young though. God bless them, forgive them, and we thank them for the life they won for us.

I really liked that, as an Australian with a family heritage of ADF service, it made me feel very proud to call myself an Australian. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Both of my grandfathers fought in New Guinea. My mothers father moved back there with his brother in law as they felt a great debt was owed to the people there for everything they'd done to help them and their mates. Unfortunately my fathers father didnt live long after his return. His health never really recovered and he suffered terrible nightmares and much torment in his life. He could never let go of his hatred for the japanese and was unable to see humanity in any Asian people. I can only imagine what he must have witnessed. William Irwin and Bruce Jeffery. May god keep thier resting souls in peace.

Proud to say my grandfather Wally Drewett was one of those 6 th division fellas that first took Bardia and Tobruk. I have a photo of him standing next to two Italian prisoners. However soon after he was fighting an ss panzer division in Greece who also had good air support. So that was a whole new ball game. I remember him saying loved the Greek people.

That is most generous of you and I thank you, kindly, Emerus Tech. I'll be sure to give them a look.

My Dad was in the siege of Tobruk, he said to me once while we were watching some war movie on tv "you'd put a sheet of newspaper on your head when those stukas came in"

An officer had to earn the respect of the Australian soldier. British officers considered an ANZAC soldier to be an insubordinate colonist.

My uncle was a rat of Tobruk 2/48 Marched into Africa saw alot of his Friends die. He said the Germans showed Imense Chivalry towards wounded soldiers on both sides. They gave the Germans there first defeat of WW2. After Tobruk he marched out of Africa and Marched into New Guinea to fight the Japanese. The situation was so dire in New Guinea that they were sent almost straight there and relieved the Emaciated remnants of the 39th Batallion. They still had there summer african desert uniforms on. The Japenese soldier at the time showed no chivalry to captured or wounded soldiers. His two collar lugs off his old uniform are in a tin and they have something written on them in Latin. I looked it up and it says translated to English. NEVER DEFEATED And they werent. The 2/48 were a highly decorated brigade and were disbanded in 1946. When he joined up in 1939 at woodside Adelaide he and another soldier were given the job of Guarding the Murray Bridge road Bridge with one at each end. They each carried a 303 rifle and wore ww1 Uniform. Great Video ansd subscribed.

Rommel and his Officers were well aware of the Australians exploits during WW1, not necessarily at Gallipoli but in France, most notably their involvement against the German's Operation Michael in 1918, when they were stopped.

History has it that Rommel commented to the German High Command "Give me two divisions of Australian men and I will conquer the world for you"

That was very enjoyable, thank you very much.

Australian & Kiwi forces have played major roles in many theatres & are often sent in as initial reconnaissance teams in modern wars, while receiving little recognition for their efforts. Thank you for sharing Rommel's respect for our boys.

I don't know what the Germans thought of Australians, but during his time in North Africa my old dad always said that when the shit hit the fan you could do far worse than be shoulder to shoulder with an Aussie or a Kiwi.

My dad was a rear gunner in the first 1000 bomber raid over Germany Then fought in the pacific Blown twice out of a plane over BORNEO but survived had 4 kids then died in a car accident when we were kids

An excellent video ü thanks. As a Kiwi I appreciate Rommel's praise fo New Zealanders as well as for Aussies.

Rommel had more respect for the Australians than Churchill did. When John Curtin became the Australian Prime Minister in 1941 he demanded the return of Australian troops to defend Australia after Japan attacked the USA in December of the same year and, due to the Axis pact, declared war on the Allies [including Australia]. Even though Australia had contributed hugely to the war in Europe and Africa Churchill was always one to bear a grudge. He never acknowledged, except occasionally and reluctantly with faint praise, what the Australians had done. He was all about the Empire serving Britain's needs and Curtin was all about saving his own country, Australia.

Thanks for covering this topic it was really interesting :) Just some feedback though, I think you might need to level up the production quality a bit, join the audio clips a bit together, make things a bit smoother. I liked the content, and making things a bit smoother will make it easier to watch :)

One of Australian soldiers who fought in North in North Africa was my relative. Thank you for this wonderful video.

My great uncle Stan was in the Australian 6th division along with one of my cousins. He told me for the most part the Italian's heart was not in the battle (hence the number of prisoners), these are my words perhaps because it was "Mussolini's dreamed up war"? He also said the Germans were very good at fighting. He recalled shooting the Germany paratroopers in Crete as they were coming down in their parachutes he said "we made the bastard's wriggle". Later in the war the 6th Divison returned to fight the Japanese. I am happy to say they both survived the war however suffered PTSD.

It’s nice to hear this as an Australian growing up in the 1970/80 , so proud of our sons dads and grandfathers and super pissed off with the immigrants who just bagged Australia and it’s just continuing today with immigration who don’t respect our lucky county today .

My father was a Rat Of Tobruk, he was with the 2/7 Field Coy Royal Aust Engineers. He was involved in Operation Lightfoot in Oct 1942, and big offensive against Rommel's men. Being the engineers they went before the infantry to life mine fields and clear wire entanglements. On that night they came under mortar and machine gun fire, he sent his men back with the electronic detectors and belly crawled with a bayonet probing for and lifting the mines. He was awarded the Military Medal for that. He was sent to PNG from North Africa like a lot of others. He passed in 1988, I miss him like hell. RIP Sgt M. J. Pettigrew MM. MiD.

The book 'Tobruk' by Peter Fitzsimons is a great read of the Aussies in the lead up to that siege, and covers also a lot of Rommel's insights into that battle front. It also covers a good deal of Rommels demise after his battles, being forced to commit suicide at Hitler's order.

Fun Fact: The PNGs didnt care and didnt find it racist at all that we called them a "Golly Wogs". And I miss the Golly Wog biscuits we had, they were the best Arnotts biscuits.

It must also be remembered that volunteer armies are invariably better and more enthusiastic than conscripts. But Rommel (along with Aussies themselves) certainly did not rate 'certain' British Divisions but Rommel did rate the 7th Armoured Brigade (the original Desert Rats -a combination of artillery and infantry), and especially the Guards Brigade. Rommel said: -"The British Guards Brigade was almost the living embodiment of the virtues and faults of the British soldier - tremendous courage and tenacity combined with a rigid lack of mobility. At one battle this division had mauled our German units". Rommel also rated the legendary British Commandos very highly, so much so that Hitler ordered any captured Commandos to be executed, but Rommel refused. He also rated the British 70th Division who relieved the battle-weary Aussies at Tobruk in August-Sept 1942 and broke out, pushing Rommel back to the point that he abandoned the siege. Regards individual bravery, the Aussies and New Zealand lads are right up there - God bless them all, their offensive capabilities are legendary. Unintentionally, the British are almost inadvertently demeaned at the expense of the ANZACS, Canadians etc, and I do understand why. Some comments you generally see are quite derisory however, so to provide balance, the comments about the British Paras at Arnhem (our offensive arm along with Commando Units) are similar as those ascribed to the ANZACS. Battle-hardened and much-decorated veteran SS Commander Wilhelm Bittrich stated of the Paras: - ""In all my years of fighting, I have never seen men fight so hard", whilst SS Section-Commander Alfred Ringsdorf said regards Arnhem: - "This was a harder battle than any I had fought in Russia. It was constant, close-range, hand-to-hand fighting, the English were everywhere. We fought to gain inches, firing from yards away. It was absolute hell". Towards the end of the battle, when it was clear the British were totally outnumbered he said" The only way we are going to get these out is feet first. I felt dreadfully sorry for the British". SS Captain Kraft (after the battle) assessed the Paras: -"They were about 25 years of age on average, and the best type mentally and physically, they were well-trained, particularly for independent fighting and good combat value. They fought savagely. They were led by officers who were the finest in the whole British army. Towards the end of the fighting, many gave themselves up because of hunger, but having already resisted beyond the norms of human endurance, still fought on. Defying normal military logic, their actions could not be objectively assessed". The Aussies and New Zealanders were superb though, especially in the heat of the North African desert, you have studied the Rommel papers obviously as he says as much, certainly about their offensive abilities, whereas he states British troops were strong fighting from a position, which reflected their overall battle doctrine of relying on armour and artillery, rather than primarily just infantry like the ANZACS. But like you I cannot find any quotation for taking hell and keeping it, in reference to the Aussies and NZ lads. American author Samuel W Mitcham claims that Rommel said this, but fails to provide any reference, so I suspect he too was simply repeating the old cliche. Personally, although he clearly rated them, I don't think he actually did say this as he clearly rated his own Panzer Divisions above anyone! Mitcham also states that in the end, Rommel rated the New Zealanders most of all, but again fails to actually highlight any such quote.

Rommel also made comments about how resourceful and stubborn the Australian forces were with regard to them using artillery over open sights as at guns to counter his tanks. Wouldn’t be the first or last time the Australians used something designed for a purpose for a completely different purpose.

Rommel was asked about what he felt about the various Commonwealth forces. He said that he felt the Australians could be relied on to take a heavily defended strong point. But he said he would trust the New Zealanders to hold it.

The Australians were fine soldiers in the desert. In the defence of Greece in the snow covered mountains up against a unit of the SS Leibstandarte Adolph Hitler a battalion tasked with holding a section of the line on April 12th 1941 led by their officers left their position and ran from the Germans down hill with many of them throwing their weapons away. The Royal Horse artillery stood their ground even with the infantry gone and through sheer guts stopped the breakthrough. It was really strange that an Australian battalion that had been so admired by the Germans in the desert had cracked and fled because of the terribly harsh mountain conditions that the other combatants also experienced.

One of Rommel's most famous quotes about Australian soldiers is " Give me two Australian divisions and i will conquer the world for you "

When General Monash planned the second battle of Hames (the first resulted in a 3 mile advance in 90 minutes with insignificant casualties) he fond it unnecessary, as his troops, on their own initiative, had already advanced beyond his target point.

In 1980 I was a temp at British Rail and most of the engineers had been in the desert with the aussies and used to tell me stories. They said they loved moving forward with them but in the quiet times they'd hide, as the aussies fought, gambled terribly, had only a pair of shorts as they'd gambled even their shirts. Very raucous and disdainful of rank unless they felt it was earned. My grandad was at Tobruk but we never knew til ! got his war record in the late 90s! Never spoke of it.

As mentioned briefly, during WWI the Germans also feared and respected the 'diggers' on the western front and chose not to attack anywhere that the Australian and Kiwi soldiers were. Also, this is what makes Erwin Rommel and also Heinz Guderian such great generals is the fact they recognise how good the enemy soldiers were. (Rommel in North Africa, Guderian on Eastern Front) and they had a lot of respect for the enemy to fight so bravely. Both of this Generals fell out of favour with the German High Command on numerous occasions and relieved of command only to be put back as they were the best of the best. To be fair, Australian soldiers didn't think much of their British counterparts especially the officer corps because it was the British officers that caused the problems at Gallipoli in WWI, and of course the Lord of the Admiralty during WWI (whose ships dropped the ANZAC's at the wrong spot) was none other than the British Prime Minister during WWII, which is why they also had such little respect for the Brits.

You completely overlooked the fact that the 1st AIF under Gen Sir John Monash was instrumental in the final offensives against the Germans in WW1. That's worth a video in it's own right.

Growing up in Melbourne, I had the honour of meeting a number of the men who served in the 2nd AIF and the 39th Battalion of the Militia, including some of the Rats of Tobruk. One still had his great coat with with special T unit markings they were permitted to wear after the Siege of Tobruk. I can confirm that the taking of prisoners was not a high priority for these men. They had enlisted and trained for War, and water, food, and medicine was in very short supply in the Western Desert and New Guinea. They were not inclined, after suffering such great privations, to share what little provisions they had with captured Axis forces. In return they also expected no quarter and so could be relied upon to fight to the death.

A good tribute, thank you. (From Australia)

My father fought throughout WW2, 4th or 6th Indian if memory serves. Noth Africa Sicily, Italy and Greece. He didn't really talk about it just the odd comment. He said the Australians lack of respect for the British officers was amusing, the officers would often ignore the Australians because of it. He did mention a time when some Australians where being inspected by a senior British officer. All the rows of Australian soldiers were lined up with this bigwig walking up and down the lines with his staff officers making the odd comment to the troops when he stopped at one soldier and for some reason looked down the barrel of his rifle. He looked at the Australian soldier pointed to the guns barrel and said in disgust do you know what this is for. No one there was expecting the reply he said its for effing idiots like you to blow down mate. There was uproar, all the Australians laughed, even their officers....

Thank you, will do.

An informative and heart-warming video - thank you!

THANK'S FOR PUTING THIS TOGETHER IT MAKE'S ME HAPPY..ALSO HIS SON COLLECTED A MEDAL FROM THE AMERICAN GOVERMENT ON HIS BEHALF TOO. ! THANKS AGAIN ..MADE MY DAY..AUSTRALIA IS'NT BAD EITHER..

Ronald said " if I had Australian soldier, and French officer. I would be unstoppable "

Our brave Aussie men, Lest We Forget

My great uncle was a lieutenant in Australian artillery in WWII. Fought Rommel in Africa, was at Tobruk and Al Alamein, then the Japanese in PNG. He was mentioned in dispatches twice for bravery under fire. For all that he never once to my knowledge talked about the war. I think the closing statement is about right. They just wanted to get home.

Great video, mate

Battle of Long Tan (Vietnam) 108 Aussies faced 2,500 VC and *destroyed* them, suffering 18 dead and 24 wounded we may be a tiny nation, but we fight like a sabre tooth tiger - forget this at your peril

My mothers uncle was a rat of Tobruk, and we were talking about the war when he told me how he made 20 German soldiers run…. I said “how did you do that?” and he said “Well it’s simply really… i ran, and they chased after me!” Haha

Another fantastic video would be on Australian General Sir John Monash. During WWI, he lead the Anzacs plus Canadian reservists through the Hindenburg Line, which eventually lead to the defeat of Germany. His knighthood was the first battlefield knighthood (by King George V) in over 200 years.

I read a quote by a certain B L Montgomery on the 6th June 44:- " I wish the Australians were here"

Believe it or not, 9th Division veterans had a dining in night with former members of The Afrika Korps at the Combined Services Club in Barrack Street in Sydney in 1981 or 1982. They all became great friends.

In WW2 my grandfather was a special services paratrooper who parachuted behind enemy lines and blew up German supply lines. He done 4 tours in the war the Aussies were a special type of soldier who never stopped. I am proud of my grandfather he embodied the memory of the ANZACs his story is of just one man’s effort and all Aussies have their own story. They were and are true heroes they never had the top line weapons but done more damage due to their heart and bravery.

When I was a kid in Australia in the 60's the adults used to tell a joke about Italian tanks having 1 forward gear and 10 reverse gears. I also heard many similar stories about Australians in Vietnam, with the US loving to fight with them (it was safer), and how well they faught.

My grandfather a half Japanese and half indigenous Australian fought in WW2 for Australia in New Guinea. he had to join as an Italian listed as his ethnicity. this was funny considering The Italians were also on the wrong side. My grandfather was also very dark skinned and had no Italian features. when he returned from war he still was not a citizen of his own native country. He never once complained about his treatment however and many of his best friends were white Australian diggers. They shared stories of his bravery and the fact he spoke Japanese also proved invaluable as a translator.

Well said, thank you.

As an Australian I’ve always held a deep respect for Rommel.

My uncle was in the 2/23 Battalion in Tobruk. He died of wounds, Libya, 7 August 1941, aged 21 years, he had been in Tobruk for a fortnight.

Some remarkable achievements by the 6th, 7th and 9th Australian and the NZ divisions in the desert. They had their bad days too. To put it in perspective, the Japanese got into Singapore through an Australian sector, and some Australian troops threw down their weapons and took off into the bush after the air raids on Darwin. The 53rd Battalion fell apart on the Kokoda Track and was sent back after handing all their automatic weapons over to regular troops. The Kiwis failed at Maleme in Crete, allowing the Germans to capture the entire island. It's documented that an Australian in the 9th division, when they were being reviewed by Churchill prior to departure from the Middle East, called out from the ranks "When are you sending us home?, You fat bastard", something perhaps unlikely to be heard from troops of any other nationality.

We Australians have a level of sheer bloody-mindedness that makes us invaluable in a fight.

Rommel also received respect from the Australians. He was a truly professional soldier so it's no wonder he had respect for other soldiers.

Here’s a story that’s gruesome, but I guarantee is true. My uncle Jack was part of the U.S. Army occupation force in Japan immediately after the war. All of the Allies had a presence. They also had an open mess tent policy. The men could eat at whatever mess they wanted, but there might be a cost. Jack discovered that the Australians had the best food, plus they had beer. The cost for Americans was 10 cents. After awhile, he got to know some of the Australians pretty well. Due to geography, the Australians had the majority of the Japanese prisoners. They also had a very good memories of Japanese atrocities. When it was time to repatriate prisoners back to Japan, the Australians would load troop planes with Japanese prisoners and later the planes would land in Tokyo……empty. I don’t know what happened to Japanese prisoners who were sent by troop ship.

Well done. Thank you.

One small correction - most Australian troops of the time weren’t dating Olivia Newton-John.

Thanks mate. Loved that. Good onya!

Thanks for sharing cobber. 🙏🇦🇺

My Granddad was in the 9th, later he transferred to the RAAF and flew beau fighters around Rabaul (i have no idea how that occured), I Love my Aussie brother and sisters.... Lest we forget.

This is a carry on from the Western Front in the First World War, one German unit (remember that there were many units that fought came from that of the German Princely States, not Prussia) was told that they were being moved to a quiet sector of the front, but soon found on their first night suffered a trench raid, and prisoners were taken, one of whom stated that if they had known they would have protested as they knew that the Australians were very good soldiers. ee

My dad was one of them at 15 ❤🇭🇲🇮🇱🇬🇧✌️

The blood of the west is not yet spent, still at the forefront of toppling authoritarians arcing up worldwide. Side by side from a multitude of countries, I hope us Aussies will always have the spine to be represented in the fight for self determination. Sadly it looks like we have another large one on the books in 5-10 years where another generations blood will water the tree of liberty.

To indicate what the Australian soldiers thought of the Germans. In the early 90s on the 50th anniversary of the African campaign the Aussie Rats of Tobruk association invited and sponsored Afrika Korp veterans in Sydney for 2 weeks. Where they got on the piss and swapped war stories and the only arguments were about whose shout it was.

ANZACs !!!! Simply the best!!

On behalf of my mates now past on. FIELD MARSHALL ERWIN ROMALD SHALL ALWAYS HAVE MY GREATEST RESPECTS AS SHALL HIS AFRICA CORE. PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS TO ALL. LEST WE FORGET.

Did you know that Monty grew up in Hobart, Australia? His father was, for a time, the Anglican bishop.

I recommend a book by the late Eric Lambert called "the 20,000 thieves" which he wrote based on his own experiences in WW2

My family had members which faced the Germans in both World Wars, after getting over the initial post war antagonism they all agreed that the professional German soldiers were very impressive and hardy opponents that deserved much respect and that they (the Germans) also showed a great deal of respect to captured and wounded enemy soldiers.

The Australians did far better under Australian command than British. The British were stuck in 19th century warfare, where a family name got you a command rather than ability. Many Australian units were given the toughest missions and wasted on foolhardy orders.