ISSUE 136 : May/Jun - 1999 - Australian Defence Force Journal

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54AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE JOURNAL NO. 136 MAY/JUNE 1999band, the Orderly Rooms and some redoubtablepersonalities.This book is recommended for those interested inAustralian and colonial history and those who wish tograsp something of the flavour of our military history.THE BROKEN EIGHTH: A History of the 2/14thAustralian Field Regiment. Author – Ron Jackson,printed and published by Clipper Press, Ashwood,Vic. Hard cover, 158 b&w photos, 6 maps, 10dwgs, xi/305pp, Roll of Honour, list of awards,nom roll, no index or bibliography. Copiesavailable from author 3/105 Surrey Road,Blackburn North, Vic 3130. Price $45 plus $5 p&p.Reviewed by Major General John WhitelawThis is not a “military” history in the acceptedsense. It does not deal with the wide sweep of eventsin the Pacific War, evaluate the decisions ofcommanders or examine strategy and tactics; but itdoes tell in a plain, straight forward fashion the storyof a gunner regiment from formation in 1940 untildisbandment at war’s end. The author has drawnskillfully on the official war diaries lodged in theAustralian War Memorial, the memories of hiscomrades, their photographs and sketches, togetherwith items from wartime news-sheets of the RegimentThe Drum started in 1955 by the post-war regimentalAssociation was also a valuable source.Some 700 ordinary Australian men came togetherin 1940 at Puckapunyal to form one of the major unitsof the 8th Australian Division. They pooled theirtalents, skills and intelligence to build a regiment fit inall respects for operational service. They alsoachieved, although many would not have recognisedit at the time, an exceedingly strong regimental spiritwhich was to stand them in good stead in adventureswhich lay ahead.Firstly was their long and arduous service inDarwin under a perceived threat of Japanese invasionand enduring some 50 air raids. The loss of theircompanion units in the 8th Division in 1942 as theJapanese successively captured Malaya, Singapore,Ambon, Timor and New Britain was sorely felt by theRegiment, the sole remaining major combat unit ofthe Division. To mark this sad circumstance aperpendicular “break” was inserted in their colourpatch to signify The Broken Eighth.After re-equipment and training in NSW andQueensland, the Regiment embarked for New Guineaand operations with 5th Australian Division along thenorth coast of the Huon Peninsula to Alexishafen,then to Jacquinot Bay where the task was to isolatethe very large force of Japanese in the GazellePeninsula. The Regiment again showed its reliabilityand ability in some sharp actions in the Open Bay andWide Bay areas. The cessation of hostilities led to aperiod of garrison duty in Rabaul where, for the lasttime, the Regiment demonstrated its amazing “cando” attitude so carefully nurtured from those far offdays in 1940. It returned home for disbandment inDecember 1945.The Broken Eighth is an attractive, qualityproduction with a “good feel” to it. It is a credit toClipper Press and Ron Jackson. While it is sad that somany years have passed before this story has beentold, I am sure that it will prove of much interest tothe families of those who served and will bring backmemories to those members still with us. It shouldalso find a deserved place with the histories of otherdistinguished units of the Australian Army on theshelves of any military library.THE THUNDER OF THE GUNS; A History ofthe 2/3 Australian Field Regiment, by Les Bishop,printed by Brown Prior Anderson, Burwood, Vic.Hard cover, 250 b&w photos, 1 colour page, 11maps, xxvii/746 pp, nominal roll, roll of honour,lists of POW, wounded and awards (withcitations), bibliography and index. Copiesavailable from author 12 Wyralla Road, YowieBay, NSW 2228, $50.00 per copy (+$5.85 p&p).Reviewed by Major General John WhitelawThis book has been many years in the making, yetit deals with only six years in the lives of its manycharacters, both as individuals and collectively as partof one of the most notable regiments of the 2nd AIF.It tells the story of how ordinary Australian youngmen from around the Commonwealth came togetherin their various troops and batteries for their “greatadventure” during World War II. Their adventures inNorth Africa, Greece, Crete and New Guinea anddescribed in vivid colour in large part from personalreminiscence, supplemented from War Diary andOfficial History sources, and enlived by manypersonal photographs. It will surely please thesurvivors of this Regiment while serving as amemorial to those who have left us.The difficulties, the rush of action, the fear, andthe heartbreak at the loss or incarceration of theirmates is told with sensitivity. The periods of trainingin various countries, some short and specificallyobjective, others long drawn out, the boredom, therumours bring out the wry humour of the Australiansoldier and give a good idea as to why he was
BOOK REVIEWS 55respected by friends and enemies for his soldierlyqualities.Les Bishop has produced a unit history which willprove of unfailing interest to those who shared in itsmaking as members of the 2/3rd Australian FieldRegiment. They are fortunate to have a comrade withthe imagination, skill and sheer perseverance to carryit to a successful outcome. Through it they will relivetheir years of war and their families will understand.In the wider field of military history, this bookdoes not contribute to our knowledge of the clash ofnations, nor does it pretend to do so. But it does tellthe story of how a diverse group of young Australianscame together in 1939 and forged a strong andsuccessful weapon of war. It will be a mine ofinformation for future research, and in its own right isa unit history of considerable worth, exceedingly wellillustrated and pleasingly presented. It deserves aplace in any library of military history and will find avalued place on general library shelves.THE “LETTER” BATTERIES: The history ofthe “letter” batteries in World War II, by RegKidd and Ray Neal, printed by Ligare Pty Ltd,published by authors 1998, 250x180mm, 20 b&wphotos, 14 maps, 4 dwgs/diagrams, xiv/415pp,hard cover, glossary, bibliography, index. Copiesavailable from RJ Kidd, Whistlepipe Court,Forrestfield, WA 6058, Ph 08 9453 2393, or RENeal, 5 Tower Reserve, Castlecrag, NSW 2068, Ph02 9958 2717. Cost $30 plus $7.50 p&p.Reviewed by Major General John WhitelawThe authors of this book were kind enough toinvite me to write the foreword so, “declaring myinterest” I offer it in lieu of the traditional review.“No six years of history has been more writtenabout than 1939-1945.” These are the final words ofJohn Keegan’s book The Battle for History. While theviews of this eminent military historian are alwaysworth attention we must be thankful that people likeReg Kidd and Ray Neal have seen fit to add to thequantum of our available knowledge. Their work willgive pleasure to their surviving comrades and serve asa comprehensive guide to a little known aspect ofAustralia’s great effort in World War II for those whomay care to research further.This book is not about the broad sweep of grandstrategy, it is about the endeavours of a wonderful lotof young Australians thrown together by the chancesof war into 19 heavy batteries and three firecommands of the Royal Australian Artillery.The entry of the Japanese into the war on 7December 1941 gave sharp focus to the gaps in thearrangements for the coastal defence of many of ourimportant ports. Before long it was also appreciatedthat coastal defences would be needed to protect ourforward bases as the Allied forces held, and thenpushed back, the Japanese. The solution was seen inacquiring guns, searchlights and associated equipmentfrom the United States of America and formingmobile coast batteries which could be deployed tomeet changing circumstances Reg Kidd and Ray Nealhave delved assiduously into the records of theAustralian War Memorial and the AustralianArchives. They have consulted wisely and widely tounearth detail of each of these units in the years 1942-1945. The result of their work reveals fascinatinginsights into the difficulties encountered andsurmounted, the months of isolation of both thebatteries and their detached elements, of the growing“family feeling” within each battery, theestablishment of a strong espirit de corps and aboveall the dedication of these young men in the service oftheir guns.The last few years has seen a surge of interest inthe history of Australian units during World War II.This has been partly due to the excellent “AustraliaRemembers” program in 1995, but also as Ray andReg observe, because now the “old chaps” have hadsome time to look back and remember. We are intheir debt for having done so and in particular theRoyal Australian Artillery welcomes their endeavoursas another enduring contribution to its history.BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS: Strategies andLessons in Australian Arms Acquisition by DrPaul Earnshaw, Australian Defence StudiesCentre, 1998, $20.00.Reviewed by Lieutenant Commander Alan Hinge,RANThe Department of Defence’s procurement andproject management of major equipment has beenheavily criticised by the Australian National AuditOffice and various parliamentary committees in recentyears, and an obvious way of improving performanceis to transmit to today’s project managers the lessonsof what went right and what went wrong in projects.However, it is ironic that Defence appears to havemade remarkably little effort to systematically pass onlessons learned. This is where Dr Paul Earnshaw’sbook, Billion Dollar Business comes in as anoutstanding and all too rare example of
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ISSUE 136 : May/Jun - 1999 - Australian Defence Force Journal

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