1942 — The 9th Australian Division was in action at EL ALAMEIN, Egypt, as the Allies attempted to push the German and Italian troops back

1942 — HORN ISLAND in Torres Strait, was bombed for the fifth time. Horn Island was the closest Allied base to Japanese forces at that time and housed many RAAF squadrons and thousands of men

1956 — The last RAAF transport planes returned from service in KOREA

1918 — CPL E. BROWN won a Victoria Cross at  Villers-Bretonneux, France. Brown responded to reports that an enemy sniper was causing trouble by throwing down his rifle and picking up two Mills bombs. He then rushed at the sniper’s position and threw a bomb which landed short, but on reaching the position he attacked a German with his fists and threatened the rest with a bomb — they all surrendered. Brown enlisted for WW2 and was last seen at the fall of Singapore

1941 — Battle of DAMOUR, Lebanon, the last battle in Lebanon against the Vichy French

1945 — War-time Prime Minister John CURTIN died while in office. He was succeeded by Deputy PM Forde who was in office for eight days before being replaced by Ben CHIFLEY

1950 — Commonwealth Naval Forces assumed responsibility for the west coast of Korea during the KOREAN WAR

1918 — The Battle of HAMEL, France. Planned and executed by Lt Gen Monash, this battle became the model for later Western Front battles

1918 — L/Cpl T. AXFORD won a Victoria Cross by attacking a German machine-gun position with bombs and bayonet during the battle at HAMEL WOOD

1918 — PTE H. DALZIEL won a Victoria Cross at HAMEL WOOD by making a single-handed attack on a an Enemy machine-gun post, capturing the gun and its crew. He then collected ammunition and reloaded magazines

1900 — 400 Imperial Bushmen from South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia were part of a 1000 man strong force attacking LEEUW KOP, South Africa, during the BOER WAR

1941 — PALMYRA, North Africa, surrendered to British forces

1950 — 77 Squadron, RAAF, planes attacked a train carrying American and South Korean soldiers after being assured that the area of the attack was in North Korean hands

1950 — 77 Squadron, RAAF, the first Australian unit committed to the war in Korea, flew its first combat mission escorting US bombers

1952 — 1 RAR troops raided Chinese positions  on Hill 227 during Operation Blaze in KOREA. They were attempting to capture a prisoner and to destroy the Chinese garrison

1993 — Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop, famed for the medical services provided to other prisoners on the Thai-Burma railway, died

1916 — The first day of the Battle of the SOMME. Over 60,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded on this day — the worst single day of British arms

1942 — Unmarked Japanese transport ship  MONTEVIDEO MARU was torpedoed by an American submarine.  All of the 1050 Australian prisoners of war being carried in the ship died when it sank. It is Australia’s worst maritime disaster

1945 — Australia’s largest, and last, amphibious operation of WW2 began as troops landed at BALIKPAPEN, Borneo

1941 — HMAS Waterhen sank in the Mediterranean Sea.

1942 — The 2/5th Independent Company raided the Japanese base at Salamaua, New Guinea. 

1950 — 77 Squadron, RAAF, deployed to Korea. 

1988 — The RAAF qualified their first two female pilots. 

1950 — The Australian Government committed troops to the Korean War. 

1919 — The Treaty of Versailles, France, was signed. 

1940 — HMAS Sydney (II) sank the Italian Destroyer Espero in the Mediterranean Sea.

1950 — Seoul fell to the North Korean Peoples’ Army.