1945 — Victory in Europe or ‘VE Day’ is proclaimed when the Allies formally accepted a full and unconditional surrender from Nazi Germany.

1970 — Up to 200,000 Australians participated in demonstrations against the Vietnam War, known as the first of the ‘Moratorium Protests’.

1942 —  HMAS Australia & HMAS Hobart survived an attack by 19 land-based Japanese bombers during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Neither ship was damaged. 

1942 — M Special Unit was formed to conduct intelligence gathering operations behind Japanese lines in Papua New Guinea.

1885 — Around fifty personnel of the New South Wales Contingent for the Sudan were ambushed by Mahdist rebels near Takdul, marking the only significant fighting experienced by Australian troops during that conflict. 

1915 — The Australian 2nd Brigade, alongside British and New Zealand troops, suffered heavy casualties in the badly co-ordinated Second Battle of Krithia. The battle would last two more days. 

1900 —The New South Wales Mounted Rifles spearheaded an attack across the Vet River, charging Boer positions uphill with support from British infantry.

1916 — The New South Wales-raised 20th Battalion endured a German trench raid near Armentieres, marking the first combat for an Australian unit on the Western Front. 

1971 — The Royal Australian Navy’s Clearance Diving Team Three returned to Australia, concluding four years of operational service in Vietnam.

1998 — A fire aboard HMAS Westralia cost the lives of four crew members. 

1917 — HMAS Sydney (I) was attacked by Zeppelin L43, successfully evading damage but failing to bring down the German airship.

1918 — The New South Wales-raised 9th Brigade began the Second Battle of Morlancourt with a series of ‘peaceful penetration’ raids. Fighting would continue for five days.

1942 — The Battle of the Coral Sea began, with HMAS Australia, Canberra, and Hobart all serving in the inconclusive battle which lasted four days.

1915 — Troops of the 11th Battalion conduct a raid against Gaba Tepe to the south of Anzac Cove on Gallipoli where they intended to land on the 25th of April. The raid met strong resistance.

1917 — The 2nd Division launches the Second Attack on Bullecourt, suffering heavy casualties but managed to hold a small section of their assigned objective against German counter attacks.

2003 — Royal Australian Air Force air traffic controllers begin duties at Baghdad International Airport during the Iraq War. 

1915 —The Australian 4th Brigade, commanded by then-Brigadier John Monash, attacks Baby 700 on Gallipoli, and is repulsed with heavy losses.

1945 — The Berlin garrison surrenders to the Red Army, ending major combat in the European Theatre of the Second World War.