1944— Japanese resistance on the Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, ended. Fighting there began in August 1943 and involved such places as Lae, Finschhaven, Sattelberg, Shaggy Ridge, and the Ramu Valley.
1964— HMAS Voyager, a destroyer, was involved in a collision with the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, off Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast. Voyager was cut in two and sank in 1100 metres of water, with 81 sailors and 1 civilian technician lost.
1943— Japanese troops were defeated at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. This defeat, at the hands of the Americans, contributed to the Japanese having to withdraw from the Kokoda Track when almost within sight of Port Moresby.
1942— Japanese forces crossed the Straits of Johore and began the invasion of Singapore. They were engaged by troops of the 22nd and 27th Brigades of the 8th Australian Division.
1944— Lieutenant Brian MacFarlane RANVR, was lost when his midget submarine X-22 was rammed by HMS Syrtis during exercises in Pentland Forth, Scotland.
1915— HMAS Pioneer arrives at Zanzibar to join the blockade of the German cruiser SMS Konigsberg in the Rufigi River, East Africa.
1941— The 6th Australian Division entered Benghazi, Libya. Benghazi changed hands five times, first against the Italians and later the German Wehrmacht.
1917 – Captain Henry Murray was awarded the Victoria Cross for extraordinary bravery during an attack on a German position at Stormy Trench, France, when his company repelled counter-attacks at close range under intense shell fire. Murray had a distinguished military career, receiving the Distinguished Conduct Medal at Gallipoli, the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) at Mouquet Farm, and a Bar to his DSO at Bullecourt. Enlisting as a Private in September 1914, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by March 1918.
1942— Japanese demands for the surrender of Singapore were rejected by the British, leading to a full-scale assault on the island.
1943— Japanese troops retreated from Wau, New Guinea, after fierce fighting.
1915 —Ottoman soldiers launched an attack to capture the Suez Canal. The assault was repelled by Indian troops, supported by the 7th and 8th Infantry Battalions of the Australian Imperial Force.
1942 —The Australian garrison on Ambon surrendered to overwhelming Japanese forces. Alongside soldiers of the Netherlands East Indies, they were unable to hold their position. Tragically, 300 men were executed by the Japanese, and two-thirds of the Australians taken as prisoners of war perished before liberation.
1942— The first Japanese air attack on Port Moresby took place as part of Japan's plan to capture the area and establish it as a base to disrupt shipping routes to Eastern Australia.
1968— 3RAR recaptured Baria, the capital of Phuoc Tuy province, Vietnam, following the Tet Offensive. Baria had been a key target of Viet Cong attacks against Australian forces in the region.
1943— The last of Australia’s troops in the Middle East departed for home. Japan's entry into the war compelled Australia to prioritise its own regional defence over British requests to focus on the campaigns in North Africa and Europe.