Posted on 04/20/2009 5:49:59 PM PDT by naturalman1975
This coming Saturday, 25th April 2009, is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand - the day that these nations remember their men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in time of war. It is the anniversary of the day in 1915 when troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps went ashore at Gallipoli, Turkey - the first time substantial bodies of troops from those two young nations (Australia 1901, New Zealand 1907) had gone into battle as soldiers of their nations, rather than purely and soley as troops of the British Empire (although they still retained that status).
It is the day our nations were baptised in blood and it is a sacred day.
This coming ANZAC Day will see approximately 3500 Australian soldiers, sailors, and airmen deployed on twelve overseas operations and to the protection of our own borders. Australian troops are currently operationally deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, and other areas of the Middle East, the Sudan, East Timor, and the Solomon Islands. Approximately 600 troops of the New Zealand Defence Force (Te Ope Kaatua o Aotearoa) are operationally deployed to various operational areas in the Middle East, South Pacfic, Asia, and the Pacific.
In some of these cases, these troops are serving in support of United States lead operations.
Over the next week, I intend to post a daily message in honour of these troops and those who came before them, highlighting some areas of ANZAC history. As an Australian, I know Australia's military history better than New Zealands, so I may not do theirs justice - but I invite any Kiwis here to add anything they wish to. To some extent, I especially hope to address some areas of operations that involved Americans - I understand my audience, but I think people here do respect the contributions of those of all nations who have fought for freedom, and sometimes died for it.
Two Victoria Crosses (the highest award for valour in the face of the enemy within the Commonwealth of Nations) have been awarded to ANZACS during the current war in Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal (now Corporal) Apiata was, in 2004, part of a New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) Troop on patrol in Afghanistan, which laid up in defensive formation for the night.
At approximately 0315 hours, the Troop was attacked by a group of about twenty enemy fighters, who had approached by stealth using the cover of undulating ground in pitch darkness. Rocket-propelled grenades struck two of the Troop's vehicles, destroying one and immobilising the other.
The opening strike was followed by dense and persistent machine gun and automatic rifle fire from close range.
The attack then continued using further rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun and rifle fire. The initial attack was directed at the vehicle where Lance Corporal Apiata was stationed.
He was blown off the bonnet by the impact of rocket propelled grenades striking the vehicle. He was dazed, but was not physically injured.
The two other vehicle crew members had been wounded by shrapnel; one of them, Corporal D, was in a serious condition.
He ordered his other colleague, Trooper E, to make his own way back to the rear.
In total disregard of his own safety, Lance Corporal Apiata stood up and lifted his comrade bodily. He then carried him across the seventy metres of broken, rocky and fire swept ground, fully exposed in the glare of battle to heavy enemy fire and into the face of returning fire from the main Troop position. That neither he nor his colleague were hit is scarcely possible. Having delivered his wounded companion to relative shelter with the remainder of the patrol, Lance Corporal Apiata re-armed himself and rejoined the fight in counter-attack.
By his actions, he removed the tactical complications of Corporal D's predicament from considerations of rescue.
The Troop could now concentrate entirely on prevailing in the battle itself. After an engagement lasting approximately twenty minutes, the assault was broken up and the numerically superior attackers were routed with significant casualties, with the Troop in pursuit.
Lance Corporal Apiata had thereby contributed materially to the operational success of the engagement. A subsequent medical assessment confirmed that Corporal D would probably have died of blood loss and shock, had it not been for Lance Corporal Apiata's selflessly courageous act in carrying him back to the main Troop lines, to receive the immediate treatment that he needed.
Illuminated by the burning vehicle, and under sustained and accurate enemy fire directed at and around their position, the three soldiers immediately took what little cover was available. Corporal D was discovered to have sustained lifethreatening wounds. The other two soldiers immediately began applying basic first aid.
Lance Corporal Apiata assumed command of the situation, as he could see that his superior's condition was deteriorating rapidly.
By this time, however, Lance Corporal Apiata's exposed position, some seventy metres in front of the rest of the Troop, was coming under increasingly intense enemy fire. Corporal D was now suffering serious arterial bleeding and was lapsing in and out of consciousness.
Lance Corporal Apiata concluded that his comrade urgently required medical attention,or he would likely die. Pinned down by the enemy, in the direct line of fire between friend and foe, he also judged that there was almost no chance of such help reaching their position.
As the enemy pressed its attack towards Lance Corporal Apiata's position, and without thought of abandoning his colleague to save himself, he took a decision in the highest order of personal courage under fire. Knowing the risks involved in moving to open ground, Lance Corporal Apiata decided to carry Corporal D singlehandedly to the relative safety of the main Troop position, which afforded better cover and where medical treatment could be given.
Trooper Mark Gregor Donaldson enlisted into the Australian Army on 18 June 2002. After completing Recruit and Initial and Employment Training he was posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. Having successfully completed the Special Air Service Selection Course in April 2004, Trooper Donaldson was posted to Special Air Service Regiment in May 2004.
On 2 September 2008, during the conduct of a fighting patrol, Trooper Donaldson was travelling in a combined Afghan, US and Australian vehicle convoy that was engaged by a numerically superior, entrenched and coordinated enemy ambush. The ambush was initiated by a high volume of sustained machine gun fire coupled with the effective use of rocket propelled grenades. Such was the effect of the initiation that the combined patrol suffered numerous casualties, completely lost the initiative and became immediately suppressed. It was over two hours before the convoy was able to establish a clean break and move to an area free of enemy fire.
In the early stages of the ambush, Trooper Donaldson reacted spontaneously to regain the initiative. He moved rapidly between alternate positions of cover engaging the enemy with 66mm and 84mm anti-armour weapons as well as his M4 rifle. During an early stage of the enemy ambush, he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw attention to himself and thus away from wounded soldiers. This selfless act alone bought enough time for those wounded to be moved to relative safety.
As the enemy had employed the tactic of a rolling ambush, the patrol was forced to conduct numerous vehicle manoeuvres, under intense enemy fire, over a distance of approximately four kilometres to extract the convoy from the engagement area. Compounding the extraction was the fact that casualties had consumed all available space within the vehicles. Those who had not been wounded, including Trooper Donaldson, were left with no option but to run beside the vehicles throughout. During the conduct of this vehicle manoeuvre to extract the convoy from the engagement area, a severely wounded coalition force interpreter was inadvertently left behind. Of his own volition and displaying complete disregard for his own safety, Trooper Donaldson moved alone, on foot, across approximately 80 metres of exposed ground to recover the wounded interpreter. His movement, once identified by the enemy, drew intense and accurate machine gun fire from entrenched positions. Upon reaching the wounded coalition force interpreter, Trooper Donaldson picked him up and carried him back to the relative safety of the vehicles then provided immediate first aid before returning to the fight.
On subsequent occasions during the battle, Trooper Donaldson administered medical care to other wounded soldiers, whilst continually engaging the enemy. Trooper Donaldson’s acts of exceptional gallantry in the face of accurate and sustained enemy fire ultimately saved the life of a coalition force interpreter and ensured the safety of the other members of the combined Afghan, US and Australian force. Trooper Donaldson’s actions on this day displayed exceptional courage in circumstances of great peril. His actions are of the highest accord and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the Special Operations Command, the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.
When the German offensive towards Amiens ended in late April 1918, the Allied forces wondered where the Germans would strike next. The Australians were put to guarding the line east of Villers-Bretonneux from where they proceeded to harass the Germans between April and July 1918 by adopting tactics which became known as ‘peaceful penetration’. This involved waylaying enemy patrols, making constant small raids into German lines, capturing ill-defended sections of those lines and generally making the lives of the German soldiers opposite them as stressful as possible. During those months the British and French high command worked on a new offensive to be launched east of Villers-Bretonneux and to be spearheaded, in the area south of the Somme River, by the Canadians and Australians.
As these plans were being developed, the Germans struck again against the French in the south. Within days they had advanced their front more than forty kilometres towards Paris and were back almost to where they had been in 1914, within striking distance of the city. The Allies were uncertain what the precise German aim was as enemy preparations were also under way for another offensive in the Flanders area in the north. In general, it was concluded that rather than having Paris in their sights, the Germans were more intent on drawing in British reserves in order to wear down the British Expeditionary Force. All in all it was still a very anxious time for the British and the French – the battlefield strength of the United States had not yet been brought to bear and the Germans still held the initiative.
It was at this time that the command of the Australian Corps passed to an Australian, Lieutenant General John Monash. The Corps’ first major operation under Monash was the attack on a section of the German line which bulged out in a small salient around the village of Le Hamel, north-east of Villers-Bretonneux. Preparations for the attack were undertaken with the extreme thoroughness and elaborate care that characterised Monash. The Battle of Hamel was fought on 4 July 1918 and is famous as a model for what military men call an ‘all-arms’ battle. Simply put, that meant that in support of the infantry advance to capture ground were a wide array of other arms – tanks, artillery and machine guns – as well as communication units etc. All these contributed to the well-planned attack. Attached to the Australians were a number of Americans and it was not a coincidence that the assault was scheduled for Independence Day, 4 July.
The action at Le Hamel was a brilliant success and all over in about 90 minutes. At some places German machine gun fire did hinder the advance. Private Henry Dalziel, 15th Battalion (Queensland and Tasmania), armed only with a revolver, rushed German machine gunners and captured the post. Lance Corporal Thomas Axford, 16th Battalion (Western Australia), used grenades to eliminate another machine gun post held by 16 Germans. Dalziel and Axford were awarded the Victoria Cross.
The action at Le Hamel also saw the awarding of the first Medal of Honour to a member of the US Army in World War 1. He was Corporal Thomas Pope. His citation states that he ‘rushed a machine gun nest, killed several of the crew with his bayonet, and standing astride his gun, held off the others until reinforcements arrived and captured them.’
A feature of the Le Hamel battle was the performance of the British tanks. Australians soldiers had been highly sceptical of the value of these machines since their disastrous failure at Bullecourt in April 1917. But these new tanks were faster and more manoeuvrable and the Australian infantry worked well with them. One of the tank commanders spoke of how the Australians never felt that the presence of a tank ‘exonerated them from fighting, and [they] took instant advantage of any opportunity created by the tanks’. Carrier tanks, another innovation, brought up supplies behind the advance, a task ordinarily done by hundreds of infantrymen. No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, in a further innovation, dropped ammunition to Australian troops by parachute. The Australians suffered 1400 casualties and the inexperienced Americans, who fought well, lost 176. All objectives were taken and more than 1600 Germans were captured.
Thank you for sharing. My stepmom is a Kiwi, so I have quite an affinity to our Aussie & Kiwi friends and I appreciate their service in the War on Terror.
G’day, naturalman1975, and thank you! I’ll check in on keyword ‘anzac’ each day to enjoy your posts.
I think that we Yanks feel more of a connection with our Antipodean cousins than we do with Britain.
In the case of Gallipoli, I think it's somewhat justified - the campaign was a disaster. But that was hardly unique in British campaigns of the early to mid-war.
Breaker Morant, on the other hand, was a war criminal - I have some sympathy for Handcock and Witton who were probably not educated enough to understand they'd been given an order contrary to the rules of war - but Morant was. He killed out of revenge, pure and simple and while that is understandable, it's not acceptable in an officer. Should he have been shot? Probably not, but the fault for that lies with the Australian government - Australia had just become an independent nation at that stage, and it failed to make any representation on his behalf. If it had, he and Handcock would have probably been treated as British officers had in similar circumstances - cashiered and sent home.
Of interest for the Canteen?
Thanks, S. I posted a link for this thread on this week’s Canteen Roadtrip, and Kathy posted a link to last year’s Canteen honoring ANZAC Day 2008:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006643/posts
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
MAORI LYRICS
E Ihowä Atua,
O ngä iwi mätou rä
Äta whakarongona;
Me aroha noa
Kia hua ko te pai;
Kia tau tö atawhai;
Manaakitia mai
Aotearoa
ENGLISH LYRICS
God of Nations at Thy feet,
In the bonds of love we meet,
Hear our voices, we entreat,
God defend our free land.
Guard Pacific's triple star
From the shafts of strife and war,
Make her praises heard afar,
God defend New Zealand.
Men of every creed and race
Gather here before thy face,
Asking thee to bless this place,
God defend our free land.
From dissension, envy, hate,
And corruption guard our state,
Make our country good and great,
God defend New Zealand.
BTTT
Remembering & honoring our friends.
I may watch Breaker Morant today in tribute.
Yes, but the British who approved of what he did originally, only turned their back on him to gain peace with the Boers, that is what was wrong with Morant’s treatment. Plus the sense that Australian soldiers, as opposed to British soldiers were more expendable.
George Wittow: Major Thomas has been pleading justifying circumstances and now we're just lying.
Peter Handcock: We're lying? What about THEM? It's no bloody secret. Our graves were dug the day they arrested us at Fort Edwards.
George Wittow: Yeah, but killing a missionary, Peter?
Harry Morant: It's a new kind of war, George. A new war for a new century. I suppose this is the first time the enemy hasn't been in uniform. They're farmers. They come from small towns, and they shoot at from behind walls and from farmhouses. Some of them are women, some of them are children, and some of them... are missionaries, George.
The Kiwi's in their P-40’s Flew missions with Marines and gave very good measure against the best the Japanese could put up over Rabal.
Thanks, Kathy! This week it is my intention to pick up a copy of Willy Apiata’s new biography, which has just been out a few weeks.
It was my pleasure, and thanks for sharing one of your heroes with all of us.
Will you be patrolling the parade this year?
Hi Kathy
> Will you be patrolling the parade this year?
That’s the current plan — all being well (grin!)
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