The Long Road to Changi / Peter Ewer
- Bib ID:
- 7576851
- Format:
- Book
- Author:
- Ewer, Peter, author
- Online Access:
- National edeposit: Onsite at National Library of Australia
- Related Online Resources:
- Thumbnail
- Access Conditions:
- National edeposit: Available onsite at the National Library of Australia, State Library of New South Wales
- Description:
-
- Sydney : HarperCollins Publishers, 2013
- Sydney,New South Wales : HarperCollins Publishers, 2013
- 1 online resource (336 pages)
- ISBN:
- 9781743096109 (EPUB : : :)
- Summary:
-
How flawed planning, dysfunctional personalities and empirical arrogance took Australia down the long road to Changi. In the 1930s while war raged in Europe, Australians were assured by politicians that the country was safe as long as the Union Jack fluttered over 'Fortress Singapore'. the reality was so different: Britain, over-stretched and under threat, skimped on the forces it needed to hold the base. When Japanese forces began flexing their muscles in the Pacific, a hasty defence plan was put in place. Australian troops, aircrews and sailors were dispatched to Singapore as much for purposes of propaganda as anything else. the understanding was that bronzed Aussies would soon put the Japs in their place. But it was so much wishful thinking. While most books centre on the horrors of the death camps, historian Peter Ewer asks how we came to be in this mess in the first place. Why was an untested Australian military contingent expected to play a leading role in halting the cream of the Japanese army? Why did British commanders and politicians send them there - then blame them for the inevitable defeat? Could this disaster have been averted? Drawing on fresh archival research, Ewer uncovers a story of incompetent planning, powerful but flawed characters and national trauma which resonates to this day. Writing from the perspectives of foot soldiers and generals, politicians and socialites, he constructs a riveting picture of a war which was lost before it began.
- Notes:
-
- Imprint: ABC Books.
- Description based on vendor-supplied metadata
- Subject:
-
- Japanese Occupation of Singapore (1942-1945)
- Siege of Singapore (1942)
- World War (1939-1945)
- Military history
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Singapore
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Australian
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Singapore
- Armed Forces
- History - General
- Military campaigns
- Military participation -- Australian
- Second World War
- Australia -- Armed Forces -- Singapore -- History
- Australia -- History, Military -- 20th century
- Great Britain -- Armed Forces -- Singapore -- History
- Singapore -- History -- Japanese occupation, 1942-1945
- Singapore -- History -- Siege, 1942
- Australia
- Great Britain
- Singapore
- Australian
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 2013
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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