War Experience

1969, Total running time 108 Minutes

This collection of programs provides an authentic account of the experiences of Australia's military forces in World War One and Two. It features actual footage of the Army, Navy and Air Force in action.

Great War, The It used to be called "the Great War" because it was thought people had won everlasting peace. Memorials and monuments to it were built all over the world. These days, World War One is seen as the last of the soldiers' wars, in which men were more important than machinery. Those who fought believed it was the war to end all wars. Sixty-one thousand Australians were to die on European soil - only for them was the peace everlasting.

Australian Army at War 1939-1945 This is an authentic record of Australian soldiers' participation in the Second World War, drawing on actual newsreel footage depicting the hardship the men experienced and incorporating the soldiers' own observations about what it was like for them. Beginning with a brief overview of the era leading up to the war and ending with the soldiers' return to Australia, its focus is the army's campaigns from Tobruk in the Middle East to Tarakan in Borneo, including Singapore, Malaya, New Guinea and the notorious Kokoda Track.

Australian Airman 1939-1945, The The Royal Australian Air Force served with distinction in a number of theatres during the Second World War, in areas as wildly separated as New Guinea and Germany. The glory they earned was more than balanced by the toll on machine and men wrought by the pressure of conflict. This film is designed to show, both in actual footage and recreation, the history of the RAAF during the war, against a background of human effort and sacrifice.

Australian Seaman at War, The Australian seamen were active in many of the most difficult theatres of the Second World War. Duties included minesweeping, mine laying and escorting convoys on the dangerous Atlantic run, sometimes even to Russia. In the Pacific they supported the American invasion of the islands and participated in the grinding effort of defending bases in New Guinea and northern Australia. Footage of them in action in the Pacific and the Atlantic is included.

© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.