A cewar Paul Hasluck, Ostiraliya ta yi yaƙe-yaƙe biyu tsakanin 1939 da 1945: ɗaya a kan Jamus da Italiya a matsayin wani ɓangare na Commonwealth da Empire na Burtaniya da kuma na biyu a kan Japan a cikin kawance da Amurka da Burtaniya.Dangane da girmamawa da aka ba wa haɗin gwiwa tare da Burtaniya, an sanya ƙananan rukunin sojoji na Australiya a Ostiraliya da Yankin Asiya-Pacific bayan 1940. An ɗauki matakan inganta tsaro na Ostiraliya yayin da yaƙi da Japan ke fuskantar a 1941, amma waɗannan sun tabbatar da rashin dacewa. A watan Disamba na 1941 Sojojin Ostiraliya a cikin Pacific sun ƙunshi Rukunin 8th, mafi yawansu sun kasance a Malaya, da kuma rabuwa takwas da aka horar da su a Ostiraliya, ciki har da 1st Armored Division. RAAF an sanye shi da ruwa 373, mafi yawan abin da suka kasance tsofaffi ne, kuma RAN yana da manyan masu horarwa uku da masu bincike biyu a Japan.
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