AUSTRALIA DURING WORLD WAR 2 - THE IMPORTANCE OF HORN ISLAND AS A FRONTIER DEFENCE LOCATION

Very few Australians knew where Horn Island was. Even after World War 2 when Australia was threatened by the advance of the Japanese Empire Horn Island remains a little known island. During World War 2 this small island in the Torres Strait became a vital frontier defence location against the southward movement of Japanese forces. This island became the home for about 5000 Australian airmen, construction workers and troops. It suffered many bombing raids from Japanese airmen. It was a vital refueling and stop over location for Australian and United States air links between Australia and Port Moresby - New Guinea. This is the first in a series on the impacts of Japanese air attacks on Australia. Take your students to Horn Island and contact some of its history. It does not deserve to remain unknown. The attachments provide an opportunity to provide copies in black and white and colour for your students. Later units will provide information on aerial attacks on the Australian mainland. The final attachments provide an opportunity to link this unit with Pearl Harbour and the bombing of Japan.