Editing History of Australia (section)

=== Australia at war 1914{{En dash}}18 ===
When the United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, the declaration automatically involved all of Britain's colonies and dominions.<ref name="Frank Crowley 1973 p. 2142">Frank Crowley (1973) p. 214</ref> Both major parties offered Britain 20,000 Australian troops. As the ''Defence Act 1903'' precluded sending conscripts overseas, a new volunteer force, the [[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] (AIF), was raised to meet this commitment.<ref>Macintyre (2020). pp. 166–67</ref><ref>Lowe (2013). pp. 506–08</ref>

Public enthusiasm for the war was high, and the initial quota for the AIF was quickly filled. The troops left for Egypt on 1 November 1914, one of the escort ships, HMAS ''Sydney'', sinking the German cruiser ''[[SMS Emden|Emden]]'' along the way. Meanwhile, in September, a separate Australian expeditionary force had captured German New Guinea.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Garton|first1=Stephen|title=The Cambridge History of Australia, Volume 2, The Commonwealth of Australia|last2=Stanley|first2=Peter|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013|isbn=9781107011540|editor-last=Bashford|editor-first=Alison|location=Port Melbourne|pages=41–42, 48|chapter=The Great War and its aftermath, 1914-22|editor-last2=Macintyre|editor-first2=Stuart}}</ref>

[[File:Australian 9th and 10th battalions Egypt December 1914 AWM C02588.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[First Australian Imperial Force|Australian soldiers in Egypt]] with a kangaroo as regimental mascot, 1914]]

After arriving in Egypt, the AIF was incorporated into an [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]] (ANZAC). The Anzacs formed part of the [[Mediterranean Expeditionary Force]] with the task of opening the [[Dardanelles]] to allied battleships, threatening [[Constantinople]], the capital of the [[Ottoman Empire]] which had entered the war on the side of the [[Central Powers]]. The Anzacs, along with French, British and Indian troops, landed on the [[Gallipoli campaign|Gallipoli]] peninsula on 25 April 1915. The Australian and New Zealand position at Anzac Cove was vulnerable to attack and the troops suffered heavy losses in establishing a narrow beachhead. After it had become clear that the expeditionary force would be unable to achieve its objectives, the Anzacs were evacuated in December, followed by the British and French in early January.<ref>Garton and Stanley (2013). pp. 42–43</ref><ref>Macintyre (1993). pp. 147–49</ref>

The Australians suffered about 8,000 deaths in the campaign.<ref>Macintyre (2020). p. 168</ref> Australian war correspondents variously emphasised the bravery and fighting qualities of the Australians and the errors of their British commanders. The 25 April soon became an Australian national holiday known as [[Anzac Day]], centring on themes of "nationhood, brotherhood and sacrifice".<ref>Macintyre (2020). p. 168-69</ref><ref>Garton and Stanley (2013). p. 43</ref>

In 1916, five infantry divisions of the AIF were sent to the Western Front. In July 1916, at [[Battle of Fromelles|Fromelles]], the AIF suffered 5,533 casualties in 24 hours, the most costly single encounter in Australian military history.<ref name="Bill Gammage-1974">Bill Gammage (1974) ''The Broken Years.'' pp. 158–162 Penguin Australia {{ISBN|0-14-003383-1}}</ref> Elsewhere on the [[Battle of the Somme|Somme]], 23,000 Australians were killed or wounded in seven weeks of attacks on German positions. In Spring 1917, Australian troops suffered 10,000 casualties at the [[First attack on Bullecourt|First Battle of Bullecourt]] and the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Second Battle of Bullecourt]]. In the summer and autumn of 1917, Australian troops also sustained heavy losses during the British offensive around [[Battle of Passchendaele|Ypres]]. Overall, almost 22,000 Australian troops were killed in 1917.<ref>Garton and Stanley (2013). p. 44-46</ref>

[[File:8th August 1918 (Will Longstaff).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''8 August 1918'', by [[Will Longstaff]]. A depiction of the [[Battle of Amiens (1918)|Battle of Amiens]]]]

In November 1917 the five Australian divisions were united in the [[Australian Corps]], and in May 1918 the Australian general [[John Monash]] took over command. The Australian Corps was heavily involved in halting the [[German spring offensive|German Spring Offensive]] of 1918 and in the allied [[Hundred Days Offensive|counter-offensive]] of August that year.<ref>Macintyre (1993). pp. 175–76</ref>

In the Middle East, the [[Australian Light Horse]] brigades were prominent at the [[Battle of Romani]] in August 1916. In 1917, they participated in the allied advance through the Sinai Peninsula and into Palestine. In 1918, they pressed on through Palestine and into Syria in an advance that led to the Ottoman surrender on 31 October.<ref>Garton and Stanley (2013). pp. 46–47</ref>

By the time the war ended on 11 November 1918, 324,000 Australians had served overseas. Casualties included 60,000 dead and 150,000 wounded{{Em dash}}the highest casualty rate of any allied force. Australian troops also had higher rates of unauthorised absence, crime and imprisonment than other allied forces.<ref>Garton and Stanley (2013). pp. 40–45</ref>