Around ANZAC Day every year, new info' comes to light on campaigns past; but it generally comes with a left or right wing political slant too. The most distasteful was in the mid 80's, when far left disarmament & peace parties at their strongest, tried to raise the spectre of Australian attrocities against the Japanese in WW2. I recall specifically, RAAF Beaufighter operations which involved the sinking of landing craft and second pass attacks on survivors close to shore.
There is a lot of great material worth the read. People should make up their own mind about history and politics past; mindful of the political slant of the major parties.
The period of time this book refers to was a watershed in the Australian political landscape. The beginning of the American alliance brought about by a lack of confidence in British military committment & strategy in the Pacific- culminating in the disasterous fall of Fortress Singapore. Australia had no access to fighter aircraft in 1941- the British couldn't/wouldn't provide them and RAAF bureaucracy had a ridiculous buy British policy which totally exposed this country when American fighter aircraft no longer available. Increduously, the RAAF actually considered the ZERO fighter in exchange for the iron ore talked about in this upcoming book.
We must remember too, it was waterside unions way back in 1938 who initially refused to load pig iron bound for Japan- hence Pig Iron Bob Menzies. With mention of their refusal to load troop ships bound for New Guinea in 1942.
Read, talk to diggers and make up your own mind.
Personally, I firmly believe, it was the Australian Army/ US Navy who convincingly blunted the Japanese Pacific advances in WW2. Where it is the Australian Army who gets the least accolades. The US Army was poorly led, very green and ineffective in the early stages.
My what if's? Certainly if the RAAF had Kittyhawks in numbers in 1941. Coupled with the confidence to commit more Australian troops outside of ineffectual, British leadership in Singapore & Malaya.