Green, powerless and defenceless

Three days later, two "invincible" British warships, "Repulse" and "Prince of Wales" were sunk by Japanese planes off Malaya. Soon Japanese armies were rampaging through Asia towards Australia. In December 1941 Hong Kong fell. By Feb 1942, the British fortress of Singapore surrendered and Japanese bombs were falling on Darwin. By Sept 1942 the Japanese army had slashed their way down the Kokoda Track across Papua New Guinea. They could see the lights of Port Moresby and were looking across Torres Strait to Australia.

Further south, five Japanese submarines were snooping in the seas off Sydney harbour. Two midget submarines entered the harbour and one sub sank HMAS Kuttabul. The Japanese navy later bombarded Sydney and Newcastle.

By that time, most of Australia's trained soldiers were fighting Rommel at Tobruk in North Africa or were in Japanese prison camps. Australian politicians discussed the infamous "Brisbane Line" – surrender of Australia north of Brisbane.

Suddenly Australia was on its own and needed to defend itself with what we had here.

Armies need manpower, weapons, ammunition, vehicles, tanks, planes, ships, fuel and lubricants.

Soldiers volunteered and others were conscripted. Australian conscripts formed part of the force that met the Japanese on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.

Britain lost so many weapons at Dunkirk that Australian factories and American sportsmen were sending guns to them.

Enfield Rifles, Bren Guns and Vickers Machine Guns were produced in large numbers at the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow in NSW supported by feeder factories in the area. Australians even designed and built the fabulous Owen Machine Gun, so loved by our young Nasho's in the 1960's.

Australian coking coal was used to produce steel and thermal coal provided reliable electricity and powered locomotives. However, coal production was often interrupted by bitter strikes in the early war years. But after Hitler invaded Soviet Russia in June 1941, the communists among the coal miners suddenly became more supportive of the war effort.

Motor oil was produced in limited quantities from oil shale at Glen Davis in central NSW, but petrol was in serious short supply, and had been rationed since 1940.

With the fall of Singapore, this fuel shortage became severe, and charcoal burners suddenly appeared to keep cars and trucks moving. The demand for charcoal was so great that firewood became scarce so it was also rationed. Kerosene was also scarce so carbide lights were recovered from junk sheds and widely used.

To conserve supplies for soldiers, rationing was also introduced for tea, clothing, butter, sugar, meat and cigarettes. Australian farmers were forbidden to kill their own animals for meat (but many of them did anyhow).