| The 7th Australian Infantry Division fought in some of the most famous Australian battles of World War II: Tobruk, Milne Bay, the Kokoda Trail and Buna to name a few. Yet from the time of its first campaign in Syria it has the nickname 'The Silent 7th', because of a perception among its men that it received less publicity than it deserved. They were right, although huge crowds turned out to watch the Division march through Australian cities in 1944. Today few people know of the Division's achievements. Until now, there has been no book devoted to its history. 'The Silent 7th' fills that gap and will be appreciated by both the general reader and the thousands of surviving members of the Division and their families. This chronological narrative of the Division's campaigns is accompanied by tables showing who led it, how many casualties it suffered, and the honours and awards its members received. But the heart of the book it the photographs, over 200 of hem from official and private collections. These not only propel the narrative, they are topics of interest in themselves, revealing the conditions under which the brave members of the 7th Division fought. Contents:
List of Maps
Acknowledgements
Conventions and Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Origins and Early Days
2. Giarabub and Tobruk
3. The Syrian Campaign
4. Middle East, Far East, Australian (July 1941-August 1942)
5. Milne Bay
6. Kokoda
7. The Battle of the Beaches: Gona, Buna and Sanananda
8. Lae to Dumpu
9. Shaggy Ridge
10. Australian 1944-1945
11. Balikpapan
12. Conclusion
Appendix 1: 7th Division Casualties
Appendix 2: 7th Division Honours and Awards
Notes
Bibliography
Index |
