Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (2024)

FAQs

What were Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops known as? ›

On the 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula. These became known as Anzacs and the pride they took in that name continues to this day.

The term ANZAC began as an acronym for the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. A corps is a military formation of between two and five (occasionally, but rarely, more) infantry or cavalry divisions.

Defence and security

Australia is New Zealand's only formal defence ally. Signed in 1951, the ANZUS Treaty continues to underpin the strategic relationship between our two countries and formalises the commitments that we have to each other as allies.

How many Australians died at Gallipoli? The estimate provided by the Australian War Memorial is 8,141 but, as is the case with virtually all casualty figures, this number has varied somewhat over the years and slightly different figures are cited in other sources.

In 1916 the title 'Australian Military Forces' was adopted and remained its official name until 1980, after which it became known as the Australian Army.

Despite its misgivings, the New Zealand government feared that a failure to contribute to the escalating conflict in Vietnam would compromise its 1951 ANZUS defence pact with the United States and Australia, an alliance on which New Zealand's long-term security was seen to depend.

Historians examining the importance of Anzac to Australia coined the phrase “Anzac legend” (or, more critically, “Anzac myth”), referring to the representation of Australians in war: how they think, speak, and write of their war experience (which is not always the same as how they experienced it).

In November 1917, the five Australian infantry divisions in France were grouped together as part of the Australian Corps and I and II ANZAC Corps ceased to exist.

25 April is the national day of commemoration of Australia and New Zealand for victims of war and for recognition of the role of their armed forces. It marks the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand, and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Why is Australia and New Zealand not one country? ›

Both countries share a British colonial heritage as antipodean Dominions and settler colonies, and both are part of the core Anglosphere. New Zealand sent representatives to the constitutional conventions which led to the uniting of the six Australian colonies but opted not to join.

The two key reasons why New Zealand didn't join the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 were: (1) Fears of how the Australians might treat the Maori. Unlike the Aborigines, the Maori had the right to vote and had four Parliamentary seats that they were guaranteed in the New Zealand Parliament.

Dysentery. Enteric Fever or Thyphoid (killed approximately one out of every three men who contracted the disease)

According to the First World War page on the Australian War Memorial website from a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. The latest figure for those killed is given as 62,000.

A key reason for these failed attacks were the terrible conditions. At ANZAC cove in particular there was a lack of water and nowhere to dispose of waste or bury the dead. During the summer huge swarms of flies went from corpse, to refuge, to food, and back again spreading dysentery up and down the Allied lines.

After New Zealanders objected to the colonial catch-all of 'Australasia', the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps became the official name, quickly shortened to ANZAC. But their informal name was the Diggers.

The New Zealand and Australian Division was the second division of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that landed at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. The Australian 1st Division made the initial landing and the New Zealand and Australian Division came ashore as the day progressed.

The Australian Army appointed one of its jungle warfare experts, Colonel Francis 'Ted' Serong, to establish an elite unit of jungle warfare and counter-insurgency experts. Known as the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), its first 30 members were deployed to Vietnam in mid-1962.

Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939. On 14 September Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that 40,000 members of the Militia would be called up for training and a 20,000-strong expeditionary force, designated the Second Australian Imperial Force, would be formed for overseas service.