Originally posted by MrPresident
I may be mistaken but wasn't Australia in danger of being invaded by Japan at one time during WWII, was it the Alllies who helped them out?
I'm not sure why you've singled out Australia given that you've quoted a Kiwi who was referring to a number of Commonwealth countries. And you are mistaken to a certain degree. It was primarily the Americans that gave the greatest assistance to Australia.
I think most Australians were whole heartedly in support of sending tens of thousands of airmen, infantry and sailors to the defence of Britain and her interests in the middle east. Although this was in part because we were assured by the British that Singapore was impregnable and we were promised British assistance if the Japanese attacked.
The British contribution to the defence of Australia was negligible, which was to be expected given that she was still fighting for her life in Europe, North Africa and Burma.
Of course the defence of Malaya and Singapore could be viewed as the forward defence of Australia. Although you could hardly claim that example of British bungling as helping in the defence of Australia - it made matters much worse.
And then there is Churchill's efforts to divert Australian troops returning from the Middle East to fight in Burma rather than contribute to the defence of Australia - fortunately the Australian Prime Minister over-ruled him.
The Japanese planned to isolate Australia initially, rather than invade it, and the naval victories at the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway and Australian forces fighting in New Guinea along the Kokoda trail and at Milne Bay stopped the Japanese from achieving this.
Also I wonder if Australia would be so good at cricket if they have been invaded by the Axis because that what would have happened in Britain and the rest of Europe was defeated.
And as for cricket Australia would still be thrashing England, it's just that our cricketer's names would now have a nipponese flavour and England's teutonic.