Publisher's Synopsis
"Invaluable and meticulously researched contribution. David Horner has done justice to a proud Regiment that has served Australia in peace and war for almost 150 years." Major General S.N. Gower, AM.Gunners are a proud breed. This first complete history of the Australian artillery explains why. It can be truly said that the history of the Australian Army is a history of the artillery. In peace the Australian Army has been shaped by the artillery in war artillery has had a profound effect on Australian military operations. Gunners have been involved in more of Australia's wars than any other element of the Australian Army.The Gunners begins with the formation of volunteer artillery units in the 1850s. After Federation gunners continued as the backbone of the Army. Most of the permanent forces of the new Commonwealth of Australia were gunners, generally manning the forts around the Australian coast.For almost 100 years coast or garrison artillery figured significantly in the defence of Australia but it was the field gunners who were deployed overseas, serving in the Sudan and in the Boer War.In the First World War Australian gunners played a major role at Gallipoli.;Artillery was also crucial on the Western Front. Australian gunners shared fully in the trials and achievements of the British artillery in France and Belgium.In the Second World War Australian gunners served in the Middle East, Malaya, the islands of the Southwest Pacific and in Australia. By then artillery included not only the coast and field branches, but also anti-aircraft, anti-tank and survey units. Perhaps as many as 150,000 Australians served as gunners in the Second World War. A significant number of these were women, the first Australian servicewomen to serve in combat units.Australian gunners served in the Korean War, in Malaya during the Emergency, and in Malaysia, including Borneo, during Indonesia's confrontation. In the Vietnam War, Australian gunners took part in the major battles at Long Tan and at Fire Support Base Coral.Above all, The Gunners is the story of men and women. While the technical capabilities of the guns are important, ultimately the effectiveness of fire support rests on the expertise and bravery of the gunners themselves.;Drawing on diaries and letters, much of the story in this book is told through the experiences of the gunners themselves, letting the reader know what it was like to be a gunner - in barracks, on the gun-line, in bringing forward ammunition, or in observing fire.The Gunners is an exciting story of professionalism. It is also a major contribution to our understanding of the development of the Australian Army and the nation.David Horner has neve
