SOME OF THE MAJOR MILITARY EVENTS TO BE COMMEMORATED IN 2018:
Battle of Coral-Balmoral - May 13 to June 6, 1968
* A series of ferocious battles at two fire support bases, which had been set up north of Saigon. Australian troops fought off massed attacks by communist forces. Twenty-five Australians were killed.
AHS Centaur torpedoed - May 14, 1943.
* Australian Hospital Ship (AHS) Centaur was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland coast as she sailed from Sydney to Port Moresby. There were just 64 survivors of the 332 on board.
Dam Busters raids - May 16-17, 1943.
* The famous Dam Busters raid on German dams, conducted by the RAF's 617 Squadron. Many Australian aircrew participated in the raid.
Battle of Villers-Bretonneux - April 25, 1918.
* Two Australian units - the 13th Brigade of the 4th Division and the 15th Brigade of the 5th Division - retook the town of Villers-Bretonneux in northwest France in a surprise night attack. Australian casualties were 1464 dead and wounded.
Hamel - July 4, 1918.
* The first attack mounted by the Australian Corps under their new commander Lieutenant General John Monash, which was an outstanding success. He planned carefully and methodically and estimated it would be all over in 90 minutes. It actually took 93 minutes, with (by WWI standards) light casualties of 1062 dead and wounded.
Amiens - August 8, 1918.
* German General Ludendorff described the battle as "the black day of the German army". The Australian Corps, along with the British and Canadian corps, launched a massed attack on German forces near the town of Amiens, inflicting a shattering blow, taking more than 16,000 prisoners. Australians lost 2000 dead and wounded.
Mont St Quentin - August 31 to September 2, 1918.
* Regarded as the crowning achievement of Australian arms in WWI, a successful attack on seemingly impregnable German positions overlooking the town of Peronne. Casualties were still substantial with more than 3000 dead and wounded.
Montbrehain - October 5, 1918.
* The last action involving Australian infantry on the Western Front. This involved just the 2nd Division and was successful, though with 430 casualties. The division then withdrew from the front line, joining the rest of the depleted Australian Corps in a rest area west of Abbeville. They were just preparing to returned to the front when the war ended on November 11.
Armistice - November 11, 1918.
* Armistice is declared, ending WWI.
