But with little expertise domestically, Australia took inspiration from several existing tanks.
This was quite a big leap for a country of only seven million people, limited manufacturing capacity and no experience at all in tank design or fabrication. It was this atmosphere of fear and the lack of available vehicles or equipment that gave rise to the unusual and, I think, misguided decision to design and build our own tank. Defending the Home Isles and the war in Europe were the top priorities. Winston Churchill and his government had made this quite clear on several occasions to Prime Minister Robert Menzies and subsequently John Curtin. These developments in Europe and the elimination of most of Britain’s allies meant that very little equipment could be spared for the defence of Australia. This obviously worried Australia as we would be right in their crosshairs should a conflict eventuate. While not having yet declared war on the Allies, Japan was becoming increasingly aggressive in the region. But importantly, we were also keeping a close eye on developments in the Pacific. France and the Low Countries had fallen in an incredibly short period of time, Italy was preparing to mount an invasion of Egypt, and Germany seemed poised to launch a naval invasion of the British Isles.Īustralia at this time was worried about the prospects of the European Theatre. By mid-1940, the situation for the Allies was not looking too good. Although the idea that the Second World War was fought predominantly with mechanised weaponry is a bit of a myth, tanks were produced and used in greater numbers than in any conflict hence or since.Īustralia’s decision to build its own tank was very much a product of the time at which it was conceived. Mechanised warfare played out on a much larger scale than any other conflict in history. I think that it’s an overlooked part of our history that deserves more recognition than it currently has.ĭuring the Second World War, tanks and other armoured vehicles became increasingly important. The story of Australia’s first locally-designed and manufactured tank is a fascinating one.
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