Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia 1942

By: Special Service Division Services of Supply U.S. Army

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

“Unlike cricket, which is a polite game, Australian Rules Football creates a desire on the part of the crowd to tear someone apart, usually the referee.”

This is only one of the entertaining and astute observations the U.S. military provided in the pocket guides distributed to the nearly one million American soldiers who landed on the shores of Australia between 1942 and 1945. Although the Land Down Under felt more familiar than many of their assignments abroad, American G.I.s still needed help navigating the distinctly different Aussie culture, and coming to their rescue was Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia, 1942.

This pamphlet is filled with pithy notes on Australian customs, language, and other cultural facts the military deemed necessary for every American soldier. From the native wildlife—a land of “funny animals”—to the nation’s colonial history, to the general characteristics of Australians—“an outdoors sort of people, breezy and very democratic”—Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia gives a concise yet amazingly informative overview of the island nation. Regarding Aussie slang, it notes that “the Australian has few equals in the world at swearing.... The commonest swear words are 'bastard' (pronounced 'barstud'), 'bugger,' and ‘bloody,’ and the Australians have a genius for using the latter nearly every other word."

The pamphlet also contains a humorous explanation of the country’s musical traditions—including an annotated text of "Waltzing Matilda"—as well as amusing passages on sports, politics, and the Aussies’ attitudes toward Yanks and Brits.

A fascinating look at a neglected Allied front in the Southern hemisphere, Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia, 1942 follows its successful predecessors as a captivating historical document of a pivotal era in history.

Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc

Great for when you want a short book

I like to alternate between long and short books. This is a good short book. Interesting little book.

Good grief

This book defies rating given its historicity, so I’ve given it five stars. That said, it’s hard to believe someone thought this was a good introduction to Australia for arriving Americans in WWII.

YOU'VE GOTTA LOVE AUSSIES

This is like a time machine.... a great way-back machine to understanding what it was like to be plunked down in Australia during WWII. I'm not sure that much has changed. I think we understand each other more easily (the slang is better understood thanks to the movies) and we still feel very close to each other.

As true today as in World War II

An enjoyable short survey of Australia... as valid for a new GI as for a trailer today!! Surprisingly concise survey of a vast, complex land and people, this was done in the first days of America's participation in World War II. I found it thorough even if brief.

Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia.

For the money it was worth it. Interesting on how the government tried to regulate the way there cervicemen behaved in other countries.