War has been one of the defining forces in Australian history. Participation in war, whether in the armed forces or on the home front, or in opposition to a particular war, has shaped the lives of successive generations of Australians. The Department of Defence remains one of the largest single consumers of the annual federal budget, and Anzac Day continues to hold a special place in the Australian calendar.

This major new edition of the Companion builds on the strength of the previous edition. It provides learned, accessible and up-to-date studies of Australia's varied and colourful military matters – both past and present – by Australia’s foremost military scholars.

The Companion is the most comprehensive guide to Australia’s military history, ranging from the colonial period to the 21st century. It is also supplemented by more than 30 specially commissioned maps. The Companion is highly readable and user-friendly – arranged in a handy A–Z format, the book is thoroughly cross-referenced and indexed to permit easy access to all the information. The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History is the indispensable and vital reference for anyone with an interest in Australian military history.

• Unique – there is no comparable publication on Australian Military History
• A major revision of this highly respected and successful publication
• Draws on the expertise of Australia’s foremost military scholars
• Contains over 1,200 entries including 50 special thematic entries
• Supplemented by more than 30 specially commissioned maps
• Arranged in a handy A–Z format

Emeritus Professor Peter Dennis – Department of History, UNSW@ADFA
Peter Dennis was founding editor of the journal WAR & SOCIETY from 1983 to 1988, and again served as editor from 1995 to 1999 and  in 2005–2006. He jointly wrote and edited the first edition of The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History, and co-authored a volume in the official history of Australia’s involvements in Southeast Asian conflicts 1948–1975, Emergency and Confrontation: Australian military operations in Malaya and Borneo 1950–1966.

Professor Jeffrey Grey – Department of History, UNSW@ADFA
Jeffrey Grey is the author or editor of more than twenty books and numerous other shorter publications, he has served on the editorial board of several journals (including the Journal of Military History) and has acted as an historical advisor to film and television makers on several occasions. In March 2004 he was appointed Director of the UNSW Defence Studies Forum.

Download a sample of alphabetically-listed entries, from 'Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the Armed Forces' to 'Antarctica, RAAF Operations in'.
Includes maps and tables. 

Sample (pdf 520KB)