YuiStillMyCope
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Japanese leaflet directed at Australian troops. WWII
United States forces in Australia | Australian War Memorial
www.awm.gov.au
The first Americans arrived in Brisbane on 22 December 1941, and by mid 1943 the number in Australia had risen to 150,000.
American soldiers in the lower ranks earned twice the amount of their Australian counterparts and in the higher ranks the disparity was even more pronounced. These differences in pay scales, their stylish uniforms, and custom of tipping earned them a reputation as "big spenders". Disagreements between Australian and American forces over rates of pay, food rations, women, race relations, and fighting skill caused major confrontations, such as the "Battle of Brisbane" in November 1942. The infamous Leonski "brownout murders" also caused tension between Australians and the American soldiers.
War Brides - Australian National Maritime Museum
www.sea.museum
The much-used phrase “overpaid, over-sexed and over here” showed the growing resentment that many Australian men felt about Americans coming in and “taking their wives”. But the sheer number of American troops stationed in Australia during the Pacific campaign, at a time when many of Australia’s own young men were away fighting in Europe and the Middle East, meant that for many Australian women American men provided much needed company. As one Australian war bride remarked, ‘…those were the days when you really got fed up with all female company and you just longed for somebody to take you to dinner.’
View: https://youtu.be/Ot3IL6ltn8A
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