Double Diamonds: Australian commandos in the Pacific War, 1941-45

Description

During the Second World War, in the mountains and jungles of Timor, Bougainville and New Guinea, Australian commando units fought arduous campaigns against the Japanese. The story of these elite independent companies and commando squadrons, whose soldiers wore the distinctive double-diamond insignia, is told here for the first time. Through 130 powerful images from the Australian War Memorial's unparalleled collection - some never published before - Double Diamonds captures the operational history of these units and the personal stories of the men who served in them, many of whom lost their lives or the friends who trained and fought alongside them.

Karl James is a Senior Historian in the Military History Section of the Australian War Memorial, specialising in Australia's involvement in World War II. He is also a Departmental Vistor with the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, Canberra, and the author of The Hard Slog: Australians in the Bougainville Campaign, 1944-45 (2012).