ABSTRACT
These two nations, separated by 1,000 miles of the Tasman Sea, are isolated but also shielded by wide oceans on three sides. Mainly peopled from Britain, they at first relied on British naval protection; in 1914 and again in 1939 they rallied to Britain’s side in war, sending forces to fight in Europe and the Middle East. But in 1942 they themselves faced a threat from the north: Japan’s advancing forces were not stopped until they had reached New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
