Customer Reviews

Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia, 1942 (Instructions for Servicemen)

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It is a warm and friendly guide to Australia and the Australians at a critical period in our efforts to build allies. A marvelous gift to send to all your Auzzie friends.

Over a million Americans passed through Australia between 1942 and 1945, and the U.S. military distributed this little volume to describe what they would find there. The U.S. Army's Special Service Division did what they could to acclimate the troops:

"Australians eat and drink too."

"The Australian has few equals in the world at swearing."

"Housewives 'down under' are supposed to make coffee with a pinch of salt and a dash of mustard, but that's probably just another Axis propaganda story."

"The worst thing an Australian can say about anyone is: "He let his mates down". A man can be a "dag" (a cutup) or "rough as bags" (a tough guy), but if he sticks with the mob, he's all right."

"Of course, the best thing any Australian can say about you is that you're a "bloody fine barstud"."

"You'll find that the Digger is a rapid, sharp and unsparing kidder, able to hold his own with Americans or anyone else. He doesn't miss a chance to spar back and forth and he enjoys it all the more if the competition is tough."

"Another thing, the Digger is instantaneously sociable. Riding on the same train with American troops, a mob of Aussies are likely to descend on the Yanks, investigate their equipment, ask every kind of personal question, find out if there's any liquor to be had, and within five minutes be showing pictures of their girls and families."

"There's one thing you'll run into - Australian's know as little about our country as we do about theirs. To them, all American soldiers are "Yanks" - and always will be."

This beautifully produced guide includes charts and illustrations. It touches briefly on geography, history and culture, and it emphasizes similarities between Americans and Australians. To promote unity, the guide advises that if one encounters a cultural inconvenience, "There's no use beefing about it - it's their country."

This is a very quick and amusing read, and makes a great present for any Australian friend if you are lucky enough to visit the country.

Robert C. Ross 2008

This is a terrific book for anyone, not just WWII buffs. It gives the Australia-bound GI a glimpse into the history, language, and culture of our ally, and tells some good anecdotes about interaction between GI's and Diggers. It also give you a rundown of the Australian Pound at the time, as well as time differences between Australia and the states. Additionally, you get the lyrics to "Waltzing Matilda", so you can understand it, and also a section on Aussie slang terms. They also remind you to use your common sense and all will be well. It's worth your time.