In Australian Battalion Commanders in the Second World War, Garth Pratten explores for the first time the background, role and conduct of the commanding officers of Australian infantry battalions in the Second World War. Despite their vital role as the lynchpins of the battlefield, uniting the senior officers with the soldiers who fought, battalion commanders have so far received scant attention in contemporary military history. This book redresses the balance, providing a gripping, meticulously researched and insightful account that charts the development of Australia's infantry commanding officers from part-time, ill-prepared amateurs to seasoned veterans who, although still not professional soldiers, deserved the title of professional men of war.



Drawing on extensive archival material, Pratten recreates battle scenes and brings to light personalities as diverse as the fiery Heathcote 'Tack' Hammer who, during a solo patrol at Alamein, sustained a serious gunshot wound to the face yet went on to capture three German prisoners of war, and the softly spoken Theo 'Myrtle' Walker, who jumped from the last boat leaving Crete rather than leave his battalion behind.



The story of the Australian battalion commanders is one of improvisation, adaptation and evolution; of an army learning from hard-won experience to integrate men and technology and overcome both human enemy and hostile terrain. Most of all, it is a story of men confronting the timeless challenges of military leadership - mastering their own fear and discomfort in order to motivate and inspire their troops to endure the maelstrom of war.