The bombing of Darwin in world war 2. Should not have happened, and we could have stopped it.

Gallipoli to some extent, but for the loss and blunder, it forged the ANZAC spirit in battle, and that is something that has stayed with our defence force ever since.

I think the Brits handing the entire Aussie 8th Div over to the Japs in Singapore is a major botch up.
They should never have sent them there.

You must admit though... Australia lost so many soldiers and attacked a territory with hills and such. No doubt it would be a massacre for the Anzacs.

Darwin was not a deadly loss for australia... it was just significant to us because an attack on our mainland was real.

As for singapore... Trust the British officers to think that singapore was too powerful to be taken by inferior Japanese (In their opinion). They saw the area as an asian "gibraltar". The surrender of the 8th division was a terrible loss.

Darwin was not a deadly loss for australia... it was just significant to us because an attack on our mainland was real.

That's what I mean. It was a big blow to Australia's self image. The war had finally come to our doorstep.

It sure did and certainly increased fear of invasion. They were not far from invading anyway.

probably the Yom Kippur war. Although i think we were in bigger trouble in the first month of the 1948 war..

The Trafalgar´s battle in 1805 against the british. Spanish and French were humilleted by Nelson. It supposed the end of Napolen and the begining of the end of Spanish Empire. Science then the british had 100 years of maritim hegemony.

Originally Posted by Charge_7

The firing on Ft. Sumter that kicked off the American Civil War. I can't think of any worse time for our nation though it did finally bring about a resolution to many things. Still, the idea of Americans fighting Americans is apalling.

In some ways I agree with you, the Civil War was our darkest point. But in other ways I think it can be considered one of our finest hours as well.
The issue was slavery was finally and decisively dealt with (you can argue all you want about how the reconstruction was screwed up and I would agree), many of the constitutional issues (States rights etc) were for the most part defined, and look at the heroes whose qualities we would never know of without the war. In the main I agree with you about Americans fighting Americans though...

If I may add one for my family's homeland I would have to say Culloden Moor for Scotland. It was for a large part Scot against Scot, and the Bonnie Prince should never have given Battle on that Moor...
And the clan system was forever destroyed afterwards.

Originally Posted by Claymore

If I may add one for my family's homeland I would have to say Culloden Moor for Scotland. It was for a large part Scot against Scot, and the Bonnie Prince should never have given Battle on that Moor...
And the clan system was forever destroyed afterwards.

I'm Scottish and I agree that it was a complete clusterf**k that never should have happened. Bonnie Prince Charlie IMO was in it for himself and he didn't even have support of the majority of the Highland Clans, most of whom backed the Hanoverian Government. It wasn't a war between England and Scotland or a religious war, just one man's personal grab for power. And most galling of all, Bonnie Prince Charlie wasn't even Scottish! I hate all this romantic nonsense that surrounds what was basically an Italian mercenary in it for himself and for his grandfather's legacy, that being the House of Stuart.

Invading Iraq