I thought readers might be interested in this link to Sue Rosen’s website – with some interesting material on her new book ‘Scorched Earth’:

http://suerosenassociates.com/scorched-earth/

What is fascinating about this book is that, in reproducing the actual documents, it captures the language and thinking of the government planners of the day. It demonstrates just how seriously the threat was viewed.

With the benefit of hindsight, modern historians have re-interpreted history, downplaying the likelihood of a Japanese invasion, suggesting there was an uninformed hysteria among the general population.

A full scale attack may seem improbable now but for those caught up in it, including my late mother who remembered clearly the Japanese submarine attack on Sydney Habour, the threat was very real and of great concern.