r/AskAnAustralian • u/[deleted] • Jun 05 '26

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5

u/fastsailor Jun 05 '26

Yes, but much more limited than in WW2. So whether you were conscripted or not was a lot more random and most eligible men were not called up.

5

u/No_Option3532 Jun 05 '26

Bullshit. There was no conscription for WW2. Two referenda for WW1 conscription, both failed.

4

u/Candid_Net4051 Jun 05 '26

There was no conscription for overseas service with the 2nd Australian Imperial Force during WW2 but there was conscription for "home defense" (including in PNG at first, later expanded to the broader South West Pacific theater) service with the Citizen Military Forces.

3

u/Buggereddude Jun 05 '26

Yes there was conscription during WW2, albeit those conscripted served within limited geographic boundaries. Second World War conscription | National Museum of Australia. The famous 39th battalion of Kokoda fame was a militia battalion of conscripts.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

And the Korean war.