War (Military) | The Perth Mint Coin Collector

2013 ANZAC Day $1 coin salutes Army Engineers

Apr 252013

Each year The Perth Mint issues an ANZAC Day $1 commemorative coin in tribute to all Australians who have served their country. This year’s Australian legal tender coin salutes the engineers of the Australian Defence Force.

RAE_badge The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) was officially raised on 1 July 1902 from the permanent and militia engineering units of the separate colonies. Many of these colonial units were descended from the Royal Engineers units that accompanied Governor Arthur Phillip in the First Fleet that landed in New South Wales in 1788.

In 1835, the first engineering officer, Captain George Barney, was appointed to the Australian colonies and raised the first Australian military engineering company.

Today, the RAE is a corps of the Australian Army tasked with providing geospatial, combat and force support engineering capabilities to enable joint manoeuvre and survivability.

Combat engineers of the RAE specialise in bridge-building, minefield clearance, demolition using explosives, field defence systems, water purification, as well as road and airfield construction and repair.

Among other tasks performed by the RAE is geomatic engineering, which includes surveying, cartography, digital maps and other digital topographic projects.

Army engineers are often referred to a ‘sappers’. The term sapper derives from the excavation of trenches, known as saps, designed to advance troops towards the enemy’s fortifications.

The RAE has been involved in many conflicts from the trenches of France in World War I to the jungles of Borneo in World War II.

The corps motto is ‘Ubique’, which is Latin for ‘Everywhere’. The corps also uses the motto ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Pense’, which is old French for ‘Evil be to him who evil thinks’.

ON THIS DAY Australian troops distinguish themselves at Kapyong

Posted by Blog Team On This Day, Silver

Apr 222013

“Kapyong came to be the most significant
and important battle for Australian troops in Korea”
– Australian War Memorial.

On the night of 22 April 1951, Chinese forces launched a major offensive against United Nations forces defending the South Korean capital, Seoul. In the ensuing fighting in the Kapyong Valley, a key route into the city, Australian troops helped hold up the Chinese 60th Division. For their contribution to this action, 3 RAR was awarded a United States Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation.

[www.anzacday.org.au says:] “The ANZAC spirit was alive and well; the 3rd Battalion had remained true to the legend. When others had retreated before an imposing enemy, the Australians stood their ground and defended their position. In doing so, they prevented a massive breakthrough from occurring that would certainly have seen the enemy recapture Seoul and with it, thousands of UN troops.”

Coin collectors can mark this famous battle of the Korean War with The Perth Mint’s Kapyong 2012 1oz Silver Proof Coin.

Famous tanks of World War Two

Posted by Blog Team Silver

Jul 172012

The Tanks of WWII 1oz Silver Proof Five-Coin Set is a sure-fire hit for anyone interested in armoured fighting vehicles. The coins in this outstanding set pay tribute to some of the most famous and effective tanks of 1939-45. The time has come for all tank aficionados to think about securing this outstanding coin set released back in 2010 with a limited worldwide mintage of just 1,500.

Soviet T-34 Medium Tank

The best Soviet tank of World War II, the T-34 Medium Tank, formed the backbone of the USSR’s armoured units. Entering service in 1940, its appearance shocked the Germans who expected to face an inferior Soviet Army. At the Battle of Kursk in 1943, the greatest tank battle of the War, the T-34 helped swing the initiative on the Eastern Front to the Red Army. Up to 65mm thick, its sloped armour was effective in deflecting anti-tank shells, while its 76.2mm main gun, replaced by a more lethal 85mm weapon, inflicted heavy damage on the German Panzers. Produced in vast numbers and continuously refined, the T-34 is often credited as the War’s most effective, efficient and influential tank.

US M4 Sherman Medium Tank

The M4 Sherman Medium Tank, which first saw action in the deserts of North Africa, was used extensively by US, British and other Allied forces during World War II. Produced from 1941, it had a fully rotating turret for its 75mm main gun and featured armour to a maximum thickness of 75mm. Particularly versatile, it was developed into an enormous range of variants and specials, including an amphibious version. Though it was up-gunned, the M4 Sherman lacked the outright capabilities of later German tanks. However, its effectiveness as a weapon was assured by its mechanical reliability, manoeuvrability, endurance and, with almost 50,000 rolling off the production line during the War, sheer weight of numbers.

German PzKpfw V1 Tiger 1 Heavy Battle Tank

When it entered service in 1942, the PzKpfw V1 Tiger I Heavy Battle Tank was the most powerful in the world. Indeed, with an 88mm main weapon, 100mm thick front armour, the 56,900kg Tiger I laid emphasis on firepower and armour at the expense of mobility. Its fearsome reputation was forged by famous German tank commanders like Michael Wittman, whose Tiger 1 singlehandedly destroyed 12 enemy tanks and various other military vehicles at the Battle of Villers-Bocage in June 1944. Despite the fact that about 1,350 only were built and many suffered from mechanical problems, the Tiger I successfully struck morale-sapping fear in the minds of many Allied soldiers.

British A22 Churchill Infantry Tank

Rushed into production in 1941, the A22 Churchill Infantry Tank made an inauspicious start at the disastrous Dieppe Raid in 1942. Modified several times, however, it was to become one of the most important British tanks of World War II. A good cross-country performer which had a more powerful six-pounder with the appearance of the Mark III, it proved its worth in North Africa. Perhaps the tank’s greatest asset was its armour plating, ranging from 102mm up to 152mm on the Mark VII. Another factor contributing to the Churchill’s importance was its adaptability. Successful variants included the flame-throwing ‘Crocodile’ and the AVRE battlefield engineering support vehicle.

Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank

The Type 97 Chi-Ha was the most widely produced Japanese medium tank of World War II. Its development coincided with the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, where it played an effective role in infantry support. With 25mm thick armour and a low velocity 57mm main gun, however, it was no match for Allied medium tanks. Pressure for more powerful equipment saw the Type 97 up-gunned by the time it encountered US forces in the Philippines in 1942. Although it had a smaller calibre, the new 47mm gun generated higher muzzle velocity for improved armour penetration. Also fitted with a larger turret, the Type 97 Shinhoto was one of the best Japanese tanks of the War.

More info: Tanks of WWII 2010 1oz Silver Proof Five-Coin Set

What everybody ought to know about the start of the Royal Australian Navy

Posted by Blog Team On This Day, Silver

Jul 102012

The Royal Australian Navy is 101 years old today. It was created on 10 July 1911 when King George V granted to the Naval forces of the Australian Commonwealth the title ‘Royal Australian Navy’.

Prior to Australia’s action at Gallipoli in 1915 and subsequently on the Western Front, the RAN was already actively involved in The Great War.

Early Timeline for RAN

The RAN becomes a reality as a fighting unit in October 1913 when the Fleet, comprising HMAS Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Warrego, Parramatta and Yarra, enters Sydney Harbour for the first time.
With the outbreak of war, Australian ships counter the threat posed by von Spee’s German East Asiatic Cruiser Squadron, which will depart the region leaving just SMS Emden to harass commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean.
The RAN takes part in Australia’s first ever battle as a sovereign nation – the Battle of Bita Paka on the island of New Britain. Part of the invasion and subsequent occupation of German New Guinea, it targets a strategically important radio station.
Able Seaman William Williams from Melbourne becomes Australia’s first fatality of World War I during the 11 September 1914 attack.
Australia’s first naval loss of the War occurs on 15 September 1914 with the disappearance of submarine AE1 with all hands while on patrol near East New Britain.
The first ANZAC convoy departs for Europe from Albany, Western Australia on 1 November 1914.
The light cruiser HMAS Sydney breaks away from the convoy to engage the German raider Emden off Cocos Island on 9 November 1914 – resulting in the first sea victory of the First World War and Australia’s first naval victory.

100 Years of the Royal Australian Navy 1oz Silver Proof Coin and Badge Set

Issued in celebration of the RAN’s centenary in 2011, this limited coin and badge set remains available from The Perth Mint.

The Gallipoli hero who founded Duntroon

Posted by Blog Team On This Day, Silver

Jun 272012

The requirement for a military college was highlighted in 1902 by the first Commander of the Australian Military Forces, Major-General Sir Edward Hutton. Following Field Marshal Viscount Kitchener’s 1910 report on the Defence of Australia, Brigadier William Throsby Bridges was given the task of founding the College.

Bridges chose the site of a former a sheep station in the Australian Capital Territory for the new institution. The property was called Duntroon – the name by which the Royal Military College of Australia is popularly known. At its opening on 27 June 1911, Governor-General Lord Dudley announced that the College had been granted the title ‘Royal’.

Founder of Duntroon: Major-General Sir William Throsby Bridges.

With the outbreak of World War I, Major-General Bridges was given command of the 1st AIF Division. College graduates made up much of his staff despite being unable to complete their four-year training

Among the first ashore at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, Bridges lost his life at Gallipoli just a few weeks later.

According to the Australian War Memorial, “Bridges began a routine of visits to the firing line, showing a complete disregard for his own safety. On 15 May a sniper’s bullet severed his femoral artery and he died three days later on board a hospital ship. He became the only Australian killed in the First World War to have his remains returned to Australia; he was buried at Duntroon.”

The day before he died, Bridges was knighted by King George V. In total, 40 of his 117 Australian graduates were killed during the War.

Subsequently, Duntroon graduates have led Australian soldiers in every major military campaign Australia has been involved in. Recognised today as one of the world’s leading military colleges, it proudly upholds a famous tradition of training and developing some of the country’s most accomplished leaders.

Silver proof coin honours Australia’s Royal Military College

Issued in 2011 and still available from The Perth Mint, this special Coin and Badge Set commemorates the centenary of Australia’s Army officer training College. More details.

ON THIS DAY: Jutland – history’s biggest ever naval battle

Posted by Blog Team On This Day, Silver

May 312012

Silver coin marks clash of mighty WWI fleets

The Battle of Jutland was history’s biggest ever naval battle. Involving 250 ships, the fighting took place in the North Sea on 31 May 1916 between the British Grand Fleet, commanded by Admiral Jellicoe, and the German High Seas Fleet, under Admiral Scheer.

Battle began when a task force of German ships lured Britain’s battle cruiser fleet out of Rosyth on the Firth of Forth and into the path of Scheer’s main group. Realising that they were victims of a trap, the surviving British ships retreated northwards.

Unfortunately for Scheer, Jellicoe’s battleship squadrons had also put to sea from Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and were now approaching their damaged battle cruiser fleet, which had the entire German flotilla on its tail.

With full-scale confrontation unavoidable, the two huge navies fought an intense battle in which 14 British and 11 German ships were sunk. Thousands of men perished during the terrible encounter. Although Germany claimed Jutland as a victory, in reality Britain’s command of the North Sea remained in tact.

HMS Iron Duke and (inset) The Perth Mint's 2011 Battle of Jutland 1oz silver proof coin.

A recent Perth Mint issue from the Famous Naval Battles Series commemorated the Battle of Jutland with a portrayal of the legendary HMS Iron Duke, which served as the flagship of the Grand Fleet during World War I. Suffering no damage herself at Jutland, Iron Duke inflicted heavy punishment on the German battleship König.

Older Entries