World War II was a chaotic period for Australians that saw numerous changes in government over just a few years. On the 3rd of September, Menzies announced that Great Britain had declared war on Germany, and that,"as a result, Australia is also at war." Australians were swift to enlist, and these soldiers were mostly deployed in the Mediterranean and Middle East. But there was a discernible shift when Japan entered the war in 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour. The new Prime Minister John Curtin had concerns that a Japanese invasion could be imminent - a fear that crept into the minds of Australian people and grew in momentum over the following months. Concerned that Britain would consider the Pacific Theatre secondary to the Western Front, Curtin was desperate to assert Australia's national identity. He pushed for stronger ties with Roosevelt and the United States, sending Australian troops to various battles in the Pacific, from the grim jungles of Kokoda to the coveted waters of the Coral Sea.