This article examines the most militarily important indigenous units formed by Australia, arguing that racially based assumptions played a central role in how Papua New Guinean soldiers were conceptualized and used by the Australian Army during the 1940s and 1950s. Equally, while the perception of Papua New Guinean soldiers was heavily racialized, there was no construction of a martial race myth by Australians, in contrast to many colonial armies. Instead, Australia reluctantly recruited Papua New Guineans as a form of cheap manpower familiar with local conditions and saw them as simple soldiers who were potentially a threat to colonial rule.

本文考察了澳大利亚组建的军事上最重要的土著部队，认为基于种族的假设在 1940 年代和 1950 年代澳大利亚军队如何概念化和使用巴布亚新几内亚士兵方面发挥了核心作用。同样，虽然对巴布亚新几内亚士兵的看法被严重种族化，但与许多殖民军队相比，澳大利亚人并没有构建军事种族神话。相反，澳大利亚不情愿地招募巴布亚新几内亚人，作为一种熟悉当地情况的廉价人力，并将他们视为可能对殖民统治构成威胁的简单士兵。