Today marks 80 years since Australia joined World War II, with Alan Jones hosting a special feature interview to mark the occasion.

On September 3, 1939, Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced to the nation that Australia would join Great Britain in fighting the Germans.

Retired Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths fought in WWII, along with the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and joined Alan Jones in the studio on the milestone anniversary.

He tells Alan about signing up for the Navy at just 13-years-of-age in 1937 and goes on to describe the moment his ship HMS Repulse was sunk off Malaya in 1941.

“They knew we were coming. Submarines had spotted us and aircraft had spotted us.

“We were firing at them as they approached.”

85 Japanese planes descended upon the Repulse, eventually hitting it with torpedo bombs which sunk the ship in just eight minutes.

The 96-year-old vividly recounts how he managed to get out from down below and slide down the side of the ship into the ocean.

“You knew you had to swim away because of the suction of the ship going down.:

Click PLAY below to hear the full feature interview

Rear Admiral Griffiths retired from the Navy in 1980 after 43 years of service.

He shared an incredible message with Alan about war, saying it “doesn’t really solve and damn problems”.

“It’s just killed millions in history… but it doesn’t achieve anything. What are we doing.”