Australian Army on 3 September 1939
(Queensland Units only) (PF
= Permanent; M = Militia)
- 1st Military District: HQ Brisbane, Queensland
- Base Units
- 8th Heavy Battery, RAA (Artillery)
(PF) : Brisbane
- 108th Heavy Battery, RAA (M): Brisbane
- 1st Fortress Company, RAE (Engineers)
(PF) : Brisbane
- 21st Heavy Battery, RAA (PF): Townsville
- 121st Heavy Battery, RAA (M): Townsville
- 22nd Heavy Battery, RAA (PF): Brisbane
- 122nd Heavy Battery, RAA (M): Brisbane
- 32nd, 37th Fortress Companies, RAE:
Brisbane
- District Troops:
- 5th Field Brigade, RAA (13th, 14th, 105th Btys) :
Kelvin Grove
- 11th Field Brigade, RAA (42nd, 43rd, 111th Btys)
: Kelvin Grove
- 7th Field Company, RAE: Ipswich
- 11th Field Company, RAE: Kelvin Grove
- 1st Cavalry Brigade: HQ Brisbane
- 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment Brisbane
- The Moreton Light Horse
- The West Moreton Light Horse
- Queensland Mounted Infantry (QMI)
- 5th Light Horse Regt (The Wide Bay-Burnett Lt
Horse) (QMI): Gympie
- 11th Light Horse Regt (The Darling Downs Lt
Horse) (QMI): Toowoomba
- 7th Infantry Brigade: HQ Brisbane
- 9th/49th Battalion (The Moreton Regt/The Stanley
Regt): Brisbane
- 15th Battalion (The Oxley Regiment): Brisbane
- 25th Battalion (The Darling Downs Regiment):
Toowoomba
- 47th Battalion (The Wide Bay Regiment):
Maryborough
- 61st Battalion (The Queensland Cameron
Highlanders): Brisbane
- 11th Infantry Brigade: HQ Townsville
- 31st Battalion (The Kennedy Regiment): Townsville
- 26th Battalion (The Logan and Albert Regiment):
Hughenden
- 42nd Battalion (The Capricornia
Regiment): Rockhampton
- 51st Battalion (The Far North Queensland
Regiment): Cairns
Notes on the Australian Army in
WW2 by
Paul Haseler and Mark McGilchrist
Australia basically had done without a
‘regular army’ since it became an independent nation in 1901. In 1938,
it had a ‘permanent force’ of about 1600 officers and NCOs in order to
maintain skills in all service branches. Each time the country became
embroiled in a conflict an expeditionary force was raised. The Australian
Army during 1939-45 was divided into two forces, effectively two armies:
The 2nd Australian Imperial
Force (A.I.F.) was a volunteer force (initially of four infantry
divisions, and later an armoured division) whose troops enlisted for
overseas duty. Having served in North Africa, Greece and Syria with
considerable distinction, three veteran divisions (6th, 7th
and 9th) were returning to Australia by late 1942. They were
experienced in both attack and defence, but had not been exposed to jungle
warfare or the Japanese. Gradually doctrines and techniques were
developed, but those who were first involved on the Kokoda track and at
Gona learned about it ‘on the job’.
(Note that the 2/x for AIF units
stands for 2nd AIF/ Battalion x to distinguish each unit
from the battalion with the same number that fought in the 1914-18 World
War as part of the 1st AIF. e.g. since the 14th
Battalion served in WW1, the 2/14th was raised for WW2).
The other part of the army was the
Citizens' Military Forces (C.M.F.) or national militia, which had a few
‘permanent soldiers’ attached, but was otherwise composed of a mix of
enthusiastic volunteers (including WW1 veterans) and some ‘national
service’ draftees. The Militia’s purpose was the defence of Australian
territory (and this included Papua, which had been a German colony before
the 1914-18 war). This political and geographic restriction led to the CMF
troops being ridiculed by the all-volunteer AIF as 'a protected species -
not available for export' or ‘Chocolate Soldiers’, and other less
polite terms.
In the pre-war period, Militia units
would have been kept under-strength and under-trained for budgetary
reasons. During 1939-1940, the best (young) Militia soldiers volunteered
for the adventure offered by the AIF, leaving the CMF very short of energy
and expertise. The ranks were then filled to wartime strength with 17-19
year old conscripts. In general, the Militia units of 1942 had limited
training and no field experience. In a late effort to improve the standard
of these units, AIF officers were removed from their own units and drafted
into CMF battalions (replacing the older CMF officers), to the dismay of
both sides. Those new officers would need a while before they could trust
their men and be trusted by them.
CMF units were usually keen, but
unskilled. In New Guinea, they were used initially as labour or
construction units, and when called into battle, received a bloody and
traumatic initiation. Some rose to the challenge, whilst others found
themselves unable to cope with the stress and isolation of jungle
warfare*.
By the time of the end of 1942, a number
of Militia units had been battle-tested at places like Milne Bay, Kokoda
and Oivi-Gorari. The rising level of skill allowed CMF Brigades (and
later, Divisions) to be successfully employed against the Japanese in
1943-45 in New Guinea, New Britain, Bougainville and later Borneo. This was essential
if Australia was to maintain a viable army in the field when its manpower
resources were stretched to the limit.
*The 53rd Battalion is the classic
example, consisting mostly of young conscripts who had been thrown aboard
a ship without warning, bound for Port Moresby. There they lived for
months in lousy conditions, spending their days unloading ships or digging
ditches, but not training as soldiers. In the desperate days of August
1942 when the Japanese were pushing the 39th Battalion back
along the track from Kokoda, the troops of the 53rd were armed
and marched into the mountains, led by new and unfamiliar officers.
Having struggled over the Owen Stanleys, and seen
the wounded being carried or crawling past along the steep, muddy track,
the newcomers felt understandably shaky. The 53rd arrived in
time for the crisis at Isurava and were deployed to secure the vulnerable
right flank (since there was nobody else available). After losing their
new CO and other officers, and being forced to operate out of sight of
friendly units, several of the companies of the 53rd did not
have the will to fight. Too many men ‘lost’ their weapons and drifted
away from the fearful chaos of that battle; but in hindsight they could
not really be blamed. Many of those soldiers were later absorbed into
other units, including the 39th, where they performed very well
(including at Gona), after receiving training.
Organisation of the
Army
The Australian Army of 3rd September
1939 consisted of a small Permanent Force cadre mostly manning staff,
Royal Australian Artillery fortress units and Royal Australian Engineer
fortress units. The majority of the army formed part of the Citizen
Military Force (CMF), which was also known as the militia. Unlike the
United Kingdom, where both regular and Territorial Army units were
integrated into a single force entitled the British Army, Australia
maintained two distinct armies until the third year of the war. During
September 1939 an all-volunteer force was raised for service world-wide.
This force was entitled the Second Australian Imperial Force or 2nd AIF
and was modelled after the First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF)
that was raised during the first world war. The divisions and brigades of
the CMF or Militia constituted the part-time home defence
army and held this role until the start of the war with Japan on December
7, 1941. The Militia was not mobilized until that date, but all units did
a series of brigade camps beginning at the outbreak of war and ending with
full-time service on mobilization. The outbreak of war with Germany caused
an additional month of training to be instituted for the militia and later
extended to three months. Complete units were later given a 70 day camp
preceded by 18 to 24 days of intensive training for NCOs. New recruits
were given six months training while those that already had done a 90 day
spell were given an additional three months of training. For example, the
5th Battalion (The Victoria Scottish Regiment) of South Melbourne,
Victoria did a 90 day camp at Mt. Martha starting on January 3, 1940,
another 90 day camp from September to December 1940 at Mt. Martha, and a
third camp there from 1 May to 29 July 1941. At the end of the later camp,
the battalion remained on full-time service. The 5th's experience was
repeated by the other units of the militia.
The Militia divisions and
brigades saw very little change in the period from 3 September 1939 until
7 December 1941. Within the artillery, anti-tank regiments were formed for
each of the divisions and the designation of brigade for field units was
changed to field regiment in July 1940. There were two organizational
changes that took place during this time period. In October 1939, Military
Districts #1-6 were incorporated into four commands: Eastern, Western ,
Northern and Western. Military Districts #7 and #8 were retained. In April
1941, there was also a reorganization within Eastern Command. These two
changes are reflected in the difference between the 3 September 1939 and
the 7 December 1941 order of battle. The engineer component for each
division were increased by the addition of a field park company that was
disbanded in the inter-war period. The infantry changed very little but
some previously amalgamated battalions were separated as recruiting
increased the strength of units. An example of this was the separation of
2nd/35th Battalion of Newcastle, New South Wales into separate 2nd and
35th Battalions in April 1941. The cavalry regiments also underwent
similar changes to the infantry in terms of separation of units. For
example, the 2nd/14th Light Horse of Brisbane, Queensland was formed into
the 2nd Light Horse and the 14th Light Horse (Machine-Gun) Regiment on 30
August 1940 with the later being raised in New South Wales. Most Light
Horse regiments became increasingly mechanized during this period, but did
not take on the formal titles of Motor and Reconnaissance regiments until
December 1, 1941. By 7 December 1941, the Australian Militia was virtually
unchanged with only some minor changes. When the 2nd AIF began to form it
initially recruited heavily from the militia units, but this was stopped
shortly to the consternation of many militia officers and men. The first
major reorganization of the home army did not take place until 15 April
1942.
Additional units were formed after the
start of the war that provided support for the militia and relieved units
of the tedium of garrison and vulnerable point protection duties. The
Australian Army recruited seven Garrison Battalions (1st-7th) from
veterans of the First World War in October,1939 and by January,1940 there
were eight such battalions with a strength of 4,967 men. By 20th
March,1942 the twenty-eight such battalions existed organized into five
garrison brigades. In addition, the Volunteer Defence Corps, a "Home
Guard" of units for local defence was raised in each military
district. For example, No 4 Queensland Battalion, the Volunteer Defence
Corps (VDC) was located at Nambour, Queensland with five companies.
These VDC battalions were consecutively numbered within each district
starting as No. 1.
Three additional units were raised in the period
up to Japan's entry into the war. On 4 September 1939, in strict adherence
to the League of Nations mandate, Australia raised the New Guinea
Volunteer Rifles in the trust territory of Papua. It was raised from
Europeans of the Mandated Territories with HQ at Rabaul and companies at Rabaul,
Wau, Salamaua, and Lae as well as subsections at Kakapo (Rabaul), Kavieng
and Madang. This unit was later the first to oppose the Japanese landing
on New Guinea. On 19 June 1940, the Papuan Infantry Battalion was
raised at Port Moresby, Papua with Australian officers, some Australian
NCOs and native troops. This unit would see valuable service in New Guinea
and later in the war on Bougainville. A third unit was formed in mid-1941
on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait area. This was the Torres
Strait Infantry Company. It initially had two Australian officers, six
Australian other ranks and 107 Torres Strait islanders. It served the war
on Thursday Island and was expanded to the Torres Strait Light Infantry
Battalion in February 1943.
The raising of the 2nd AIF began on 28
September 1939 with the formation of the 6th Australian Infantry Division.
The number six was assigned to this division to perpetuate the
continuation of divisional numbers of the 1st AIF which had 1st to
5th Divisions. Similarly, the first brigade of the division raised was the
16th Australian Infantry Brigade. Battalions of these brigades were
recruited from the same state as their militia numerical equivalent with
the exception of the 2/12th Battalion, which was recruited Queensland as
well as Tasmania, the home state of 12th/50th Battalion of the militia.
For example, the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion of the 2nd AIF was
recruited from New South Wales, the home of the 1st Battalion of the
Militia. The numbers 1 to 48 also perpetuated the numbers of battalions of
the 1st AIF, but since brigade organization changed from four battalions
to three battalions per brigade, there was no 34-39, 41-42 or 44-47
battalions in the 2nd AIF. The 6th Australian Infantry Division was
reflective in miniature of the population of Australia in its recruitment.
16th Australian Infantry Brigade was the first unit to sail for the Middle
East on 20 January 1940. It was followed by 17th Australian Infantry
Brigade on 11 April 1940. The 18th Australian Infantry Brigade sailed on 8
May 1940, but was diverted to the United Kingdom rather than the Middle
East. It later joined the rest of the AIF in the Middle East, but
transferred to 7th Australian Infantry Division. Each brigade sailed with
a contingent of divisional troops. The shortfall in 6th Division because
of the loss of 18th Brigade was made up by reorganising each brigade into
the standard three battalions per brigade. This allowed for the formation
of 19th Australian Infantry Brigade on 23 May 1940 in Palestine. At first
19th Brigade was designated as part of 7th Australian Infantry Division
but in November it transferred to 6th Australian Infantry Division.
7th Australian Infantry Division was the next
formation to be formed in the 2nd AIF. It initially had 20th and 21st
Australian Infantry Brigades formed respectively in May and July 1940.
Both brigades were sent to the Middle East in October 1940. 19th Brigade
was designated to join this division on the division's arrival in the
Middle East but left it in November 1940 for 6th Australian Infantry
Division. 18th Brigade, as noted above, would later join the division on
its arrival in the Middle East from England. But this division also
underwent other changes. 20th Brigade was transferred in January 1941 to
the newly created 9th Australian Infantry Division, which was formed in
the Middle East on 18 December 1940. To take its place, 25th Australian
Infantry Brigade was moved from the United Kingdom in March 1941 to
complete 7th Division. The 25th Brigade was created in England in June
1940 from extra troops attached to 18th Brigade. Various corps and army
troops began to form after this division was raised.
8th Australian Infantry Division was
formed in Australia on 4 July 1940 with 22nd, 23rd and 24th Australian
Infantry Brigades. The 22nd Australian Infantry Brigade was the first unit
of this division sent overseas when it was despatched to Malaya on 2
February 1941. The 23rd Brigade was moved to Northern Territory in April
1941 and each of its battalions were sent to the surrounding chain of
islands bordering the northern coast of Australia and all were lost in the
initial Japanese attacks on these islands. The 2/22nd Australian Infantry
Battalion was the first of the brigade to leave in April 1941 for Rabaul.
2/40th Battalion left on 12 December 1941 for Timor and 2/21st left on 17
December for Ambon. The brigade then took on militia battalions and became
in effect a militia brigade for the rest of the war. 24th Infantry Brigade
left the division in December 1940 and was sent to the Middle East in
January 1941 to complete the 9th Australian Infantry Division. Its place
was taken by the 27th Australian Infantry Brigade formed in November 1940
and sent to join the division in Malaya in August 1941. The division was
captured in Singapore on 15 February 1942.
The final infantry division of the 2nd AIF was
9th Australian Infantry Division which, as noted above, was created on 18
December 1940 in the United Kingdom. It was initially assigned 18th, 24th
and 25th Australian Infantry Brigades. Of these, only 24th Infantry
Brigade was to remain with the division for the rest of the war. 25th
Infantry Brigade was only designated and never formed part of the
division, since it joined 7th Australian Infantry Division on its arrival
in the Middle East. 18th Brigade joined on its arrival in the Middle East
in December 1940, but was transferred to 7th Australian Division. It did
not actually join this division until it was evacuated from Tobruk in
August 1941, serving attached to 9th Australian Infantry Division in
Tobruk from April to August 1941. To replace 18th Brigade, 26th Australian
Infantry Brigade was formed in Australia in July 1940 and sailed for the
Middle East on 18 November 1940. It joined the division in January 1941 on
its arrival in the Middle East.
One additional division was formed as part of the
2nd AIF during the war. This was the 1st Australian Armoured Division
formed on 1 July 1941 and consisting initially of 1st and 2nd Australian
Armoured Brigades. Its organisation would change as the war developed, but
it remained in Australia until disbanded in September 1943.
By 7 December 1941, the AIF had units in the
Middle East, Malaya, Australia, the islands and the United Kingdom.
Some details copied from http://home.adelphia.net/~dryan67/orders/aust.html |