Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/9th Battalion The 2/9th, the first Queensland battalion of the Second AIF, assembled for the first time at Redbank Camp in Brisbane on 13 November 1939. It became part of the 18th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division. After training at Redbank, and at Rutherford and Ingleburn in New South Wales, the 2/9th embarked with the brigade for the Middle East on 5 May 1940. En route to the Middle East, the 18th Brigade was diverted to the United Kingdom to bolster its defences following the fall of France. The 2/9th disembarked at Gourock in Scotland on 18 June and was subsequently based at Lopcombe Corner, near Salisbury, in England. The battalion relocated to Colchester in October and left the United Kingdom on 17 November. The 2/9th arrived in Egypt on 31 December 1940. In the United Kingdom, the 18th Brigade had become part of the newly-formed 9th Australian Division, but in Egypt in February 1941 it was transferred to the 7th Division. On 21 March, the 2/9th attacked the Italian outpost of Giarabub and in the first week of April it moved, with the rest of the 18th Brigade, to reinforce Tobruk against the German advance rapidly closing on it. The battalion participated in the defence of Tobruk until it was withdrawn at the end of August. After Tobruk, the 2/9th trained in Palestine before joining the forces garrisoning Syria in late September. After returning to Palestine in early January 1942, the 2/9th sailed for Australia from Suez on 12 February, disembarking at Adelaide on 28 March. Papua was the 2/9th’s next battleground. It fought in the desperate defence of Milne Bay between 2 and 9 September and, between 18 and 24 December, in the gruelling and often ill-conceived slogging match that was the battle for Buna. The 2/9th’s final engagement in Papua was at Sanananda between 12 and 24 January 1943. The horrendous impact of both the fighting and tropical diseases in Papua was evident in the 2/9th’s casualty statistics. Prior to Buna it had numbered 666 all ranks. Despite receiving 300 reinforcements prior to Sanananda, only 89 remained standing when the battalion was withdrawn to Port Moresby in the first week of February 1943. The 2/9th returned home on 12 March 1943 but was back in Papua by early August. It trained around Port Moresby and then deployed to the Finisterre Mountains in New Guinea on 31 December. There, between 2 January and 1 February 1944, it participated in the operations to capture Shaggy Ridge, including, on 21 January, the second highest point in the Finisterres – Green Sniper’s Pimple. Arriving back in Australia on 20 May, the 2/9th spent a year training before undertaking its final operation of the war. On 1 July 1945 the battalion landed at Balikpapan in Borneo. It was initially in reserve, but on 5 July commenced operations to clear the Japanese from the western side of Balikpapan Bay; these were still underway when the war ended on 15 August 1945. 2/9th personnel were progressively returned to Australia for discharge and the battalion disbanded at Balikpapan on 3 January 1946. Glossary 18 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; 6 Division ; 9 Division ; Redbank Camp ; Battle of Buna ; Battle of Milne Bay ; Battles for Tobruk ; Balikpapan ; Green Sniper's Pimple ; Sanananda ; Shaggy Ridge Operations Battle Honours North Africa Giarabub Defence of Tobruk The Salient 1941 South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Buna-Gona Sanananda Road Cape Endaiadere-Sinemi Creek Sanananda-Cape Killerton Milne Bay Casualties 319 dead, 726 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Martin, James Eric Gifford 'Sparrow' Cummings, Clement James Lee, Arthur James Decorations 1 VC 1 CBE 4 DSO 1OBE 1 MBE 9 MC 3 DCM 19 MM 68 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/9 2/9th Battalion war diary W. B. Spencer, In the Footsteps of Ghosts: With the 2/9th Battalion in the African desert and the jungles of the Pacific, (St Leonards: Allen & Unwin, 1999).
2/10th Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/10th Battalion The 2/10th Battalion was the first South Australian battalion formed for the Second AIF. It formally came into being with the appointment of its first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Verrier, on 13 October 1939 but over a week would elapse before the battalion began to take shape at Adelaide’s Wayville Showgrounds. It trained first at Woodside in the Adelaide hills, and then at Greta and Ingleburn in New South Wales. The 2/10th embarked for the Middle East on 5 May 1940 as part of the 18th Brigade, of the 6th Australian Division. En route to the Middle East, the 18th Brigade was diverted to the United Kingdom to bolster its defences following the fall of France. The 2/10th disembarked at Gourock in Scotland on 18 June and was subsequently based at Lopcombe Corner, near Salisbury, in England. On 8 July the 2/10th suffered the Second AIF’s first casualty due to enemy action – Private Albert Webb, who was wounded in a strafing attack by a German aircraft. The battalion relocated to Colchester in October and left the United Kingdom on 17 November. The 2/10th arrived in Egypt on 31 December 1940. In the United Kingdom the 18th Brigade had become part of the newly-formed 9th Australian Division, but in Egypt, in February 1941, it was transferred to the 7th Division. D Company of the 2/10th reinforced the 2/9th Battalion for its attack on Giarabub on 21 March 1941, but the whole battalion was not committed to active operations until it moved, with the rest of the brigade, to Tobruk in the first week of April. The 18th Brigade took part in the defence of Tobruk until it was withdrawn at the end of August. After Tobruk, the 2/10th trained in Palestine and between late September 1941 and early January 1942 formed part of the force garrisoning Syria. It sailed for Australia on 11 February, disembarking in Adelaide on 29 March. Papua was the 2/10th’s next battleground and the battles it fought there were its most bitter and costly. It arrived at Milne Bay on 12 August and on the night of 27 August was overwhelmed by Japanese marines in a confused battle. The battalion fared even worse in its next engagement – Buna. Between 23 December and 2 January the 2/10th lost 113 men killed and 205 wounded in often ill-conceived attacks against Japanese bunkers around the old airstrip. The 2/10th’s final engagement in Papua was at Sanananda between 9 and 24 January 1943. It returned home on 12 March 1943. The 2/10th returned to Papua in early August 1943. It trained around Port Moresby until deployed to the Finisterre Mountains in New Guinea on 31 December, where it participated in the operations to secure Shaggy Ridge between 4 January and 1 February 1944. Arriving back in Australia on 8 May, the 2/10th spent a year training before undertaking its final operation of the war. On 1 July 1945 the battalion landed at Balikpapan in Borneo and stormed the heights of Parramatta Ridge. In ensuing days it cleared the Japanese from in and around Balikpapan town, and was withdrawn into reserve on 6 July. It did not carry out another active role before the war ended on 15 August 1945. 2/10th personnel were progressively returned to Australia for discharge and with a cadre of only 42 remaining, the battalion disbanded at Balikpapan on 29 December 1945. Colour Patch Glossary 18 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; 6 Division ; 9 Division ; Woodside Camp ; Battle of Buna ; Battle of Milne Bay ; Battles for Tobruk ; Balikpapan ; Sanananda ; Shaggy Ridge Operations Battle Honours North Africa Defence of Tobruk The Salient 1941 South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Buna-Gona Cape Endaiadere-Sinemi Creek Sanananda-Cape Killerton Milne Bay Liberation of Australian New Guinea Casualties 315 dead, 525 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Verrier, Arthur Drummond Bruer, Lionel Gregory Dobbs, James Gordon Geard, Charles John Daly, Thomas Joseph Decorations 2 DSO 1 MBE 7 MC 6 DCM 14 MM 51 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/10 2/10th Battalion war diary E. F. Allchin, Purple and Blue: The history of the 2/10th Battalion, A.I.F. (The Adelaide Rifles) 1939-1945, (Adelaide: The Griffin Press, 1958). Visit About the Memorial Commemoration Australians at War Australian military history overview This month in history Australia's official war histories Australian military units Who's Who Military organisation and structure Military statistics Anniversary talks Australia's Prime Ministers Research & family history Biographical databases Collections Education Events & exhibitions Products and Services Corporate information Friends of the Memorial Online shop & photo sales Home Contact Feedback Databases Encyclopedia Glossary Shop Online Newsletter Links Search Copyright Disclaimer P
2/12th Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/12th Battalion The 2/12th Battalion officially came into being with the appointment of its first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Field, on 13 October 1939. Two months would pass, however, before the 2/12th paraded as a whole. Two fifths of the battalion was recruited from Tasmania and initially trained at the newly-built camp at Brighton, while the remainder were recruited from North Queensland and began their training attached to the 2/9th Battalion at Redbank. The battalion was united at Rutherford in New South Wales on 11 December. It subsequently relocated to Ingleburn on 12 January 1940 and on 5 May sailed with the 18th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division for the Middle East. En route, the 18th Brigade was diverted to the United Kingdom to bolster its defences following the fall of France. The 2/12th disembarked at Gourock in Scotland on 17 June and was subsequently based at Lopcombe Corner, near Salisbury, in England. In September, the 18th Brigade was transferred to a new Australian division – the 9th. The 18th Brigade relocated to Colchester in October and left the United Kingdom on 17 November. The 2/12th disembarked in Egypt on 31 December 1940. In February 1941, the 18th Brigade was transferred to the 9th Australian Division but it was still destined to see action with its old formation. During the first week of April the brigade moved to Tobruk to reinforce the 9th Division, then falling back on the town. The 2/12th participated in the defence of Tobruk until it was withdrawn on the night of 26 and 27 August. After Tobruk, the 2/12th initially trained in Palestine before joining the forces garrisoning Syria in late September. It returned to Palestine in early January and sailed for Australia from Suez on 12 February. The battalion disembarked at Adelaide on 28 March. The 2/12th’s next battleground was Milne Bay in Papua, where it arrived on 17 August 1942 and mounted a successful counter-attack against Japanese invasion forces between 31 August and 4 September. It occupied Goodenough Island between 22 October and 28 December and then returned to Papua for its most bitter and costly battles of the war – Buna and Sanananda. At Buna it delivered the coup de gras to the Japanese at Giropa Point on 1 January, but suffered 63 killed and 122 wounded in the process. The battalion’s efforts, between 9 and 21 January to clear the Japanese from the torturous swamp country around Sanananda cost another 61 lives. The 2/12th returned home on 10 March 1943. By early August 1943, the 2/12th Battalion was back in Papua. It trained around Port Moresby before deploying to the Finisterre Mountains in New Guinea on 31 December. The battalion’s main effort there were its operations to capture the Prothero features on the northern end of Shaggy Ridge between 21 and 24 January. Patrolling at the head of the Ramu Valley subsequently kept the 2/12th occupied from February until April and marked the end of its service in New Guinea. Arriving back in Australia on 17 May, the 2/12th spent a year training before undertaking its final operation of the war. On 1 July 1945, it landed at Balikpapan in Borneo. Well supported by artillery and tanks it captured its objectives with relatively light casualties, and its active role was over by 5 July. Following the end of the war on 15 August, 2/12th personnel were progressively returned to Australia for discharge. The battalion disbanded at Balikpapan on 1 January 1946. Glossary 18 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; 6 Division ; 9 Division ; Rutherford Camp ; Ingleburn ; Redbank Camp ; Brighton ; Battle of Buna ; Battle of Milne Bay ; Battles for Tobruk ; Balikpapan ; Giropa Point ; Sanananda ; Shaggy Ridge Operations Battle Honours North Africa Defence of Tobruk The Salient 1941 South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Buna-Gona Sanananda Road Cape Endaiadere-Sinemi Creek Sanananda-Cape Killerton Milne Bay Casualties 292 dead, 590 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Field, John Arnold, Arthur Sydney Wilfred Bourne, Charles Cecil Francis Decorations 3 DSO 2 OBE 7 MC 3 DCM 18 MM 50 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/12 2/12th Battalion war diary A. L. Graeme-Evans, Of Storms and Rainbows: The story of the men of the 2/12th Battalion A.I.F. Volume One: October 1939-March 1942, (Hobart: 12th Battalion Association, 1989). A. L. Graeme-Evans, Of Storms and Rainbows: The story of the men of the 2/12th Battalion A.I.F. Volume Two: March 1942-January 1946, (Hobart: 12th Battalion Association, 1991).
2/14th Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/14th Battalion The 2/14th Battalion was officially raised on 26 April 1940 and began to assemble for training, at Puckapunyal in Victoria, on 11 May. It embarked, at Sydney, for service in the Middle East on 19 October, and after stopping in India between 4 and 19 November, arrived in Egypt on 25 November. After disembarkation, the battalion moved straight to Palestine to complete its training. The 2/14th was the first battalion of the 21st Brigade, part of the 7th Australian Division. In early April 1941, the 21st Brigade moved to Egypt to bolster the defences along the Libyan frontier against an expected German attack and the 2/14th occupied positions at Maaten Bagush and Mersa Matruh. The brigade returned to Palestine in late May in preparation for its first campaign – the invasion of Syria and Lebanon. The 2/14th launched the 21st Brigade’s operations in Lebanon, attacking the Vichy French frontier outposts in the early hours of 8 June 1941. Initially, the 2/14th took part in the drive along the coast and fought a major engagement along the Zahrani River 12 June. It was later moved inland to Jezzine, to reinforce the 2/31st Battalion that had been counter-attacked by the Vichy French, and mounted an unsuccessful attack to capture several precipitous features north-east of the town. The 2/14th’s last major battle of the campaign was around Damour between 4 and 9 July. It remained as part of the garrison in Syria and Lebanon until early January 1942. Sailing from Egypt on 30 January 1942, the 2/14th disembarked at Adelaide on 24 March 1942. Its stay at home was brief. On 13 August it arrived at Port Moresby in Papua, and by 16 August was advancing along the Kokoda Trail to confront the rapidly advancing Japanese. The battalion’s first clash with its new enemy took place at Isurava on 26 August. After holding there for three days it was forced to withdraw. For his actions at Isurava, Private Bruce Kingsbury was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The retreat back along the Trail was characterised by bitter, desperate fighting, none more so than that which occurred at Mission Ridge between 6 and 8 September. The 2/14th’s ordeal on the Trail ended with its relief at Imita Ridge on 16 September. By this time the battalion was so weak that it had been amalgamated with the 2/16th to form a composite battalion. After a period of rest and retraining, the 2/14th, once again functioning as a separate battalion, joined the operations at Gona on 26 November. Consisting of only three half-strength companies when it entered the fighting, the 2/14th left Gona, on 8 January 1943, only 21 strong. Arriving back in Australia in late January 1943, the 2/14th was rebuilt and retrained before returning to Papua in early August. It spent a month conducting advanced training near Port Moresby before moving to New Guinea to play a minor role in the operation to capture Lae in mid-September. The battalion’s main area of operations for 1943, however, was the Ramu Valley and the Finisterre Mountains. It led the 21st Brigade’s advance along the valley, from Kiapit to Dumpu, between 29 September and 5 October, and then spent the next five months engaged in patrol actions in the upper reaches of the valley and into the Finsterres. The battalion returned to Australia on 8 March. The 2/14th’s last operation of the war was the Balikpapan landings. It left Australia on 2 June 1945, landed at Balikpapan on 1 July and fought its major action of the campaign around Manggaar Airfield between 4 and 10 July. Between 1 October 1945 and 17 January 1946 the 2/14th formed part of occupation forces in the Celebes and sailed for home for the last time on 22 January. It disbanded in Brisbane on 22 February 1946. Glossary 21 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; Puckapunyal ; Battle of Damour ; Battle of Isurava ; Battle of Manggar Airfield ; Balikpapan ; Capture of Lae ; Imita Ridge Operations ; Kokoda Trail Campaign ; Mersa Matruh ; Ramu Valley-Finisterres Operations ; Zahrani River ; Syrian Campaign Battle Honours North Africa Syria 1941 Syrian Frontier Adlun Jezzine Damour South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Kokoda Trail Isurava Eora Creek-Templeton's Crossing I Efogi-Menari Ioribaiwa Buna-Gona Gona Amboga River Lae-Nadzab Liberation of Australian New Guinea Ramu Valley Shaggy Ridge Borneo 1945 Balikpapan Casualties 245 dead, 379 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Cannon, William George Key, Arthur Samuel Challen, Hugh Bradbury Honner, Ralph Hyacinth (Jump) Rhoden, Phillip Edington Decorations 1 VC 1 OBE 4 MC 3 DCM 19 MM 1 BEM 44 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/14 2/14th Battalion war diary J. C. McAllester, Men of the 2/14 Battalion, (Melbourne: 2/14 Battalion Association, 1990). W. B. Russell, The Second Fourteenth Battalion: A history of an Australian infantry battalion in the Second World War, (Sydney: ANgas & Robertson, 1948).
2/16th Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/16th Battalion The 2/16th Battalion was formed in Perth, Western Australia, on 20 April 1940 and conducted its basic training at Northam Camp. A large number of the battalion’s original recruits were men from the Western Australian goldfields who gave the battalion a hard and rough character. It embarked for overseas at Fremantle on 25 October, and after a brief stop in India en-route, arrived in Egypt on 25 November. After disembarkation, the battalion moved straight to Palestine to complete its training. As part of the 21st Brigade of the 7th Australian Division, the 2/16th’s first operational assignment of war was to bolster the defences along the Egypt–Libya frontier against an expected German attack. It occupied positions at Maaten Bagush and Mersa Matruh throughout much of April and May 1941, before returning to Palestine in preparation for its first offensive operation – the invasion of Syria and Lebanon. For the 2/16th Battalion the Syria and Lebabnon Campaign, beginning on June 8, was characterised by difficult and costly actions against well-entrenched Vichy French troops. The 2/16th suffered the most casualties (264) of any of the Australian battalions involved. Its major battles were the crossing the Litani River on 9 June, the unsuccessful attempt to capture Sidon on 13 June, and the seizure of El Atiqa Ridge, as part of the battle of Damour, on 6 July. The 2/16th remained in Lebabnon after the armistice of 12 July as part of the Allied garrison force. After sailing from Egypt on 30 January 1942, most of the 2/16th – over 350 members of the battalion had absented themselves without leave when their transport had called briefly at Fremantle – disembarked at Adelaide on 25 March 1942. The battalion’s stay in Australia was brief. On 12 August it arrived at Port Moresby in Papua, and by 29 August was in action against the Japanese at Abuari on the Kokoda Trail. Forced to withdraw, the 2/16th fought a series of desperate actions back along the Trail. It suffered particularly heavily at Mission Ridge on 8 September when it had to fight its way out of a Japanese encirclement. The 2/16th’s ordeal on the Trail ended with its relief at Imita Ridge on 16 September. By this time the battalion was so weak that it had been amalgamated with the 2/14th to form a composite battalion. After a short rest, the 2/16th, once again functioning as a separate battalion, joined the operations at Gona on 26 November. Consisting of only two companies when it entered the fighting, the 2/16th left Gona, on 7 January 1943, only 56 strong. The 2/16th returned to Australian in mid-January but was back in Papua by early August. It spent a month training near Port Moresby before moving to New Guinea to play a minor role in the Lae operations in mid-September. Soon after it was moved by air to Kiapit, in the Ramu Valley and subsequently advanced to Dumpu, between 29 September and 4 October. In the ensuing months it was involved in patrol actions in the upper reaches of the Ramu Valley and into the Finsterre Mountains. Its greatest achievement, and only major attack, during these operations was the capture of Shaggy Ridge between 27 and 28 December. The battalion returned Port Moresby on 4 January 1944 and Australia on 20 March. The 2/16th’s left Australia for its last operation of the war on 3 June 1945. It landed at Balikpapan on 1 July and encountered its heaviest fighting of the campaign that day, but was involved in patrol operations until the end of the war on 15 August. From mid-October to late January 1946 the 2/16th formed part of the occupation force in the Celebes. It sailed for home for the last time on 2 February and was disbanded in Brisbane later that month. Colour Patch Glossary 21 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; Northam ; Battle of Damour ; Balikpapan ; Capture of Lae ; Capture of Sidon ; Crossing of the Litani River ; Kokoda Trail Campaign ; Mersa Matruh ; Abuari ; Ramu Valley-Finisterres Operations ; Shaggy Ridge Operations ; Syrian Campaign Battle Honours North Africa Syria 1941 Syrian Frontier The Litani Wadi Zeini Damour South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Kokoda Trail Isurava Eora Creek-Templeton's Crossing I Efogi-Menari Ioribaiwa Buna-Gona Gona Amboga River Lae-Nadzab Liberation of Australian New Guinea Ramu Valley Shaggy Ridge Borneo 1945 Balikpapan Casualties 223 dead, 448 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Decorations 3 DSO 1 MBE 6 MC and 2 bars 5 DCM 20 MM and one bar 63 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/16 2/16th Battalion war diary M. Uren, A thousand men at war: the story of the 2/16th Battalion, A.I.F., (Melbourne: Heinemann, 1959).
2/25th Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/25th Battalion The 2/25th Battalion was formally raised in Brisbane on 1 July 1940. Recruited in Queensland, it began assembling at Grovely Camp on 15 July, and subsequently trained at Grovely (15 July–15 October) and around Darwin (23 October 1940–1 February 1941). It returned to Brisbane to complete its preparations for overseas service, and embarked at Sydney on 7 April 1941. On 3 May 1941, the 2/25th landed in Egypt and moved out into the desert to join the 25th Brigade of the 7th Australian Division that was manning defences along the Egypt–Libya frontier against an expected German attack. The 2/25th occupied positions at Mersa Matruh throughout much of April and May 1941, before returning to Palestine in preparation for its first offensive operation – the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, which began on 8 June. The 2/25th initially constituted the 25th Brigade’s reserve for its drive into eastern Lebabnon, and its companies were widely scattered. Reunited, the battalion fought its only major battle of the campaign at the inland town of Merdjayoun on 19 June. Given inadequate time to prepare, and confronted by Vichy French tanks, the 2/25th failed to capture Merdjayoun, which had previously been occupied by Australian forces but lost to a counter offensive. The battalion suffered heavy casualties, including over 50 men taken prisoner. On 25 June the 2/25th was temporarily placed under the command of the 21st Brigade to secure a route from the coast to the inland town of Beit ed Dine against the possibility of a Vichy French counter attack. It was still thus engaged when the armistice came into effect on 12 July, and remained in Lebabnon as part of the Allied garrison until 13 January 1942. After sailing from Egypt on 9 February 1942, the 2/25th disembarked in Adelaide on 10 March. It trained in Australia until August and on 9 September arrived in Port Moresby to reinforce the battered Australian units on the Kokoda Trail. Joining the fray at Ioribaiwa on 15 September, the battalion participated in the last Australian withdrawal on the trail – to Imita Ridge. It subsequently participated in the advance that followed the Japanese withdrawal, fighting major battles near Templeton’s Crossing (13–21 October) and at Gorari (7–11 November). The 2/25th was briefly involved in the operations at Gona between 23 November and 4 December, before returning to Port Moresby by air on 13 December and eventually sailing back to Australia in early January 1943. The 2/25th returned to Port Moresby on 22 July in preparation for the 25th Brigade’s next operation – the advance on the Japanese base at Lae, in New Guinea. The brigade flew into Nadzab on 7 September, commenced its advance on the 11th and Lae was in its hands by the 16th – the 2/25th was the first battalion to enter the town. On 29 September the 2/25th was flown from Nadzab to Kaipit and spent the rest of the year principally engaged in patrol actions in the Ramu Valley and the foothills of the Finisterre Range. The battalion returned to Australia on 16 February 1944. Like most of the AIF battalions, the 2/25th spent over a year training in Australia prior to its ffinal operation of the war. It departed Australia on 2 June 1945 and landed at Balikpapan in Borneo on 2 July. The 2/25th’s operations were concentrated around the Milford Highway, the site of the most determined Japanese resistence at Balikpapan. It was still involved in active operations when the war ended on 15 August. Drafts of long-service personnel began returning home from October, and what was left of the battalion disembarked in Brisbane on 4 February 1946. It disbanded there on 7 March 1946.18 Marchlater that month. Glossary 21 Brigade ; 25 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; Battle of Gorari ; Battle of Templeton's Crossing ; Balikpapan ; Kokoda Trail Campaign ; Milford Highway Operations ; Mersa Matruh ; Ramu Valley-Finisterres Operations ; Syrian Campaign Battle Honours North Africa Syria 1941 Merjayun Chenim and Rharife Damour Mazaraat ech Chouf South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Kokoda Trail Ioribaiwa Eora Creek-Templeton's Crossing II Oivi-Gorari Buna-Gona Gona Lae-Nadzab Lae Road Liberation of Australian New Guinea Ramu Valley Shaggy Ridge Borneo 1945 Balikpapan Milford Highway Casualties 176 dead, 365 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Marshall, Norman Withy, Charles Burton Marson, Richard Harold Decorations 1 VC 2 DSO 1 MBE 4 MC and one bar 1 DCM 8 MM 33 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/25 2/25th Battalion war diary A. W. Draydon, Men of courage: A history of 2/25 Australian Infantry Battalion, (Chermside: 2/25 Australian Infantry Battalion Association, 2000).
2/27th Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/27th Battalion The headquarters of the 2/27 Battalion opened for the first time at Woodside in South Australia on 7 May 1940. On 19 October the battalion left Woodside, by train, for Melbourne where ti sailed for overseas on 21 October. After a brief stop in India en-route, the 2/27th disembarked in Egypt on 24 November and moved straight to Palestine to complete its training. As part of the 21st Brigade of the 7th Australian Division, the 2/27th’s first operational assignment of war was to bolster the defences along the Egypt–Libya frontier against an expected German attack. It occupied positions at Maaten Bagush and Matruh throughout much of April and May 1941, before returning to Palestine in preparation for its first offensive operation – the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, which began on 8 June. The 2/27th was employed in the drive north along the Lebanon coast but most of its operations were outflanking moves in the hills that edged the coastal plain. Its major actions were at Adloun on 11 June, Miyeoumiye on 13–14 June and around El Boum, as part of the battle of Damour, between 6 and 9 July. After the armistice of 12 July, the 2/27th remained in Lebabnon as part of the Allied garrison until 11 January 1942. After sailing from Egypt on 30 January 1942, the 2/27th disembarked in Adelaide on 24 March. The battalion’s stay in Australia, however, was brief. On 14 August it arrived at Port Moresby in Papua, and by 6 September it was in position at Mission Ridge on the Kokoda Trail preparing to meet the relentless advance of the Japanese. The battalion held on to its positions for two days before being forced to pull out by a Japanese outflanking move that cut the Trail behind it. A grim 2 week withdrawal through the jungle, with little food, followed. Sick and exhausted, the 2/27th rejoined the main Australian force at Jawarere, 40 kilometres east of Port Moresby, on 22 September. After a period of rest and retraining the 2/27th returned to action at Gona on 28 November. It suffered heavily in series of rushed and ill-conceived attacks and was further assailed by the ravages of tropical disease. By the time it was relived on 6 January 1943, it was only 70 strong. The 2/27th returned to Australian in mid-January but was back in Papua by early August. It spent a month training near Port Moresby before being flown to Kaipit in New Guinea to take part in the advance along the Ramu Valley. Leaving Kaipit on 29 September, the 21st Brigade reached Dumpu on 4 October and then began pushing up into the Finisterre Ranges. The 2/27th occupied several key features during these operations and bore the brunt of the one major countertacck launched by the Japanese on 12 October. Thereafter,the 2/27th’s operations were prinicipally patrol actions. It began returning to Port Moresby on 3 January 1944, and arrived back in Australia on 1 March The 2/27th left Australia for its last operation of the war on 3 June 1945. The battalion landed at Balikpapan on 1 July and after the attacks of that day, conducted with relatively light casualties, its operations were confined mainly to small-scale patrolling until the end of the war on 15 August. From mid-October to late January 1946 the 2/27th formed part of the occupation force in the Celebes. It sailed for home for the last time on 4 February, arrived at Brisbane on 14 February, and was disbanded there on 18 March. Glossary 21 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; Woodside Camp ; Battle of Damour ; Balikpapan ; Kokoda Trail Campaign ; Mersa Matruh ; Ramu Valley-Finisterres Operations ; Miyeoumiye ; Adloun ; Syrian Campaign Battle Honours North Africa Syria 1941 The Litani Sidon Adlun Damour South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Kokoda Trail Efogi-Menari Buna-Gona Gona Liberation of Australian New Guinea Ramu Valley Shaggy Ridge Borneo 1945 Balikpapan Casualties 268 dead, 607 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Moten, Murray John Cooper, Geoffrey Day Thomas Bishop, John Ackland Picken, Keith Sinclair Decorations 2 DSO' 3 MC and one bar 1 DCM 17 MM 49 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/27 2/27th Battalion war diary J. Burns, The brown and blue diamond at war: the story of the 2/27th Battalion A.I.F., (Adelaide: 2/27th Battalion Ex-servicemen's Association, 1960).
2/31st Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/31st Battalion The 2/31st Infantry Battalion was one of three formed in the United Kingdom on 27 June 1940 to create the 25th Infantry Brigade. The battalion’s personnel were drawn from throughout the Australian force that had arrived in Britain earlier in the month and manpower shortages meant the battalion included only three rifle companies instead of the usual four. It was initially known as the 70th Battalion and was based at Tidworth, but in October it was retitled the 2/31st, and in the same month relocated to Colchester. It left Britain on 4 January 1941 and disembarked in Egypt on 9 March. Upon arrival, the 2/31st moved to Palestine for training where it was joined by a fourth rifle company. On 11 April, the 25th Brigade, now part of the 7th Australian Division, began to move to Egypt to bolster the defences along the Libyan frontier against an expected German attack and the 2/31st occupied positions at Mersa Matruh. In late May 1941, the 2/31st returned to Palestine to take part in the 25th Brigade’s first offensive operation – the invasion of Syria and Lebanon. The 2/31st’s first major engagement in eastern Lebanon was around Khirbe between 8 and 11 June. It was subsequently ordered to capture the town of Jezzine, which controlled one of the lateral routes to the coast. Jezzine fell to the 2/31st on 14 June but was heavily counter-attacked by the Vichy French on the 16th. The terrain around Jezzine was steep and rugged and the fighting exhausting; it was still in progress when the armistice was declared on 12 July. The 2/31st remained in Lebanon as part of the Allied garrison until 13 January 1942. Bound for home, the 2/31st sailed from Port Tewfik in Egypt on 9 February 1942 and disembarked in Adelaide on 10 March. It trained in Australia until the end of August and on 9 September arrived in Port Moresby to reinforce the battered Australian units on the Kokoda Trail. Joining the fray at Ioribaiwa on 15 September, the battalion was soon withdrawn, with the rest of the Australian force, to Imita Ridge. The Japanese did not follow. The the 2/31st Battalion subsequently participated in the advance back along the trail when the Japanese retreated. On 1 November it was the first battalion to re-enter Kokoda, and played a key role in smashing the last Japanese defensive position on the trail at Gorari between 7 and 11 November. The 2/31st was briefly involved in the operations at Gona between 23 November and 4 December, before returning to Port Moresby by air on 15 December and eventually sailing back to Australia in early January 1943. The 2/31st returned to Port Moresby on 26 July in preparation for the 25th Brigade’s next operation – the advance on the Japanese base at Lae, in New Guinea. The 2/31st flew into Nadzab on 12 September and, after a hurried advance, joined the fighting east of Lae, which fell on 16 September. On 29 September the 2/31st was flown from Nadzab to Kaipit and spent the rest of the year principally engaged in patrol actions in the Ramu Valley and the foothills of the Finisterre Range. It returned to Australia on 16 February 1944. Like most of the AIF battalions, the 2/31st spent over a year training in Australia prior to its final operation of the war. It departed Australia on 2 June 1945 and landed at Balikpapan in Borneo on 2 July. The 2/31st’s operations were concentrated around the Milford Highway – the site of the most determined Japanese resistance – and it suffered the heaviest casualties of any unit involved in the campaign. It was withdrawn to rest on 26 July. The war ended on 15 August and from October drafts of long-service personnel began returning to Australia. The remainder of the battalion arrived in Brisbane in early February, and disbanded there in the first week of March. Colour Patch Glossary 25 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; Battle of Gorari ; Balikpapan ; Imita Ridge Operations ; Kokoda Trail Campaign ; Milford Highway Operations ; Mersa Matruh ; Ioribaiwa ; Pearl Ridge ; Khirbe ; Syrian Campaign Battle Honours Syria 1941 Syrian Frontier Merjayun Jezzine Damour Hill 1069 Baradene South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Kokoda Trail Ioribaiwa Eora Creek-Templeton's Crossing II Oivi-Gorari Buna-Gona Gona Lae-Nadzab Lae Road Liberation of Australian New Guinea Ramu Valley Shaggy Ridge Borneo 1945 Balikpapan Milford Highway Casualties 251 dead, 479 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Strutt, Horace William Porter, Selwyn Havelock Watson Craig (Bill) Dunbar, Colin Campbell Miller, James 'Jim' Byrne, Joseph Henry Robson, Ewan Murray Decorations 1 VC 3 DSO 4 MC 1 DCM 20 MM 25 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/31 2/31st Battalion war diary J. Laffin, Forever forward: The history of the 2/31st Australian Infantry Battalion, 2nd AIF 1940-45, (Sydney: 2/31st Australian Infantry Battalion Association (New SOuth Wales Branch), 1994).
2/33rd Battalion Courtesy of: Australians at War 2/33rd Battalion The 2/33rd Infantry Battalion was one of three formed in the United Kingdom on 27 June 1940 to create the 25th Infantry Brigade. The battalion’s personnel were drawn from throughout the Australian force that had arrived in Britain earlier in the month and manpower shortages meant the battalion included only three rifle companies instead of the usual four. It was initially known as the 72nd Battalion and was based at Tidworth, but in October it was retitled the 2/33rd, and in the same month relocated to Colchester. It left Britain on 10 January 1941 and disembarked in Egypt on 8 March. Upon arrival, the 2/33rd moved to Palestine for training where it was joined by a fourth rifle company. On 11 April, the 25th Brigade, now part of the 7th Australian Division, began to move to Egypt to bolster the defences along the Libyan frontier against an expected German attack and the 2/33rd occupied positions at Mersa Matruh. In late May 1941, the 25th Brigade returned to Palestine to take part in the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, which began on 8 June. The 2/33rd fought, principally in dispersed company groups, around Merdjayoun until 28 June. It was then moved to the area around Jezzine and was still conducting operations in the rugged hills to the east of the town when the armistice was declared on 12 July. The 2/33rd remained in Lebanon as part of the Allied garrison until 14 January 1942, when it commenced the first stage of its journey back to Australia. It sailed from Port Tewfik in Egypt on 9 February 1942 and disembarked in Adelaide on 10 March. After a period of leave and training in Australia the 2/33rd was deployed to Papua to reinforce the battered Australian units on the Kokoda Trail. It arrived in Port Moresby on 9 September and by the 13th was in action at Ioribaiwa. With the rest of the Australian force, the 2/33rd was soon withdrawn to Imita Ridge; the Japanese did not follow. The battalion subsequently participated in the advance back along the trail that followed the Japanese retreat and it fought major engagements at Myola (11–15 October) and at Gorari (7–11 November). The 2/33rd was briefly involved in the bitter, confused fighting at Gona between 23 November and 4 December, by which time dwindling numbers had forced its four rifle companies to be amalgamated into two. It returned to Port Moresby by air between 15 and 17 December and eventually sailed back to Australia in early January 1943. The 2/33rd returned to Port Moresby in late July in preparation for the operations capture Lae, in New Guinea. On 7 September, while it waited at Jackson’s Airfield at Moresby to be flown to Nadzab, via Tsili Tsili, a fully-loaded Liberator bomber crashed among the trucks carrying the battalion. Sixty men were killed and 92 injured – a third of the battalion’s fatal casualties for the entire war. The remnants of the 2/33rd arrived in Nadzab on 8 September and subsequently participated in the advance on Lae, which fell on 16 September. On 29 September the 2/33rd was flown from Nadzab to Kaipit and spent the rest of the year principally engaged in patrol actions in the Ramu Valley and the Finisterre Range. It returned to Australia on 10 February 1944. Following over a year of training, the 2/33rd departed Australia on 9 June 1945 for its last operation of the war. It landed at Balikpapan in Borneo on 1 July and its subsequent operations were concentrated around the Milford Highway – the site of the most determined Japanese resistance. It was withdrawn to rest on 24 July. The war ended on 15 August and almost immediately drafts of long-service personnel began returning to Australia. The remainder of the battalion arrived in Brisbane on 22 February, and it disbanded there on 12 March. Glossary 25 Brigade ; 2nd Australian Imperial Force ; Battle of Gorari ; Balikpapan ; Capture of Lae ; Imita Ridge Operations ; Kokoda Trail Campaign ; Milford Highway Operations ; Mersa Matruh ; Ioribaiwa ; Ramu Valley-Finisterres Operations ; Syrian Campaign Battle Honours North Africa Syria 1941 Syrian Frontier Merjayun South-West Pacific 1942-1945 Kokoda Trail Ioribaiwa Eora Creek-Templeton's Crossing II Oivi-Gorari Buna-Gona Gona Lae-Nadzab Lae Road Liberation of Australian New Guinea Ramu Valley Shaggy Ridge Borneo 1945 Balikpapan Milford Highway Casualties 200 dead, 363 wounded For more information please see the Roll of Honour and Second World War Nominal Roll (external website) databases. Commanding Officers Bierwirth, Rudolph Monaghan, John Graham Corby, John Armstrong Buttrose, Alfred William Cotton, Thomas Richard Worgan Decorations 2 DSO 7 MC 11 MM 27 MID For more information please see Honours and Awards database Collection Items Search for related collection items References AWM52: 8/3/33 2/33rd Battalion war diary W. Crooks, The footsoldiers: The story of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion, A.I.F. in the war of 1939-45, (Brookvale: Printcraft Press, 1971).
Thanks for all that info Spidge. By way of interest the late Sir Robert Askin, a Premier of NSW, was a member of the 2/31st but will be mostly remembered for his comments when confronted by anti Vietnam War protesters lying on the road in front of his car when he told his driver to "Run over the bastards." Rod
He (Askin) could have walked on water like JC but would have always been remembered for the former statement.
