Structure of the Australian Army during World War II explained
The structure of the Australian Army changed considerably during World War II. At the outbreak of war the Army comprised a small regular component and a large, but ill-trained and equipped, militia force. In September 1939 the government authorised the establishment of the Second Australian Imperial Force for overseas service; this force eventually reached a strength of four infantry divisions, an armoured division and various headquarters and support units. The militia force, which remained in Australia, was neglected until the outbreak of the Pacific War.
The militia units were fully activated in late 1941, and additional such formations were established in 1942. Despite the loss of the 8th Division in February 1942, the Army reached its peak strength of eleven infantry divisions and three armoured divisions later that year. This force was larger than what the Australian economy could support, however, and was gradually reduced in size. At the end of 1943 the Government determined that the Army's strength was to be six infantry divisions and two armoured brigades, though further reductions were ordered in August 1944 and June 1945. If the conflict had continued past August 1945, the size of the Army would have been further reduced to three divisions.
Following the end of the war the Australian Army was rapidly demobilized. However, the force formed for occupation duties in Australia became the nucleus of the permanent Australian Regular Army, and a large number of militia units continued to be maintained.
Orders of battle
3 September 1939
On the outbreak of war, the Army comprised the following major units:[1]
- Military Board
- Army Headquarters
9 April 1942
The Army was restructured in 1942, with major units as follows:
- Land Headquarters
- First Army
- Second Army
- III Corps
- Northern Territory Force
- New Guinea Force
- LHQ Reserve
- LHQ Troops
- AIF (Overseas)
- Queensland Line of Communications Area
- New South Wales Line of Communication Area
- Victoria Line of Communication Area
- South Australia Line of Communication Area
- Tasmania Line of Communication Area
- Western Australia Line of Communication Area
- New Guinea Line of Communication Area
15 August 1945
The structure of the Army's major combat units and commands at the end of the war was as follows:[2]
- Land Headquarters
- I Corps
- 7th Division
- 9th Division
- 4th Armoured Brigade Group (Land Headquarters reserve)
- First Army
- Second Army
- 1st Brigade
- 5th Division [was transferred to Queensland Line of Communications Area on 19 August]
- Northern Territory Force
- Western Command
- New South Wales Line of Communications Area
- Queensland Line of Communications Area
- South Australia Line of Communications Area
- Tasmania Line of Communications Area
- Victoria Line of Communications Area
See also
References
- Book: Johnston, Mark . Martin Windrow (consultant editor). The Australian Army in World War II . Elite . 2007 . Osprey Publishing . Oxford . 978-1-84603-123-6.
- Book: Palazzo, Albert . The Australian Army. A History of its Organisation 1901–2001 . 2001 . Oxford University Press . Melbourne . 0-19-551507-2.
Further reading
- Book: Grey, Jeffrey . The Australian Army . First. The Australian Centenary History of Defence . 2001 . Oxford University Press . Melbourne . 0-19-554114-6.
- Book: Grey, Jeffrey . Jeffrey Grey . A Military History of Australia . Cambridge University Press . Port Melbourne . 2008 . Third . 978-0-521-69791-0.
- Book: Hopkins, R. N. L . Ronald Nicholas Lamond Hopkins . Australian Armour: A History of the Royal Australia Armoured Corps 1927–1972 . Australian War Memorial. Canberra . 1993 . 0-642-99407-2.
- Book: Horner, David . The Gunners: A History of Australian Artillery . Allen & Unwin . St Leonards, New South Wales . 1995. 1-86373-917-3.
- Web site: Horner . David . 2002 . The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements . https://web.archive.org/web/20090816041411/http://www.defence.gov.au/adc/cdclms/Command%20evolution.doc. Command Papers . doc . Centre for Defence Leadership Studies, Australian Defence College. 4 June 2009. 16 August 2009. 223740949.
- Book: Kuring, Ian . Red Coats to Cams. A History of Australian Infantry 1788 to 2001 . Australian Military History Publications . Sydney . 2004 . 1-876439-99-8.
- Book: Palazzo, Albert. Organising for Jungle Warfare. The Foundations of Victory: The Pacific War 1943–1944. Proceedings of the 2003 Chief of Army's Military History Conference. 2004. Dennis, Peter. Grey, Jeffrey. Army History Unit. Canberra. 86–101. 978-0-646-43590-9. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160309213301/http://army.gov.au/our-history/army-history-unit/chief-of-army-history-conference/previous-conference-proceedings/~/media/files/our%20history/aahu/conference%20papers%20and%20images/2003/2003-the_pacific_war_1943-1944_part_1.ashx. 2016-03-09.
Notes and References
- Web site: Niehorster. Leo . Watson. Graham . Robert. Michel. Australian Military Forces 3 September 1939. World War II Armed Forces: Orders of Battle and Organizations. Orbat.com. 12 January 2013.
- Web site: AWM52, 1/1/1/63 - August 1945. General Staff (Operations) General Staff (Staff Duties) Land Headquarters (LHQ G(Ops) and (SD)) war diary. Australian War Memorial. 16 January 2013. 13.