DOCSLIB.ORG

CHAPTER 2 7 the PURSUIT to MADAN G HE Australian Operations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CHAPTER 2 7 the PURSUIT to MADAN G HE Australian Operations CHAPTER 2 7 THE PURSUIT TO MADAN G HE Australian operations along the Rai Coast and in the Finisterre T Mountains in the early part of 1944 were being undertaken as a resul t of a policy directive for the summer of 1943-1944 issued by Genera l Blarney on 23rd December . Blarney had warned that "the operational rol e of the Australian Military Forces engaged in forward operations in Ne w Guinea will be taken over by U .S.A. forces in accordance with plans now being prepared . Aggressive operations will be continued and reliefs neces- sary to maintain the initiative will be made by G .O.C. New Guinea Force until Commander, U .S.A. Forces, takes over responsibility ." The reliefs would be effected gradually, first on the Huon Peninsula and second in the Ramu Valley . "As relieved, and subject to operational or emergency requirements," the 6th, 7th and 9th Divisions would be allocated to I Aus- tralian Corps and would return to the mainland for training and rehabilita- tion. Three militia divisions—3rd, 5th and 11th—would be allocated to II Australian Corps for garrison duties, training and rehabilitation in Ne w Guinea and on the mainland. The already depleted III Australian Corps in Western Australia would be further reduced by one infantry brigad e which would be transferred to the 3rd . Division at Atherton . Blarney in- structed that movement of units to the mainland should begin immediatel y "in accordance with the principle of earliest relief for longest service in New Guinea", and that "the force remaining at the conclusion of th e relief will be an Army Corps of approximately two full jungle division s plus base troops required for maintenance" . Thus the role of the Australian Army in 1944 would be small in com- parison with the one it had played in the previous two years when it ha d carried the main burden of the fight against the Japanese in the South - West Pacific. At this stage, on 22nd January 1944, the War Cabinet decided to present to General MacArthur a revised statement of the combat force s to be assigned to him—the first such statement since the original one of 18th April 1942. The new statement set out the forces assigned i n greater detail than hitherto, specifying individual brigades ; as far as the army was concerned, it again gave control of all mobile operationa l formations to MacArthur, but provided that future assignments should b e specifically made by the Government . Thus, if a new brigade or division was formed it would be necessary to assign it individually to MacArthur . In New Guinea the main body of the retreating Japanese division s was marching westward along the coastal route, and a smaller column con- sisting principally of the III/238th Battalion was using an exhausting inland route from Nambariwa to Nokopo. From Gali 2 the route woul d lead round the American beach-head at Saidor through Nokopo and 764 THE PURSUIT TO MADANG Jan-Feb Tarikngan . Here, as mentioned, was a covering force of about 2,000 me n under Major-General Nakai, comprising the III/239th Battalion and five companies of the 78th Regiment. For the Rai Coast advance Major-General Ramsay of the 5th Division would have in the forward area only the 8th Brigade (4th, 30th an d 35th Battalions) ; the 4th and 29th Brigades were to remain in rear areas. The commander of the 8th Brigade, Brigadier Cameron, was the only officer now commanding a brigade who had not served in the Middl e East. He had returned from the war of 1914-18 as an infantry lieutenant , and had led the 8th Brigade since May 1940. Ramsay's intention was to "advance to make contact with the U .S. forces at Saidor". He estimated that an enemy force of not more tha n 3,000 troops was in the area between Sio and Saidor, that their moral e and health were low, and that organised resistance was unlikely . Behind his statement that "U .S. forces have established a bridgehead at Saidor extending approx five miles in the direction of Sio, but are not expecte d to extend further in this direction", there may have been a suggestion that the 32nd American Division was losing a golden opportunity b y letting the retreating 20th and 51st Japanese Divisions bypass them. And on 17th February General Morshead wrote in a letter to Blarney that the Saidor force appeared not to have made "any appreciable effort " to cut off the retreating Japanese . Besides the 8th Brigade the main units taking part in the advance wer e the veteran company of Papuans, the 23rd Battery (short 25-pounders ) from the 2/12th Field Regiment, the 2/13th and 8th Field Companies , and a detachment of the 2/8th Field Ambulance . Because of the difficul- ties of supply not more than one battalion group would be used forward of Kelanoa and the remainder of the brigade would occupy "healthy areas " at Kelanoa. The maximum use would be made of the Papuans to preced e the forward battalion, and, as subsequent maintenance of the strikin g force would depend on the selection of suitable beaches, land reconnais- sance parties from the American 2nd Engineer Special Brigade woul d accompany it. On 19th January Cameron's headquarters and the 4th Battalion (Lieut - Colonel Crosky l ) began to arrive at Sio and Nambariwa . In the 4th, as in many more-experienced units before it, there was a certain amoun t of nervousness known colloquially as "itchy finger" on the first few nights . On the night of the 21st-22nd January the forward platoon imagine d that they saw some Japanese and opened fire . The "Japanese " were thei r own men, two of whom were killed and two wounded . The raw 8th Brigade, however, had the benefit of tlae skill and experience of th e Papuan company . The Papuans were in their element as hunters and were busy looking for scattered bands of Japanese . They would have been dis- appointed had they been recalled (as was intended at one stage) and , as events turned out, two companies of Papuans could probably hav e 1 Lt-Col P. W. Croaky, ED, NX112661 . CO 4 Bn 1942-44. Managing law clerk ; of Arncliffe , NSW ; b . Rozelle, NSW, 29 Jun 1908. Died 7 Jan 1957 . 22-25 Jan EXPERT PAPUAN PATROLS 765 advanced to Saidor quicker and with less effort than any brigade o f Australians . On the 22nd a native reported that there were about seven Japanese in the hills south-west of Sio Mission . A small patrol of Papuans, unde r Corporal Bengari, whose reputation was similar to that of the best of Gurkhas, immediately set out and arrived on the outskirts of the villag e of Lembangando on the night of the 24th. He sent forward a local native who said on his return that another 22 Japanese had now arrived . Next morning Bengari and his five companions ambushed the enemy force and killed every one without the Japanese firing a shot . Another Papuan patrol to Vincke Point found 20 dead Japanese on the track an d killed one other on their return journey to Sio . Thus, even before the advance began, the Papuans had cleared the way as far as the end o f the first bound planned by Cameron ; he had ordered that the 4th Bat- talion, preceded by the Papuans, would begin on 25th January a serie s of daily bounds, designed to take them to the Timbe River in six days . It was planned that the 4th Battalion would advance to Malasanga, th e 30th thence to Gali, and the 35th would then take over and link wit h the Americans in Saidor. General Berryman signalled to Ramsay o n the 25th: "Consider brigade rather over cautious but do not propose to push them yet."2 •Sigawa J MILES 5 0 / ` 5 ! A 10~ j 15 MILES The 8th Brigade's pursuit along the Rai Coast It would be difficult to find sheltered beach-heads because the north - west monsoon would blow until the middle of February, causing sudde n flooding of the rivers and rough seas which would limit barge landin g points to areas protected from the north-west . The terrain of the Rai Coas t 2 The following table shows the planned daily progress of the advance between Sio and Saidor : Bound Day Date Bound Day Dat e 1 Kwama River 1 25 Jan 8 Butubutu 9 2 Feb 2 Romba River 2 26 Jan 9 Roinji 2 10 3 Feb 3 Peel River 3 27 Jan 10 Weber Point 11 4 Feb 4 Soa River 4 28 Jan 11 Malalamai 12 5 Fe b 5 Hawkesbury Rive r 5 29 Jan 12 Yagomai 13 6 Fe b 6 Crossingtown 6 30 Jan 13 Seure 14 7 Fe b 7 Nemau 8 1 Feb 14 Sel 15 8 Feb 766 THE PURSUIT TO MADANG 25-29 Ja n consisted of a coastal belt whose width varied from about a mile to almost nothing, cut by many rivers and swamps. The whole operation woul d obviously be governed by supplies moved by sea . The Australians would thus, once again, depend upon their well-tried friends, the American boatmen of the 532nd E.B .S.R., of whom only one company remained with them . Because of the terrain the advance could be at most on a compan y front, probably mainly on a platoon front with Papuans scouting ahead .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • What I Did and What I Saw
    NEW GUINEA WHAT I DID AND WHAT I SAW Barry Craig, 2018 [email protected] Photos copyright B. Craig unless otherwise attributed I guess I was destined to be a walker from an early age ̶ I may have got that from my father. Boot camp, c.1941 Martin Place, Sydney, c.1941 Because my father fought at Sattelberg in the hills west of Finschhafen in 1943, I became fascinated by New Guinea and read avidly. After studying anthropology at the University of Sydney I went to PNG as an Education Officer in 1962. I asked to be posted to Telefomin. Languages of Central New Guinea I lived at Telefomin 1962-65. In 1963-64, Bryan Cranstone, British Museum, was based at Tifalmin west of Telefomin to research and collect items of material culture. His method of documenting things that he collected drew my attention to the house boards and shields of the region. He became my mentor. I was fortunate to witness the last of the male initiation ceremonies – dakasalban candidates with sponsor at left, otban at right. In 1964, I collected about 320 items of material culture for the Australian Museum, supported with photographs, and began a survey of all house boards and shields in the wider region, extended in 1967. This resulted in a Masters Thesis in 1969 and a booklet in 1988. At Bolovip, the board photographed by Champion in 1926 (left) was still there in 1967 (top right) but had been discarded by 1981. Map of 1967 survey Interior photo showing shields, pig jawbones, a sacred feather-bag and ancestral skulls and long-bones.
    [Show full text]
  • American Armies and Battlefields in Europe
    Chapter v1 THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELDS NORTH OF PARIS chapter gives brief accounts of areas and to all of the American ceme- all American fighting whi ch oc- teries and monuments. This route is Thiscurred on the battle front north of recommended for those who desire to Paris and complete information concern- make an extended automobile tour in the ing the American military cemeteries and region. Starting from Paris, it can be monuments in that general region. The completely covered in four days, allowing military operations which are treated are plenty of time to stop on the way. those of the American lst, 27th, 30th, The accounts of the different operations 33d, 37th, 80th and 91st Divisions and and the descriptions of the American the 6th and 11 th Engineer Regiments. cemeteries and monuments are given in Because of the great distances apart of the order they are reached when following So uthern Encr ance to cb e St. Quentin Can al Tunnel, Near Bellicourc, October 1, 1918 the areas where this fighting occurred no the suggested route. For tbis reason they itinerary is given. Every operation is do not appear in chronological order. described, however, by a brief account Many American units otber tban those illustrated by a sketch. The account and mentioned in this chapter, sucb as avia- sketch together give sufficient information tion, tank, medical, engineer and infantry, to enable the tourist to plan a trip through served behind this part of the front. Their any particular American combat area. services have not been recorded, however, The general map on the next page as the space limitations of tbis chapter indicates a route wbich takes the tourist required that it be limited to those Amer- either int o or cl ose to all of tbese combat ican organizations which actually engaged (371) 372 THE AMERICAN B ATTLEFIELD S NO R TH O F PARIS Suggested Tour of American Battlefields North of Paris __ Miles Ghent ( î 37th and 91st Divisions, Ypres-Lys '"offensive, October 30-November 11, 1918 \ ( N \ 1 80th Division, Somme 1918 Albert 33d Division.
    [Show full text]
  • Primitive Art Bibliographies
    Primitive Art Bibliographies The Library The Museum of Primitive Art 15 West 54 Street New York 19, New York NO. IV 1965 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SEPIK DISTRICT ART ANNOTATED FOR ILLUSTRATIONS, PART 1 by DOUGLAS NEWTON BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SEPIK DISTRICT ART ANNOTATED FOR ILLUSTRATIONS, PART 1 by Douglas Newton The Museum of Primitive Art This is a working list of material on the visual arts in the Sepik District of New Guinea published up to 31 December 1964, its purpose being the provision of a guide to the very considerable amount of documentation already in print. It does not ad­ here strictly to the administrative boundaries of the District: some items on the coastal area to the east of the Ramu have been included, since these are obviously stylistically related to work from the District itself. The first part, printed here, is a listing of individual documents, each followed by notes on the illustra­ tions it includes. The second part, to appear in the near future, will be an index, by provenience and class of object, to these notes. The entries are of two main kinds. The first consists of books and articles, whether illustrated or not, specifically devoted to the area. Here I have gone beyond the limitations implied by "the arts", and have included some works primarily dealing with general ethnology. To some extent this is unavoidable, owing to the authors' methods of presenting their material; but I have added rather generously to this cate­ gory in the hope that some items may provide background, or side-lights, for the sub­ ject.
    [Show full text]
  • The Thermopylae Line
    CHAPTER 6 THE THERMOPYLAE LINE ENERAL Wavell arrived in Athens on the 19th April and immediately e Gheld a conference at General Wilson's quarters . Although an effectiv decision to embark the British force from Greece had been made on a higher level in London, the commanders on the spot now once agai n deeply considered the pros and cons . The Greek Government was unstable and had suggested that the British force should depart in order to avoid further devastation of the country. It was unlikely that the Greek Army of Epirus could be extricated and some of its senior officers were urging sur- render. General Wilson considered that his force could hold the Ther- mopylae line indefinitely once the troops were in position.l "The arguments in favour of fighting it out, which [it] is always better to do if possible, " wrote Wilson later,2 "were : the tying up of enemy forces, army and air , which would result therefrom ; the strain the evacuation would place o n the Navy and Merchant Marine ; the effect on the morale of the troops and the loss of equipment which would be incurred . In favour of with- drawal the arguments were : the question as to whether our forces in Greece could be reinforced as this was essential ; the question of the maintenance of our forces, plus the feeding of the civil population ; the weakness of our air forces with few airfields and little prospect of receiving reinforcements ; the little hope of the Greek Army being able to recover its morale . The decision was made to withdraw from Greece ." The British leaders con- sidered that it was unlikely that they would be able to take out any equip- ment except that which the troops carried, and that they would be lucky "to get away with 30 per cent of the force" .
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons in Leadership the Life of Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD
    Lessons in Leadership The Life of Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD By Rolfe Hartley FIEAust CPEng EngExec FIPENZ Engineers Australia Sydney Division CELM Presentation March 2013 Page 1 Introduction The man that I would like to talk about today was often referred to in his lifetime as ‘the greatest living Australian’. But today he is known to many Australians only as the man on the back of the $100 note. I am going to stick my neck out here and say that John Monash was arguably the greatest ever Australian. Engineer, lawyer, soldier and even pianist of concert standard, Monash was a true leader. As an engineer, he revolutionised construction in Australia by the introduction of reinforced concrete technology. He also revolutionised the generation of electricity. As a soldier, he is considered by many to have been the greatest commander of WWI, whose innovative tactics and careful planning shortened the war and saved thousands of lives. Monash was a complex man; a man from humble beginnings who overcame prejudice and opposition to achieve great things. In many ways, he was an outsider. He had failures, both in battle and in engineering, and he had weaknesses as a human being which almost put paid to his career. I believe that we can learn much about leadership by looking at John Monash and considering both the strengths and weaknesses that contributed to his greatness. Early Days John Monash was born in West Melbourne in 1865, the eldest of three children and only son of Louis and Bertha. His parents were Jews from Krotoshin in Prussia, an area that is in modern day Poland.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the Full Report
    H U M A N ON THEIR WATCH R I G H T S Evidence of Senior Army Officers’ Responsibility WATCH for False Positive Killings in Colombia On Their Watch Evidence of Senior Army Officers’ Responsibility for False Positive Killings in Colombia Copyright © 2015 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-32507 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org JUNE 2015 978-1-6231-32507 On Their Watch Evidence of Senior Army Officers’ Responsibility for False Positive Killings in Colombia Map .................................................................................................................................... i Summary ........................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Of Vegetation in New Isolated Landslides, Localised Cyclonic
    BLUMEA 31 (1986) 341-371 The instability of the tropical ecosystem inNew Guinea R.J. Johns L.J. Brass Memorial Herbarium, P. N. G. University ofTechnology, Lae, Papua New Guinea INTRODUCTION authorities stable The tropical ecosystem has been considered by many as a vege- has tation type that, in some areas, ‘existed uninterruptedly since a very remote geo- logical time’ (Richards, 1952). The long term stability of rainforest ecosystems was showed that there of first questioned when studies was a marked contraction rain- Pleistocene Within New forest areas in the tropics during times (Flenley, 1979). Guinea two major effects are reported: altitudinal fluctuation of the major vegeta- described Powell tion zones at higher altitudes, as by Flenley (1972), Hope (1976), and decrease result of the lower (1970), and Walker (1970); a in precipitation. As a rainfall during the Pleistocene era (17,000—14,000 yrs BP) extensive areas of New Guinea characterised climate & were by a very dry savanna type (Nix Kalma, 1972). This is still reflected in the distribution of savanna elements in the present vegetation, in both lowland and lower montane areas. the Pleistocene However, extensive disturbances are by no means restricted to times. Studies in New Guinea show that the environment has been recently subjected caused These often to major disturbances by natural disasters. phenomena are easily plotted from aerial photographs and by using remote sensing techniques. An under- standing of environmental instability is important, not only for the interpretation of the structure and floristics of the extant vegetation, but is also of major importance in the managementof the tropical environment in New Guinea.
    [Show full text]
  • The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945
    University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 Karl James University of Wollongong James, Karl, The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945, PhD thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2005. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy from University of Wollongong by Karl James, BA (Hons) School of History and Politics 2005 i CERTIFICATION I, Karl James, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, is wholly my work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Karl James 20 July 2005 ii Table of Contents Maps, List of Illustrations iv Abbreviations vi Conversion viii Abstract ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 ‘We have got to play our part in it’. Australia’s land war until 1944. 15 2 ‘History written is history preserved’. History’s treatment of the Final Campaigns. 30 3 ‘Once the soldier had gone to war he looked for leadership’. The men of the II Australian Corps. 51 4 ‘Away to the north of Queensland, On the tropic shores of hell, Stand grimfaced men who watch and wait, For a future none can tell’. The campaign takes shape: Torokina and the Outer Islands.
    [Show full text]
  • 7468 .The London Gazette, December 28, 1877
    7468 .THE LONDON GAZETTE, DECEMBER 28, 1877. Name. Rank. Regiment. Amount. £ s. d. Clarke, Alexander . ... • Private ... •« 1st West India Regiment 074 Cock, Thomas Private ... •• 2nd Battalion, 10th Regiment .. 1 12 7 Conn, Robert ... ... .. Private ... .. .1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment 9 1 11 Connell, Thomas .*. .. Private 72nd Regiment 10 15 t Dwyer, Simon ... ... .. Private ... .. 45th Regiment ... ..i .. 3 11 5 Fitzpatrick, John Private ... .. 108th Regiment... ' ... .. 23 19 6 Flinn, Thomas Private 44th Regiment 14-5 Gillott, H. ... - ... Gunner ... .. 2nd Brigade, Royal' Artillery .. 459 Goodwill, John .... ... Private ... .. 96th Regiment ... ... .. 315 Griffiths, Theodore Private ... 45th Regiment ... ' ... 6 9 O Hill, Thomas E.... ... .. Private 80th Regiment 1 11 7 Hogan, Patrick Private ...• 1st Battalion, 2 1st Regiment .. 32 7 2 Hoy, Thomas Private 94th Regiment 0 18 11 Mansell, Charles... ... .. Gunner ... .. 9th Brigade, Royal Artillery .. 3 9 10 Matthews, Patrick Gunner .. .. 16th Brigade, Royal Artillery .. 464 May, George; ... ... .. Private .. .. 62nd Regiment 3 13 5 Mehan, Daniel Private .. .. 66th Regiment ... ... .. 3 14 3 Murray, James ... ... Private .. •> 45th Regiment ... ... 104 McGrath, Richard Private .. ' ... 40th Regiment ... 2 11 4 McKay, James ... Private 2nd Battalion, 19th Regiment ... 15 4 5 McKenna, Patrick ... ... Private .. ... 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment ... 529 McKeon, Bartholomew ... ... Gunner .. ... 5th Brigade, Royal Artillery ... 29 19 6 McKinstry, William Gunner .. Depot Brigade, Royal Artillery... 32 12 5 McWhiney, Thomas ... ... Private .. 36th Regiment ... ... ... 542 Nicholas, James Gunner ... Dep6t Brigade, Royal Artillery... 138 O'Farrell, Michael Warder Military Prison ... ...' • ... 424 Parker, Thomas Gunner ... .... 3rd Brigade, Royal Artillery ... 0 17 4 Peel, Thomas ... • ... ... Private ... - ... 1st Battalion, 17th'Regiment ... 4 17 6 Prendible, Charles Private 85th Regiment 212 9 Rabbitt, James B.
    [Show full text]
  • Your Presentation Is the Keynote Presentation for the Block
    1984 RUSI VIC BLAMEY ORATION By Major General Ken G. Cooke, ED There must be something special about a man who on the centenary of his birth and thirty-three years after his death can still trigger a gathering of so many people, including so many busy and distinguished people, in a Melbourne park on a Tuesday morning in January. So let us take a few minutes to review briefly the life of Thomas Alfred Blamey to try and determine just how this can be. He was born on 24th January, 1884 on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga, the seventh of the ten children of Richard and Margaret Blamey. His father had tried his luck at farming, both in Queensland and New South Wales, but as was often the case the ventures ended in disaster due to the old traditional enemies of drought, bush fire and fluctuating cattle prices. He then settled in Wagga where he earned his living as a contract drover. His was a pioneer family so typical of the time and it exemplified the strength of our immigrant stock both before and since. Young Tom was educated in Wagga, first at the Government school and then for the last two years at the Grammar school to which he won a place on his pure ability. His upbringing generally was as you would expect. He had to help around the family property before and after school and on vacations he worked as a tar- boy in the local shearing sheds. As he grew older he went on several droving trips to help his father.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Xi1 Australia Doubles the A.I.F
    CHAPTER XI1 AUSTRALIA DOUBLES THE A.I.F. THEAustralians and New Zealanders who returned from Gallipoli to Egypt were a different force from the adven- turous body that had left Egypt eight months before. They were a military force with strongly established, definite traditions. Not for anything, if he could avoid it, would an Australian now change his loose, faded tu& or battered hat for the smartest cloth or headgear of any other army. Men clung to their Australian uniforms till they were tattered to the limit of decency. Each of the regimental numbers which eight months before had been merely numbers, now carried a poignant meaning for every man serving with the A.I.F., and to some extent even for the nation far away in Australia. The ist, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Infantry Battalions-they had rushed Lone Pine; the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th had made that swift advance at Helles; the gth, ioth, I ith, 12th had stormed the Anzac heights; the igth, iqth, igth, 16th had first held Quinn’s, Courtney’s and Pope’s; the battalion numbers of the 2nd Division were becoming equally famous-and so with the light horse, artillery, engineers, field ambulances, transport companies, and casualty clearing stations. Service on the Gallipoli beaches had given a fighting record even to British, Egyptian and Maltese labour units that normally would have served far behind the front. The troops from Gallipoli were urgently desired by Kitchener for the defence of Egypt against the Turkish expedition that threatened to descend on it as soon as the Allies’ evacuation had released the Turkish army ANZAC TO AMIENS [Dec.
    [Show full text]
  • 9 Australian Infantry Division (1941-42)
    14 January 2019 [9 AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY DIVISION (1940 – 42)] th 9 Australian Infantry Division (1) Advanced Headquarters, 9th Australian Division, Signals & Employment Platoon Rear Headquarters, 9th Australian Division & Signals th 20 Australian Infantry Brigade (2) Headquarters, 20th Australian Infantry Brigade, ‘J’ Section Signals & 58th Light Aid Detachment 2nd/13th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/15th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/17th Australian Infantry Battalion 20th Australian Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company 24th Australian Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 24th Australian Infantry Brigade, ‘J’ Section Signals & 76th Light Aid Detachment 2nd/28th Australian Infantry Battalion nd nd 2 /32 Australian Infantry Battalion (3) 2nd/43rd Australian Infantry Battalion 24th Australian Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company 26th Australian Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 26th Australian Infantry Brigade, ‘J’ Section Signals & 78th Light Aid Detachment 2nd/23rd Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/24th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion 26th Australian Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company Divisional Troops th 9 Australian Divisional Cavalry Regiment (3) 82nd Light Aid Detachment nd nd 2 /2 Australian Machine Gun Battalion (3) © w w w . BritishMilitaryH istory.co.uk Page 1 14 January 2019 [9 AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY DIVISION (1940 – 42)] th Headquarters, Royal Australian Artillery, 9 Australian Division 2nd/7th Australian Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery 2nd/8th Australian Field Regiment, Royal Australian
    [Show full text]