II Corps was an Australian Armycorps, one of three that were raised by the Army during the Second World War. Formed in mid-1942 as part of defensive measures to protect the eastern coast of Australia from invasion, the corps was initially composed mainly of home defence troops drawn from the Militia. For a brief period in 1942, a US infantry division was also assigned to the corps prior to its dispatch to fight the Japanese in New Guinea.
After the threat of invasion passed, the corps took more of an operational role and from late 1943 until the end of the war it commanded a mix of Second Australian Imperial Force and Militia units in action against the Japanese in New Guinea and on Bougainville. Following the conclusion of hostilities, the corps headquarters was disbanded in September 1945, and its constituent units transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division.
However, throughout the corps' existence, its composition changed many times. The first change came a couple months after its formation when, in July, the 2nd Infantry Division was transferred to Western Australia, to join III Corps, and II Corps headquarters moved north to Queensland. Initially, it had been planned to move to Gayndah, but the dispatch of the Australian I Corps and the 7th Infantry Division to New Guinea resulted in II Corps headquarters being sent to Esk instead. At this time, the corps gained control of the Australian 3rd Infantry Division and the US 32nd Infantry Division, which were positioned astride the state capital of Brisbane.[5]
There was a change in command in August–September 1942, when Lieutenant General Edmund Herring took over from Northcott as part of a restructuring of the Army.[6][7] Further changes occurred over the next few months. As the fighting in New Guinea escalated, the 32nd Infantry Division was deployed to the combat zone and II Corps was reduced to only the Australian 3rd Infantry Division and a large number of support troops, including those that had been left behind by I Corps.[5]
The headquarters moved to Mount Mee, Queensland, in December 1942, but this was only short-lived as another move took place the following month, which saw II Corps move to Barrine, Queensland, on the Atherton Tablelands. The area had been selected as the location of a large concentration area for Australian troops to rest and prepare for jungle warfare prior to further offensives, and II Corps was given responsibility for the base area and training programs. Throughout the first half of 1943, all three of the remaining Second Australian Imperial Force infantry divisions moved through the area,[8] with the 7th Infantry Division concentrating around Ravenshoe in February, followed by the 6th and 9th Infantry Division a month later at Wondecla and Kairi respectively.[5]
In the second half of 1943, the Army was reorganised just before the operations to secure Lae. The 7th Infantry Division was sent to Port Moresby in July and the 9th Infantry Division went to Milne Bay. By August 1943, II Corps was under the command of Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, with its headquarters at Barinne, with the 6th Division (consisting of the 16th and 19th Infantry Brigades), and the 2/7th Cavalry Commando Regiment under its control.[8] Two months later, the corps was committed to an operational role in New Guinea. At this time, the corps headquarters was deployed to Dobodura where it took over from I Corps, and given control of a wide area and a number of divisions, including several in combat: the 7th Infantry Division, which was advancing through the Markham and Ramu Valleys, the 9th Infantry Division on the securing the Huon Peninsula, as well as the Militia 5th and 11th Infantry Divisions, which were undertaking garrison duties in Lae and Buna.[9]
An Australian mortar team during an exercise on Sirot Island, December 1944
In November 1943, Lieutenant General Frank Berryman took over command from Morshead. The politics of this promotion – and the non promotion of the 7th Division's commander, Major General George Vasey, meant that the 7th Division was removed from II Corps and became a direct reporting until under New Guinea Force. Meanwhile, advanced elements of II Corps headquarters moved from Finschhafen, leaving a rear detachment behind at Dobodura. After the Sio was secured, the 9th Infantry Division was withdrawn to Australia for rest in February 1944, while the 5th Infantry Division replaced them around Finschhafen. In April, Madang was captured, effectively bringing large scale combat operations to a close temporarily for Australian forces in New Guinea, and allowing a reorganisation. At this time, the 11th Infantry Division moved from Buna via Lae to relieve the 7th Infantry Division in the Markham and Ramu Valleys.[10]
The same month, the headquarters staff of II Corps were relieved by those from I Corps, with Lieutenant General Stanley Savige arriving from the Atherton Tablelands to assume command. It was a swap of personnel only, with the deployed corps keeping the designation of II Corps.[11] Nevertheless, in May, II Corps headquarters was redesignated as Headquarters New Guinea force when the previous New Guinea Force was disbanded; based in Lae, the formation' main elements were in Madang (5th Infantry Division), and Lae (11th Infantry Division), and the 3rd Infantry Division in the process of arriving.[10]
The final months of 1944 saw the Australians assume responsibility for several rear areas in New Guinea and elsewhere, to relieve US troops and free them up for further offensives in the Philippines. A reorganisation followed as preparations were made for deployments to Bougainville, New Britain and western New Guinea. The headquarters of the First Australian Army was established at Lae with a view to assuming control of all Australian forces in New Guinea. Consequently, the 5th Division became a direct command unit of the First Army for its deployment to New Britain,[12] and Headquarters New Guinea force was redesignated as II Corps in September. II Corps subsequently moved to Torokina, on Bougainville, in November to take over from the US XIV Corps,[13] and to direct the operations of the 3rd Division (consisting of the 7th, 15th and 29th Infantry Brigades), as well as two other brigades – 11th and 23rd, with the later initially detailed to defend the Outer Islands (Green, Emirau, and the Treasury Islands, and Munda, on New Georgia).[13] While the US troops had largely remained in the perimeter that had been established around Torokina, the Australians began offensive operations, to advance south towards the main Japanese base in Buin, to secure Numa Numa in the centre of the island, and push north towards Buka. When the fighting came to an end in mid-August 1945, the Australians were just short of their objective in the south and had made gains in the other two sectors.[10]
Following the cessation of hostilities, II Corps staff took the surrender of Lieutenant General Masatane Kanda's Seventeenth Army on Bougainville, and implemented the terms of surrender throughout August and September. As preparations were made for the post-war draw down of Australia's military, the 23rd Brigade was chosen to remain on Bougainville as a garrison force. On 23 September, the corps commander, Savige, relinquished command to assume the role of Director of Demobilisation and Repatriation in Melbourne. In his stead, Major General William Bridgeford assumed administrative command. The following day, 24 September, II Corps headquarters closed. The formation's constituent units were then transferred to the direct command of the 3rd Infantry Division.[14] In the post war period, no corps-level formations have been raised by the Australian Army.[15]
Order of battle
Upon establishment, the following formations assigned to II Corps:[5]
The First Australian Army was a field army of the Australian Army, during World War II. The formation's headquarters was raised in April 1942 from the existing 1st Australian Corps headquarters, assuming command of all Allied troops in Queensland. Initially, the formation was assigned a defensive role in anticipation of a possible Japanese invasion; however, this threat subsided and eventually the army was deployed to Lae, in New Guinea, in late 1944, where it co-ordinated Australian offensives around Aitape, in New Guinea, on New Britain and Bougainville, and around Madang. The formation was disbanded in February 1946, when it was redesignated as the 8th Military District.
The 10th Division was a division of the Australian Army, which served briefly during World War II. It was initially formed on 15 April 1942 from the Militia units of the Newcastle Covering Force. However, personnel shortages led to the division being disbanded in August that year.
The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied grand strategy in the South Pacific. The campaign took place in the Northern Solomons in two phases. The first phase, in which American troops landed and held the perimeter around the beachhead at Torokina, lasted from November 1943 through November 1944.
III Corps was an Australian Army unit during World War II. It was responsible for the defence of Western Australia in 1942–1944. The corps was formed in April 1942 from Western Command, which had been established in October 1939. Throughout the war, the formation's size expanded and contracted as available manpower, and the strategic situation, dictated. At its height, the corps consisted of two infantry divisions and one armoured division, which were deployed to defend against a Japanese invasion threat, which ultimately never eventuated. The corps ceased to exist in June 1944 when it was converted back into Western Command, which remained until the end of the war in 1945.
I Corps was an Australian Army corps, one of three that were raised by the Army during World War II. It was the main Australian operational corps for much of the war. Various Australian and other Allied divisions came under its control at different times. In 1940–1942, the corps was based in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern theatres, and controlled forces in action against the Germans, Italians and later the Vichy French in North Africa, Greece and Syria–Lebanon.
The 5th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army which served during the First and Second World Wars. The division was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades. In addition to the existing 8th Brigade were added the new 14th and 15th Brigades, which had been raised from the battalions of the 1st and 2nd Brigades respectively. From Egypt the division was sent to France and then Belgium, where they served in the trenches along the Western Front until the end of the war in November 1918. After the war ended, the division was demobilised in 1919.
The 17th Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Australian Army. First raised in 1912 as a Militia formation to provide training under the compulsory training scheme, the brigade was later re-raised as part of the First Australian Imperial Force during World War I. Established in 1917 in the United Kingdom, it was broken up and disbanded without seeing action, and its personnel used as reinforcements for other formations. Reformed during World War II, it took part in fighting in Libya, Greece, Crete, Syria in 1941–1942. Following Japan's entry into the war, the Australian government pressed for the 6th Division's return, and the 17th Brigade was subsequently brought back from the Middle East, via Ceylon where they undertook defensive duties until July 1942. Following the brigade's return to Australia, it was deployed to New Guinea for two campaigns: the Salamaua–Lae campaign in 1943 and the Aitape–Wewak campaign in 1944–1945. After the war, the brigade was disbanded in January 1946. Today, its name is perpetuated by the 17th Sustainment Brigade, which was raised as a logistics formation in May 2006.
Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in the First World War and Second World War.
The 29th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army that was raised for service during World War II. Formed in late 1941 as part of the Militia, the brigade was initially formed for home defence in response to Japan's entry into the war. Composed of three Queensland-based infantry battalions and various supporting elements, the brigade initially undertook defensive duties around Townsville in 1941–1942 before deploying to New Guinea in 1943. There, the brigade undertook garrison duties before taking part in the Salamaua–Lae campaign. After a period of almost 18 months overseas, the brigade's elements were returned to Australia for a period of rest and reorganisation before later being assigned to the Bougainville campaign in 1944–1945. After the war, the brigade was disbanded in December 1945, along with its component units.
The Second Army was a field army of the Australian Army, during World War II. Raised in April 1942 from the existing HQ Home Forces, the formation remained in Australia throughout the war and was responsible for commanding forces in the Australian eastern states. Initially, the formation controlled several divisions, including several US formations; however, as the focus of the Allied war effort shifted north the formation was reduced in size over 1943. Throughout 1944 and 1945, the formation's combat forces were greatly reduced and eventually it became a largely training and line of communications headquarters. The war ended in August 1945, and the formation ceased to exist in early 1946.
The 2/4th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army, which served during World War II. The regiment was formed in November 1942 as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force by amalgamating a number of previously existing armoured units and was disbanded in September 1946 after seeing action in New Guinea and Bougainville Island, where it provided individual squadron-group sized elements which operated in support of infantry operations against the Japanese. During its service the regiment received 10 battle honours.
The 11th Brigade is an Australian Army brigade which currently comprises most Australian Army Reserve units located in Queensland. The brigade was first formed in early 1912 following the introduction of the compulsory training scheme. Later, as part of the 3rd Division and saw action during World War I on the Western Front as part of the First Australian Imperial Force. In the interwar years, the brigade was re-raised with its headquarters in Brisbane. During World War II, it undertook garrison and defensive duties in north Queensland before deploying to Dutch New Guinea in 1943. In 1944–1945, the brigade took part in the fighting against the Japanese on Bougainville. In the postwar era, the 11th Brigade was raised and disbanded several times, before being raised in Townsville in 1987, where its headquarters is currently located. It forms part of the 2nd Division, and consists of units based across Queensland and New South Wales.
New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian, United States and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Army was formed from the Australian I Corps after it returned from the Middle East, it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944. General Headquarters Southwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No.7 of 25 May 1942, issued by Commander-Allied-Forces, General Douglas MacArthur, placed all Australian and US Army, Air Force and Navy Forces in the Port Moresby Area under the control of New Guinea Force. Over the course of its existence, New Guinea Force was commanded by some of the Australian Army's most notable commanders, including Sydney Rowell, Sir Edmund Herring and Sir Leslie Morshead.
The 2nd Armoured Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in July 1941, at Puckapunyal, Victoria, from Second Australian Imperial Force volunteers. It was assigned to the 1st Armoured Division in July 1941, with the intention of deploying it to the Middle East. However, it was reassigned to home defence following Japan's entry into the war, and was then transferred to the 3rd Armoured Division in October 1942. The brigade remained in Australia, undertaking defensive duties in Victoria and Queensland before being disbanded in January 1944. While it did not see any active service as a formation, some of its constituent units eventually took part in the campaigns on Tarakan, Labuan, Bougainville and around Aitape–Wewak in 1944–1945 after transferring to other brigades.
The 15th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army. Originally raised in 1912 as a Militia formation, the brigade was later re-raised in 1916 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force during World War I. The brigade took part in the fighting on the Western Front in France and Belgium during 1916–1918 before being disbanded in 1919. After this it was re-raised as a part-time unit of the Citizens Force in 1921 in Victoria. During World War II the brigade undertook defensive duties and training in Victoria and Queensland, before being deployed to New Guinea in 1943. Over the course of 1943 and 1944, it took part in the Salamaua–Lae, Markham–Ramu campaigns before returning to Australia in late 1944. In mid-1945, the brigade was committed to the Bougainville campaign, before being disbanded following the end of hostilities.
The 11th Division was an Australian Army unit formed during World War II by the renaming of Milne Force in December 1942. Predominately a Militia formation, the division's main role during the war was as a base command headquarters, although elements saw action in New Guinea against Japanese forces during the Finisterre Range campaign and in New Britain. It was disbanded in July 1946.
The 23rd Brigade was a brigade of the Australian Army. It was briefly raised in 1912 as a Militia formation providing training as part of the compulsory training scheme. Later, it was re-formed in July 1940 for service during the Second World War, the brigade was initially a formation of the Second Australian Imperial Force assigned to the 8th Division; however, after its sub units were captured by the Japanese in 1942 it was reformed with Militia battalions and was mainly used in a garrison role around Darwin, in the Northern Territory, until late in the war when it was committed to the fighting against the Japanese on Bougainville. It was disbanded in 1946.
Lieutenant General Sir Alwyn Ragnar Garrett, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Australian Army. He served as Chief of the General Staff (CGS) from 1958 to 1960.
The 2/11th Field Regiment was an Australian Army artillery regiment formed as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force during World War II. Formed in Victoria in mid-1940, the regiment was deployed to the Middle East in 1941 and subsequently took part in the fighting against the Vichy French in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign. In early 1942, they were brought back to Australia in response to Japan's entry into the war, and in 1943 joined the garrison in Darwin. Throughout 1944–45, the regiment was deployed to New Guinea before supporting the 3rd Division's campaign on Bougainville. After the war, the regiment was disbanded.
The 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment was an Australian Army anti-tank artillery regiment that was raised for service during the Second World War as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force. It was formed in July 1940, and was assigned to the 8th Division, but was later reassigned to the 9th Division. With this formation, the regiment took part in the Siege of Tobruk in 1941 and then the First and Second Battles of El Alamein in 1942. After returning to Australia in early 1943, the regiment became a corps-assigned unit, and its individual batteries served in New Guinea in 1943–1944, and then Borneo against the Japanese in 1945.
References
Browne, Geoff (2007). "Herring, Sir Edmund France (Ned) (1892–1982)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 17. Melbourne University Press. pp.520–523.|volume= has extra text (help)
Dennis, Peter; etal. (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-553227-9.
Keogh, Eustace (1965). South West Pacific 1941–45. Melbourne, Victoria: Grayflower Publications. OCLC7185705.
Long, Gavin (1963). The Final Campaigns. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1– Army. Volume VII (1sted.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC1297619.|volume= has extra text (help)
McCarthy, Dudley (1959). South-West Pacific Area– First Year. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1– Army. Volume V. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC3134247.|volume= has extra text (help)
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