List of Australian divisions in World War I

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Australian infantrymen of the 3rd Division during the Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918. AWM C04101 35th Battalion 8 August 1918.jpeg
Australian infantrymen of the 3rd Division during the Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918.

The following is a list of Australian divisions in World War I, including all infantry and mounted divisions of the Australian Army during that conflict. During the war, Australia raised an all volunteer force for overseas service, known as the Australian Imperial Force, which subsequently served in several theatres, including the Gallipoli Campaign, the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Between the start of the war in August 1914 and its end in November 1918, Australia raised a total of seven infantry divisions, one of which the New Zealand and Australian Division was also manned by New Zealanders. [1] Of these, six took part in combat, while one the 6th was broken up in the United Kingdom and disbanded in September 1917 before being deployed due to manpower shortages. [2] In addition, there were two mounted divisions raised: the ANZAC Mounted Division and the Australian Mounted Division. [3]

Contents

Divisions

DesignationDate raisedDate disbandedCampaignsNotes
Australian 1st Division 19141919Gallipoli and the Western Front [4] [5]
Australian 2nd Division 19151919Gallipoli and the Western Front [4]
Australian 3rd Division 19161919Western Front [4] [6]
Australian 4th Division 19161919Western Front [4]
Australian 5th Division 19161919Western Front [4]
Australian 6th Division 19171917Broken up before being deployed [4] [7]
New Zealand and Australian Division 19151915Gallipoli [4] [8]
ANZAC Mounted Division 19161919Sinai and Palestine Campaign [4] [9]
Australian Mounted Division 19171919Sinai and Palestine Campaign [4] [10]

See also

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Chaytor's Force named after its commander, Major General Edward Chaytor, was a composite division-sized force which served in the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. The force of 11,000 men, consisted of a division headquarters, three mounted and one infantry brigades, four independent infantry battalions and four artillery batteries and was detached from the Desert Mounted Corps for deception operations.

Australian Army during World War I Military unit

The Australian Army was the largest service in the Australian military during World War I. The First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the Army's main expeditionary force and was formed from 15 August 1914 with an initial strength of 20,000 men, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Meanwhile, the separate, hastily raised 2,000-man Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF), landed near Rabaul in German New Guinea on 11 September 1914 and obtained the surrender of the German garrison after ten days; it later provided occupation forces for the duration of the war. In addition, small military forces based on the pre-war Permanent Forces and part-time Citizen Forces were maintained in Australia to defend the country from attack.

References

Citations
  1. Grey 2008, p. 92.
  2. Grey 2008, pp. 100–101.
  3. Grey 2008, pp. 99 & 117.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Grey 2008, pp. 92–117.
  5. Stevenson 2007, pp. 185–187.
  6. Palazzo 2002, p. 1.
  7. Mallett, Ross. "Sixth Division, AIF (England, February – September 1917)". 1st AIF Order of Battle. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  8. "New Zealand & Australian Division". Australian War Memorial . Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  9. "ANZAC Mounted Division". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  10. Falls & MacMunn 1930, pp. 273–274.
Bibliography