Structure of the Australian Army during World War I

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Australian infantry, Ypres 1917 Australian infantry small box respirators Ypres 1917.jpg
Australian infantry, Ypres 1917

The structure of the Australian Army during World War I included a small force of mostly militia which served in Australia and larger expeditionary forces which were raised for deployment overseas following the outbreak of the conflict in August 1914. The home army consisted of the small regular Permanent Forces, the part-time Citizen Forces, and the Australian Garrison Artillery, which were maintained in Australia to defend the country from attack, while expeditionary forces consisted of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) which occupied German New Guinea from September 1914, and the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) which fought at Gallipoli in 1915, and in the Middle East and on the Western Front in Europe from 1916 to 1918. [1] [2] Following an initial precautionary mobilisation following the outbreak of war, by the end of August 1914 those units of the reserve formations of the home army that had been activated began to stand down. [3] [4] From 1915, only skeleton garrisons were maintained at coastal forts. [5] Meanwhile, as the war continued overseas the AIF sustained heavy losses, and although it expanded considerably during the war, with the voluntary recruitment system unable to replace its casualties by 1918 most of its units were significantly undermanned. [6]

Australian Army land warfare branch of Australias defence forces

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. Formed in 1901 through the amalgamation of the Australian colonial forces following federation, it is part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) commands the ADF, the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA). The CA is therefore subordinate to the CDF, but is also directly responsible to the Minister for Defence. Although Australian soldiers have been involved in a number of minor and major conflicts throughout Australia's history, only in Second World War has Australian territory come under direct attack.

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

A regular army is the official army of a state or country, contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following:

Contents

Order of battle

1914

1918

See also

Notes

Footnotes

  1. ↑ No. 1 Flight, Australian Flying Corps was formed in the 3rd Military District on 14 July 1914. [12]
  2. ↑ The Australian Intelligence Corps was disbanded on 30 September 1914 and replaced by Intelligence Sections which were formed in each Military District. It was reformed in 1939. [13]
  3. ↑ The Australian Volunteer Automobile Corps was disbanded in 1915.
  4. ↑ The Central Flying School became part of the AIF on 9 September 1918. [25]

Citations

  1. ↑ Fleming 2012, pp. 3–5.
  2. ↑ Palazzo 2001, pp. 70–76.
  3. ↑ Palazzo 2001, pp. 70.
  4. ↑ Wilcox 1999, p. 177.
  5. ↑ Scott 1941, pp. 196–198.
  6. ↑ Kuring 2004, p. 78.
  7. ↑ Australian Military Forces 1914, pp. 10–34.
  8. 1 2 3 Bou 2010, p. 100.
  9. 1 2 Hall 1968, pp. 70–71.
  10. 1 2 Palazzo 2001, p. 54.
  11. ↑ Kuring 2004, p. 40.
  12. 1 2 3 Isaacs 1971, p. 11.
  13. ↑ Dennis et al 2008, p. 65.
  14. ↑ Kuring 2004, p. 36.
  15. ↑ Kuring 2004, p. 44.
  16. ↑ MacKenzie 1941, pp. 26–27.
  17. ↑ Stevenson 2013, p. 29.
  18. 1 2 Mallett, Ross. "Part A: Formations". First AIF Order of Battle 1914–1918. Australian Defence Force Academy. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  19. ↑ Hall 1968, p. 39.
  20. ↑ Australian Military Forces 1918, pp. 8–31.
  21. ↑ Kuring 2004, pp. 40–42.
  22. ↑ Grey 2008, p. 86.
  23. ↑ MacKenzie 1941, pp. 154–155.
  24. ↑ Palazzo 2001, p. 68.
  25. 1 2 Coulthard-Clark 1991, p. 12.

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