Farida Force

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Farida Force

Farida Force amphibious landing 1945 (AWM photo OG2945).jpg

Farida Force landing at Dove Bay
Active 1945
Country Australia
Branch Australian Army
Type Ad hoc composite force
Size 623 men
Part of Attached to Australian 6th Division
Engagements Aitape-Wewak campaign
Commanders
Commander Eric Claude Hennessy

Farida Force was the name given to an ad hoc composite Australian Army formed during World War II. Largely consisting of Australian commandos, the force was established for the purpose for conducting an amphibious landing at Dove Bay, east of Wewak during the Aitape-Wewak campaign. Coming ashore in mid-May 1945, the force quickly established a beachhead and pushed inland, cutting the Wewak road. Afterwards, the commandos conducted patrolling operations before Farida Force was dissolved and its constituent units placed under the command of the 19th Brigade for further operations around Wewak.

Australian Army land warfare branch of Australias defence forces

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. 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 its history, only in World War II has Australian territory come under direct attack.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

The name commando has been applied to a variety of Australian special forces and light infantry units that have been formed since 1941–42. The first Australian "commando" units were formed during the Second World War, where they mainly performed reconnaissance and long-range patrol roles during Australia's campaigns in New Guinea and Borneo, although other units such as M and Z Special Units performed more clandestine roles. These units were disbanded following the end of the war; however, in the 1950s it was realised that there was a need for such units again in the Australian forces. Today, the Australian Army possesses a number of units that perform more conventional direct-action type commando roles, as well as counter-terrorism response, long-range patrolling, and clandestine deep-penetration operations.

Contents

Composition

The force consisted of 623 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Eric Hennessy, commanding officer of the 2/6th Cavalry (Commando) Regiment. On 11 May 1945, the force conducted an amphibious landing at Dove Bay, east of Wewak during the Aitape-Wewak campaign. [1] It was made up of troops drawn from the 2/9th and 2/10th Commando Squadrons, two 75mm guns of the 1st Anti-Tank Battery, one company from the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion serving as infantry as well as a platoon of machine-gunners from that unit, two detachments of mortars and other support elements. [2]

2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment (Australia) cavalry regiment of the Australian Army

The 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War and was later converted into a commando unit. Formed at Ingleburn, New South Wales, in November 1939, it was originally raised as an armoured reconnaissance regiment attached to the 6th Division. In that role, the 2/6th saw action in the North Africa campaign and in the Middle East during 1940–41, where the regiment distinguished itself at Bardia, Tobruk and in Syria. Later, following Japan's entry into the war, the 6th Division was brought back to Australia and following a re-organisation, the regiment was converted into a cavalry commando regiment, incorporating the independent companies that had been formed at the start of the war. In late 1944, the 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment was deployed to New Guinea, where it participated in one of the final Australian campaigns of the war in the Aitape–Wewak area.

2/9th Commando Squadron (Australia) commando unit raised by the Australian Army

The 2/9th Commando Squadron was a commando unit raised by the Australian Army for service in World War II. Raised in 1944, the unit saw action late in the war against the Japanese during the Aitape–Wewak campaign taking part in number of long range patrol operations across the Torricelli Range in New Guinea before being used in an amphibious landing near Wewak in May 1945. After the war the unit was disbanded.

2/10th Commando Squadron (Australia) commando unit raised by the Australian Army

The 2/10th Commando Squadron was a commando unit raised by the Australian Army for service in World War II. Raised in 1944, the unit saw action late in the war against the Japanese during the Aitape–Wewak campaign. During this campaign the squadron carried out a number of tasks including long-range patrols, flank protection and area defence. Later in the campaign the 2/10th were used to spearhead an amphibious assault landing at Dove Bay, east of Wewak before being used as line infantry during the final 'mopping up' stages of the campaign. Following the end of the war the unit was disbanded.

History

The force was transported to the form up point 10,000 yards (9,100 m) off the landing beach in three vessels, the Swan, Dubbo and Colac, and from there they transferred to assault craft. [3] The first wave went in to the beach at 08:34, landing slightly to the west of their assigned beach, and experienced no effective opposition. Minutes later the second wave arrived, carrying the rest of the commando assault force. Advancing inland to establish a beach-head, the squadrons encountered very little resistance, although there were signs of recent enemy departure. By 10:24 the beach-head was established and stores began flowing from the transports off shore. [4]

HMAS <i>Swan</i> (U74) sloop-of-war

HMAS Swan (U74/F74/A427), named for the Swan River, was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) that served during World War II.

HMAS <i>Dubbo</i> (J251)

HMAS Dubbo (J251/M251), named for the city of Dubbo, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

HMAS <i>Colac</i> Bathurst-class corvette of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Colac (J242/M05), named for the town of Colac, Victoria, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Over the course of the next week and a half, the elements of Farida Force began patrol operations around the surrounding area and cut the Wewak road, before being placed under the command of the 19th Brigade under Brigadier James Martin [5] on 20 May 1945. [6]

19th Brigade (Australia)

The 19th Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army that was raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for service during World War II. It was briefly raised in 1912 as a Militia formation providing training as part of the compulsory training scheme. Later, during World War II, the brigade was established in April 1940 in Palestine as a triangular formation, the brigade was created by transferring one infantry battalion from three other brigades. It was subsequently assigned to the 6th Division. Throughout 1941, the brigade fought in North Africa, Greece and on Crete, before undertaking garrison duties in Syria, remaining there until January 1942. Following the Japanese entry into the war, the 19th Brigade was withdrawn to Australia and subsequently undertook garrison duties in Darwin. It did not see combat again until late in the war, when it was committed to the Aitape–Wewak campaign in 1944–1945. The brigade was disbanded in December 1945 in Puckapunyal.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Long 1963, p. 350.
  2. ↑ Long 1963, p. 344.
  3. ↑ Long 1963, p. 350.
  4. ↑ Long 1963, p. 351.
  5. ↑ "Colonel (Temporary Brigadier) James Eric Martin, CBE, DSO, OBE" . Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  6. ↑ Long 1963, p. 351.

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References

Gavin Long 20th-century Australian journalist and historian

Gavin Merrick Long was an Australian journalist and military historian. He was the general editor of the official history series Australia in the War of 1939–1945 and the author of three of its 22 volumes.

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OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Incorporated d/b/a OCLC is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs". It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog (OPAC) in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services. OCLC also maintains the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

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