The
1st Commando Regiment is a mixed regular and reservist commando regiment of the
Australian Army. It is part of the
Australian Special Operations Command (SOCOMD). The regiment formed on
1 February 1981 by joining the 1st and 2nd Commando Companies. The units
Headquarters is located in
Randwick, New South Wales. While 1 Commando Company is located in
HMAS Penguin,
Balmoral, New South Wales and 2 Company Fort Gellibrand in
Williamstown, Victoria. The unit motto is
"Strike Swiftly".
No. 100 Squadron was a
Royal Australian Air Force bomber and maritime patrol squadron of
World War II. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and was disbanded in 1946. No. 100 Squadron was formed at
RAAF Base Richmond on
15 February 1942. The Squadron was formed from a nucleus of
No. 100 Squadron RAF, which had been destroyed during the
Malayan Campaign, and was named in this Squadron's honour. No. 100 Squadron flew its first combat missions in June 1942. At first the squadron flew reconnaissance patrols and anti-shipping and bombing missions against the
Japanese, but switched to level bombing of Japanese installations. The Squadron continued in this role until the end of the war and was disbanded at
Finschafen on
19 August 1946.
HMAS Armidale (ACPB 83) is the lead ship of the
Armidale class patrol boats which are which are the newest patrol boats of the
Royal Australian Navy. The Armidale was officially commissioned in
Darwin on
24 June 2005. The Armidale is based in Darwin and performs border protection and fisheries protection patrols. The Armidale displaces 270 tonnes and has a range of 3000 nautical miles
The
16th (Aviation) Brigade currently commands most of the
Australian Army's aviation units. The Brigade was first formed in 1939 as an infantry brigade and saw action in
Libya,
Greece and
New Guinea as part of the
6th Division before being disbanded at the end of
World War II. The Brigade was re-raised on
2 April 2002 by combining the Aviation Support Group and the 1st Division's Aviation unit. While the 16th Brigade's headquarters is located at
Enoggera Barracks in
Brisbane the various flying and support units are based in
Darwin,
Townsville and
Oakey.
No. 461 Squadron was a
Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron of
World War II. The squadron was formed in
Britain on
25 April 1942 operating
Short Sunderland aircraft and began flying
anti-submarine patrols in July 1942. No. 461 Squadron sank three
U-Boats in
1943 and another three U-Boats in
1944. Following the end of the war the squadron was disbanded on
4 June 1945.
HMAS Swan (II) was an Australian-built
Grimsby class sloop. The
Swan was laid down by the
Cockatoo Island Dockyard at
Sydney in
New South Wales on
1 May 1935, launched on
28 March 1936 and commissioned on
21 January 1937. The
Swan served as an escort and patrol vessel during
World War II and escorted many convoys in Australian waters and the South-West Pacific. General Eather, GOC Australian 11th Division, accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in
New Ireland from General Ito on board
Swan on
18 September 1945.
Swan paid off to reserve on
18 August 1950, was converted to a training ship between October
1954 and February
1956 and recommissioned on
10 February 1956.
Swan paid off for disposal on
20 September 1962 and was sold for scrap to Hurley and Dewhurst of Sydney on
5 June 1964.
The
Australian 1st Armoured Division was an
Australian Army division of
World War II. The 1st Armoured Division was established on
1 July 1941 and was projected to be deployed to
North Africa in late 1941. These plans were dropped in early December 1941 when it was decided to retain the division in Australia to defend against the feared
Japanese landings on the Australian mainland. The Division recieved its full complement of
M3 Grant and
M3 Stuart tanks in April and May 1942 and completed its training later in 1942. From January 1943 the Division formed part of
III Corps and was based near
Geraldton, Western Australia. Due to the end of the threat to Australia and the unsuitability of large armoured formations in jungle warfare the 1st Armoured Division was disbanded in September 1943.
No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight RAAF was an artillery spotting unit which saw action in
World War II. The Flight was was formed at
Lae in New Guinea on
20 October 1944 and was equipped with four
Auster light aircraft. No. 16 AOP Flight first saw action supporting
Australian Army units in
New Guinea and later flew in support of the
Australian I Corps during the
Borneo campaign (1945). Following the war No. 16 AOP Flight was was based in
Canberra until its disbandment in mid-
1947. The Flight was reformed in
1958 as a training formation but was disbanded again in
1960 following the formation of the joint RAAF-Army Australian 16th Army Light Aircraft Squadron.
The
Coastwatchers were a group of
Australian naval officers, native islanders and escaped
prisoners of war whose task was to observe enemy movements and rescue stranded
Allied servicemen in the
Pacific Ocean during
World War II. A group of approximately 400. All naval personnel who took part in Coastwatcher operations behind enemy lines were commissioned officers of the RANVR, to protect them in case of capture, although this was not always recognized by the Japanese military, which captured and executed several.
Arthur Reginald Evans the most famous coastwatcher is credited with saving the life of future
president John F. Kennedy when his boat sunk.
The
2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion was a
battalion of the
Australian Army was raised at
Victoria Barracks,
Sydney, on
16 October 1939 as part of the
16th Brigade of the
6th Australian Division for
World War II. During the war the battalion took part in the
North African campaign,
Greek campaign and the
New Guinea campaign. The battalion took part in the advance along the
Kokoda Track between September 1942 and January 1943 with heavy losses. The Battalion disbanded in December 1945.
No. 36 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron. The Squadron was first formed in March 1942 at RAAF Base Laverton and currently operates C-130H Hercules aircraft from RAAF Base Richmond. No. 36 Squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Berlin Airlift, Korean War, Vietnam War and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Squadron has also supported Australian peacekeeping operations around the world, including in Somalia, Cambodia and East Timor.
From late 2006 No. 36 Squadron will be re-equipped with four
C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and transition to the strategic airlift role. These aircraft will be operated from
RAAF Base Amberley. No. 36 Squadron's C-130H's are expected to be transferred to
No. 37 Squadron in late
2006
HMAS Protector (II) was a
Royal Australian Navy trials and submarine rescue ship. The
Protector was purchased by the Navy in
1990 and supported the
Collins class submarine trials from
1992. While
Protector was decommissioned in 1998 she was sold to a private company and remains in use as a training ship operating out of
HMAS Creswell under the name
Sea Horse Horizon.
The
Australian 11th Battalion was a
World War I Australian Army unit. It was among the first infantry units raised for the
1st AIF during the First World War. It was the first battalion recruited in
Western Australia, and with the 9th, 10th and 12th Battalions it formed the
3rd Brigade. By the end of the war 11th Battalion suffered casualties of 1115
killed, 2249
wounded (including gassed).
No. 41 Squadron RAAF was a
Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed from 'A' Flight of
No. 33 Squadron at
Townsville on
21 August 1942 and was originally equipped with ex-
Qantas Short Empire flying boats. These aircraft were returned to Qantas in July 1943 and the Squadron operated
Dornier Do 24 flying boats until receiving the superior
Martin Mariner aircraft in early 1944. Throughout the war No. 41 Squadron flew regular transport services from its bases in Townsville,
Cairns and
Rathmines between Australia and
New Guinea and along the Australian east coast. No. 41 Squadron was disbanded at Cairns on
27 September 1945.
HMAS Vampire (D11) was a
Daring-class destroyer of the
Royal Australian Navy. She was laid down by the
Cockatoo Island Dockyard at
Sydney on
1 July 1952 and was commissioned on
23 June 1959.
Vampire spent most of her career on exercises and tours through South East Asia. Her only war time duties were to escort the transport ship
HMAS Sydney to Vietnam in
1965 and
1966 and conduct active patrols off Malaya and Borneo during the
Indonesian Confrontation in
1966.
Vampire paid off on
13 August 1986 and was preserved as a
museum ship at the
Australian National Maritime Museum at
Darling Harbour in Sydney.
The
3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is an Australian
parachute battalion based in
Sydney. 3 RAR was initially formed in 1945 as the Australian 67th Battalion and has seen active service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam and East Timor. 3 RAR was brought into the Australian media as it contained the first Australian Soldier to be killed in Iraq, Private
Jacob Kovco. 3 RAR will convert to a
light infantry battalion and relocate from
Holsworthy Barracks,
Sydney to
Townsville by
2011.
No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit (1RSU) is the
Royal Australian Air Force unit responsible for operating the
Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN). While 1 RSU's headquarters are located at
RAAF Base Edinburgh the unit also has personnel stationed at the JORN sites near
Longreach, Queensland,
Alice Springs, Northern Territory and
Laverton, Western Australia. The unit was formed on
1 July 1992.
HMAS Albatross (I) was a
seaplane tender and Australia's first
aircraft carrier.
Albatross was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at
Cockatoo Island,
Sydney in
New South Wales in April
1926, launched on
23 February 1928 by Lady Stonehaven, wife of the
Governor General of Australia, completed on
21 December 1928 and commissioned into the
Royal Australian Navy on
23 January 1929. HMAS
Albatross paid off to reserve on
26 April 1933 after four years of uneventful service, was accepted by the
Admiralty as part payment for the
cruiser HMAS Hobart and sailed for
England on
11 July 1938.
The
Australian 1st Armoured Car Squadron was an
Australian Army unit formed in 1946 as part of Australia's contribution to the
occupation of Japan. The Squadron arrived in Japan in April 1946 and conducted uneventful patrols throughout the
Australian 34th Brigade's area of responsibility until late 1948 when it returned to Australia. In July 1949 the Squadron was expanded and re-equipped with
Churchill tanks to form the
1st Armoured Regiment.
No. 30 Squadron was
Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron for most of its operational history. No. 30 Squadron was established in March 1942 as a long range fighter squadron operating the
Bristol Beaufighter. The Squadron saw action throughout the South-West Pacific before disbanding in August 1946. No. 30 Squadron was reformed in 1948 as a target towing squadron and operated in this role until 1956. The squadron was reformed again in 1961 as the RAAF's only
Surface to Air Guided Weapons Squadron and was active in this role until its disbandment in 1965.
HMS J1 later
HMAS J1 was a
Royal Navy J class submarine built by HM Dockyard at
Portsmouth in
Hampshire and launched on
6 November 1915. J1 operated in patrols in the
North Sea during
World War I. She was transferred along with 5 other J class submarines to
Australia on
25 March 1919 and operated out of
Geelong in
Victoria. She was paid off on
12 July 1922 sold on
26 February 1924 and sunk as a breakwater on
26 May 1926.
The
1st Field Regiment is a close support regiment attached to the
7th Brigade at
Enoggera Barracks in
Queensland. It is equipped with the L119 Howitzer Field Gun. The 1st Field Regiment was formed in
1914 under the name 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade, part of
1st Division Artillery. The 2nd/1st Regiment RAA was raised on
31 October 1939 at
Ingleburn, New South Wales for service in
World War II and again disbanded in January 1946. 1st Field Regiment was again raised on
25 May 1949 at
North Head,
Sydney and has remained active since.
No. 75 Squadron is an
Australian fighter squadron based at
RAAF Tindal in the
Northern Territory. The squadron was initially formed in 1942 and saw extensive action in the South-West Pacific during World War Two. The squaron was disbanded after the war and remained inactive until
24 January 1949, the squadron has been active ever since. The squadron most recently saw action in Iraq in 2003 as part of the
Australian contribution to the invasion of Iraq.
HMAS Manoora (L-52) is a
Kanimbla class landing platform that was acquired as a training and helicopter support ship. She was originally built as the
Newport class tank landing ship (LST) USS
Fairfax County for the
U.S. Navy. This required the ship to be extensively reconstructed, essentially making it a new vessel.
Manoora has seen active service in the
Persian Gulf (2002, 2003) and non-combat service in
The Solomon Islands (2000, 2001, 2003) and
East Timor (2006).
The
39th (Militia) Battalion was an
Australian Army Militia unit which played a crucial role on the
Kokoda Track in
World War II. The Battalion was raised in
Victoria in late
1941 and, apart from a small number of veterans of
World War I, consisted of young boys aged 18 or 19 years of age. The battalion was disbanded in late 1942 after taking heavy casualties at
Buna-Gona. On
8 August 2006, the Deployed Forces Support Unit was rednamed the
39th Personnel Support Battalion in honour of the 39th (Militia) Battalion.
No. 35 Squadron was a
Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron. First formed in 1942 No. 35 Squadron has seen action in
World War II and the
Vietnam War. The squadron was formed at
RAAF Base Pearce on
11 March 1942 and served in
Western Australia and the
South West Pacific during the war. The squadron was disbanded at
Townsville on
10 June 1946. The squadron was recreated on
1 June 1966 when
RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam was redesignated, the squadron then served continuously until it was formally deactivated on
10 March 2002.
HMAS Sydney (IV) is an
Adelaide class frigate laid down on
21 August 1980, launched
26 September 1980 and commissioned
29 January 1983 and is the fourth ship to bear the name
HMAS Sydney.
Sydney was recently upgraded with its missile stocks to included Harpoon II anti-ship missiles and SM-2 Standard anti-air missiles.
Sydney will remain in service until at least
2017 when the 5th
HMAS Sydney is due to be commissioned
The
Federation Guard is a tri-service ceremonial unit made up of members from the
Royal Australian Navy,
Australian Army, and
Royal Australian Air Force. Formed in 2000 for
Australia's Federation Centenary, it is the first purely ceremonial unit in the history of the
Australian armed forces, and has since represented Australia in various roles both at home and around the world, including providing the
guard at
Buckingham Palace in 2000. The "Guard" has a total of 159 members from all three services and was formed initially for the celebrations of the centenary of Australia, the standard of the Guard was such that it was kept on as a permenant unit.
No. 10 Squadron is a
Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron based at
RAAF Base Edinburgh. The Squadron was first formed on
1 July 1939 at
RAAF Base Point Cook for service during
World War II. During the war the Squadron was both the first RAAF squadron and the first
British Commonwealth squadron to see active service in WWII and the Squadron was also the only RAAF squadron to see continuous active service throughout the war. Recently the squadron has seen action in
East Timor, the
War on Terrorism and the
2003 Gulf War.
816 Squadron is a
Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron. 816 Squadron was first formed as a
Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron in 1939 embarked in
HMS Furious. The squadron has been reformed multiple time during its history, most recently in 1992. 816 is currently active as a helicopter squadron equipped with
S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters. The Squadron is based at
HMAS Albatross (NAS Nowra) and primarily operates from the Navy's
Adelaide class frigates.
The
Australian 5th Aviation Regiment is an Australian Army aviation unit. The 5th Aviation Regiment was formed at Townsville on
18 January 1988 to operate the
S-70A Blackhawk and
UH-1 Iroquois helicopters which had previously been operated by the
Royal Australian Air Force. The 5th Aviation Regiment currently operates
S-70A Blackhawk,
UH-1 Iroquois and
CH-47 Chinook helicopters and forms part of the
16th (Aviation) Brigade. The Regiment's S-70As and UH-1s will be replaced by
MRH-90 helicopters by 2015.
