Australian armoured units of World War II

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A Matilda II Tank leading Australian infantry from the 9th Division at Finschhafen, New Guinea in 1943 (AWM 016100).

Armoured units made a relatively small, but highly important, contribution to Australia’s war effort. While Australia formed no less than three armoured divisions and two independent armoured brigades during the war, Australian armoured units only saw action as independent regiments and companies supporting larger infantry formations.

[edit] Pre-War

The Australian Army formed its first armoured units in the late 1920s when two independent Tank Sections equipped with Vickers Medium tanks were formed in New South Wales and Victoria. An armoured car regiment was formed in 1933 based on the 19th Light Horse Regiment. A second armoured car regiment was formed in Sydney in 1939.

As with the rest of the Australian Army, the outbreak of war in 1939 lead to a dramatic expansion of Australia’s armoured force. Each of the four divisions in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was authorised a cavalry reconnaissance regiment equipped with light tanks and scout carriers.

[edit] Divisional Cavalry Regiments

Tanks and carriers of the 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment in Syria in 1941 (AWM 041776)

Until the formation of the 1st Armoured division, the three AIF divisional cavalry regiments were Australia’s only armoured units. What the Australian armoured force lacked in numbers, however, was more than made up by the intense activity of these regiments in the Middle East.

While all four AIF Divisions were authorised a divisional cavalry regiment, only three regiments were eventually formed as it was wrongly believed that the 8th Division did not need armoured support in Malaya. The three AIF Divisional cavalry regiments were:

• 6th Divisional Cavalry Regiment
• 7th Divisional Cavalry Regiment
• 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment (initially formed as 8th Divisional Cavalry Regiment)

In December 1941 four Militia light horse regiments were converted to form Divisional reconnaissance battalions. These Battalions were re-designated as Cavalry Regiments in late 1942. The four units were:

• 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 2nd Light Horse Regiment)
• 8th Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 8th Light Horse Regiment)
• 21st Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 21st Light Horse Regiment)
• 25th Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 25th Light Horse Regiment)

The organisation of a divisional cavalry regiment was:

• Regimental Headquarters (4 light tanks, 2 cariers)
• Administration Squadron
• Three Fighting Squadrons each with:
  • One Squadron Headquarters (2 light tanks, 2 universal carriers)
  • Two light tank troops (each with 3 light tanks)
  • Three carrier troops (each with 3 carriers)

In early 1943 the AIF divisions and three of the militia divisions were converted from motorised infantry to light infantry 'Jungle Divisions'. As part of this conversion the AIF divisional cavalry regiments were re-formed as unarmoured commando regiments with the regimental headquarters commanding previously independent commando companies. The 3rd and 5th Divisions' cavalry regiments appear to have been disbanded. Armoured support for the jungle divisions was provided, when required, by elements of the 4th Armoured Brigade Group.

[edit] Carrier Platoons and Companies

The 13/33rd Infantry Battalion's Carrier Platoon at Sydney in 1943 (AWM 053617)

During the early years of the war all Australian infantry battalions were authorised a platoon of Universal Carriers. The Carrier Platoon's main roles were to transport the Battalion's crew served weapons and conduct reconnaissance. The carriers were also occasionally used to transport infantry.

Experience in New Guinea in 1942 demonstrated that, like almost all vehicles, the Universal Carrier was ill-suited to the dense jungle terrain common throughout the south-west pacific. As a result, when the Australian Army restructured its six front-line infantry divisions as Jungle Divisions in 1943 the infantry battalion Carrier Platoons were disbanded and replaced by a single divisional carrier company. The divisions which were retained on the British-pattern organisation retained their battalion carrier platoons. Due to the Universal Carrier's vulnerability in jungle terrain the divisional carrier companies were mainly used to transport supplies to forward positions and provide defence for the division's rear areas. While the carrier companies continued to train for offensive roles it is unclear if they were ever used for this purpose.

Universal Carriers were also issued to anti-tank and armoured regiments during the war:

• Several anti-tank regiments were issued with 2 pounder guns mounted on modified Australian-built Universal Carriers.
• Standard Universal Carriers were issued to the Army's Armoured Regiments in 1941 and early 1942 for training purposes and to provide the Army with a minimal armoured capability until the arrival of large numbers of M3 Grant and M3 Stuart tanks in April 1942.

[edit] Armoured Divisions and Brigades

The 2/10th Armoured Regiment during a training exercise in Western Australia in 1943 (AWM 043801)

The Australian 1st Armoured Division was formed in 1941. Following the outbreak of hostilities with Japan a further two Armoured Divisions and two independent armoured brigades were formed:

• 2nd Armoured Division
• 3rd Armoured Division
• 3rd Army Tank Brigade
• 4th Armoured Brigade Group

Following the disbandment of the 1st Armoured Division in September 1943 the Division's 1st Armoured Brigade survived as an independent brigade group until it was also disbanded in September 1944.

[edit] Armoured Regiments and Battalions

Upon its formation the 1st Armoured Division was organised along British lines and was authorised six armoured regiments and an armoured car regiment. While these regiments began forming in mid-1941 they were not issued with any tanks as it was planned to equip the Division and finalise its training when it deployed to the Middle East between December 1941 and March 1942. Following the outbreak of war in the Pacific and the decision to retain the Division in Australia the 1st Armoured Division's armoured regiments were issued with newly-arrived M3 Grant medium tanks in April and May 1942 and the Division completed its training in northern New South Wales.

The Australian Armoured Corps was expanded in early 1942 with the conversion of the 2nd Motor Division to the 2nd Armored Division. This conversion involved three motorised regiments being armoured with M3 Grants and a further motorised regiment being converted to an armoured reconnaissance regiment. In addition, the 3rd Army Tank Brigade was formed to provide armoured support to infantry units. In keeping with this role, the Brigade's three Tank Battalions were equipped with Matilda II infantry tanks.

While a third armoured division was formed in late 1942, this only resulted in the formation of an additional armoured reconnaissance unit as the 1st Armoured Division's 2nd Armoured Brigade was assigned to the new division and provided its armoured units.

Due to the Matilda II's superior performance in jungle terrain almost of the armoured units to be deployed to the South West Pacific were re-equipped with these vehicles before deployment.

[edit] Independent Squadrons

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[edit] Summary list of Australian armoured units

This table was derived from Dust, Sand & Jungle by Paul Handel and Australian Armour by Major General R.N. Hopkins (Retired) and the unit war diaries available on the Australian War Memorial website. It is currently incomplete as it does not contain the armoured training formations and the anti-tank regiments issued with self-propelled guns and may not include all of Militia divisions' reconnaissance regiments and the armoured brigade reconnaissance squadrons.

Note that the date of formation given for the Militia units is in most cases the date they were converted from a horse-mounted or motorised unit into an armoured unit.

[edit] References

• Graham Donaldson Australian Tank Deployment
• Paul Handel (2003). Dust, Sand & Jungle: A History of Australian Armour During Training and Operations, 1927-1948. RAAC Memorial and Army Tank Museum.
• Paul Handel and Brett Green ANZAC Steel website
• Major General R.N. Hopkins (Retired) (1978). Australian Armour. A History of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps 1927-1972. Australian Government Publishing Service.
• Captain James C. Morrison Mechanising an Army : mechanisation and the conversion of the Light Horse, 1920-1943
• Australian Light Horse Association Light Horse Military Units
• www.australian-armour.com World War 2 Armoured Units
• Sentinel Website Australian Military Vehicles Index