| 2/3rd Battalion | |
|---|---|
Members of the 2/3rd Battalion during a memorial service held for members of the unit who were killed in the Aitape–Wewak Campaign |
|
| Active | 24 October 1939 – 8 February 1946 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~800–900 men[Note 1] |
| Part of | 16th Brigade, 6th Division |
| Colours | Brown over Green |
| Engagements | Second World War |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch | |
The 2/3rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised for service during Second World War as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, it was formed in October 1939 in Sydney and was attached to the 16th Brigade, 6th Division. It was one of only two Australian infantry battalions to fight against all the major Axis powers of the war—the Germans, Italians, Japanese and Vichy French—seeing action in North Africa, Greece, Crete, and Syria in 1941–42 before returning to Australia following Japan's entry into the war. In 1942–43 the battalion took part in fighting along the Kokoda Track before returning to Australia where it spent over a year training. In December 1944 the 2/3rd returned to New Guinea to take part in the Aitape–Wewak campaign and remained there until the war ended. Following the end of hostilities, the battalion was disbanded on 8 February 1946 in Brisbane.
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Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, due to the provisions of the Defence Act (1903) which restricted the deployment of the part-time Militia to only those areas considered to be Australian territory, the Australian government decided to raise an all volunteer force for service overseas. This force was known as the Second Australian Imperial Force, and the first division raised as part of it was the 6th Division.[1] As a unit of this formation, the 2/3rd Battalion was formed at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, on 24 October 1939.[2] Along with the 2/1st, 2/2nd and 2/4th Battalions, the 2/3rd were assigned to the 16th Brigade.[3]
The battalion's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Vivian England—an officer who had served in the First World War and had continued to serve in the Militia, commanding the 55th Battalion.[3] Personnel for the battalion were raised from an area around New South Wales that is known by the Aboriginal name of "The Werriwa". This area is bounded by a line from Sydney to Bega in the south, and from Bega, west to the Snowy Mountains, Cooma, Canberra, Yass, then north to Sydney through the Goulburn and Liverpool areas. The men were enlisted from 20 October onwards, and by 3 November 1939 the battalion was formed.[4] The colours chosen for the Unit Colour Patch (UCP) were the same as that of the 3rd Battalion, a unit which had served during the First World War before being raised as a Militia formation in 1921. These colours were chocolate over green, although a 3 mm border of gray was added to the border of the UCP to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart which would also go on the serve with distinction later during the war.[5]
Following a brief period of training at Liverpool and Ingleburn, the battalion took part in a farewell march through Sydney[6][Note 2] before sailing in the first troop convoy to leave Australia on 10 January 1940. They disembarked at El Kantara on the Suez Canal on 14 February 1940[2] and from there they were trucked to their camp at Julis in Palestine, where they undertook further training.[7]
The first engagement that Australian troops were involved in during the Second World War came at Bardia, a major Italian military outpost in the north of Libya. The 16th Brigade broke through Bardia's western defensive perimeter at dawn on 3 January 1941, when the 2/1st Battalion breached the wire defences and swung left before advancing. The 2/2nd Battalion followed suit, swinging to the right, and the 2/3rd then moved straight through the breach. Meanwhile, the 17th Brigade led a diversion to the south. Although the 16th Brigade was able to capture Bardia in the late afternoon of 4 January, continued resistance meant that fighting did not cease until the next morning. Some 40,000 Italians were captured along with "...large quantities of arms, equipment, rations and alcohol. All of which was put to good use by the Australians."[8] During this period, the 2/3rd lost five officers and 56 men killed or wounded.[9]
After this, the Allied forces advanced to the fortified naval outpost of Tobruk.[10] The 6th Division attacked the perimeter defences early on 21 January, following a week of continuous bombardment from both land and sea. The 2/3rd Battalion was tasked with breaching the outer Italian defences for the 2/1st Battalion to pass through.[11] Following the initial breakthrough, the 2/3rd then advanced west along the inner ring of defences, attacking a number of Italian posts as they went.[12] Tobruk fell the next day, with the Italians surrendering to the commander of the 19th Brigade. The Italian flag was taken down and in the absence of an Australian flag, a signaler from the 2/4th Battalion tied his slouch hat to the flag staff and hauled it up to the top.[13] The battalion's losses during the fighting for Tobruk were seven officers and 50 men killed or wounded.[14]
Following the capture of the town, the 2/3rd garrisoned Tobruk, although B Company was detached to the 19th Brigade for its assault on Derna, and remained there after its capture on 30 January.[2] Prime Minister Robert Menzies broke his journey from Australia to England to address the troops after the capture of Tobruk.[15] On 7 March 1941, the battalion left Tobruk, along with the rest of the 6th Division, to bolster the Allied defences in Greece.[2]
On 18 March 1941, the 2/3rd Battalion sailed from Alexandria aboard HMS Gloucester, arriving in Greece and landing in the port of Piraeus on the following day,[2] after a 22-hour voyage in which their convoy was attacked by Axis air-raids.[16] After the invasion of the country on 6 April, they were moved north to attempt to turn back the German forces. The following day they occupied Veria,[2] however, and on 12 April the 6th Division was grouped together with the New Zealand 2nd Division and a lone British brigade to form an Anzac Corps.[17] This formation did not last long however, as the Greek government requested Allied forces withdraw from Greece on 16 April before ceasing organised resistance on 18 April.[18] Due to a series of withdrawals elsewhere, the battalion was forced to pull back from its positions at Veria and did not come into contact with the Germans until 18 April when they attempted to block passage of the Tempe Gorge. Fighting alongside the 2/2nd Battalion and New Zealanders, the rearguard action was successful and enabled the Allies to withdraw to the south.[2][Note 3][19]
With the Germans enjoying numberical superiority on the ground, and with the Luftwaffe in total control of the skies, they then captured the township of Tempe. Fierce rearguard fighting continued though, as the Australian and New Zealand forces withdrew to a new defensive line at Thermopylae. However, with the situation deteriorating an official evacuation plan was issued on 21 April, and on 25 April—Anzac Day—parties of evacuating Allied troops marched through Athens on their way to the coast.[20]The 2/3rd Battalion subsequently embarked from Kalamata on 27 April.[2]
While the majority of the 2/3rd Battalion was successfully evacuated to Egypt, and eventually returned to the camp they had previously occupied in Palestine, 141 men were evacuated to the island of Crete instead, after the transport ship they were on was sunk. On Crete they were formed into a composite battalion with men from other units of the 16th Brigade, and together the unit became known as the 16th Brigade Composite Battalion.[2] With only limited small arms and ammunition they moved to positions above Kalives on the shores of Suda Bay to undertake garrison duties.[21] Following the German invasion of the island on 20 May 1941, some of these troops saw direct action against German paratroopers and after the Allied evacuation from the island a week later, they undertook active patrols around the island, before being evacuated on 31 May 1941 aboard HMS Phoebe. They arrived in Alexandria on 1 June 1941.[22]
Australian troops from the 7th Division were already fighting in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign when the reformed 2/3rd Battalion, along with the 2/5th Battalion and the 6th Division Cavalry Regiment were committed as reinforcements. In a bitter campaign that lasted 28 days the Vichy French and French colonial forces attempted to resist the Allied invasion. During this time the battalion took part in battles at Damascus on 20–22 June; at Jebel Mazar on 24–28 June; and Damour on 6–10 July. Following the armistice on 14 July, the troops remained in Syria until January 1942 preparing defences and undertaking other garrison duties.[2]
Following Japan's entry into the war in December 1941 the decision was made to bring the 6th Division back to bolster the Allied defences in the Pacific. Consequently the 2/3rd Battalion left the Middle East on 10 March 1942,[2] aboard the steamer Otrango. The original intention was that they would be sent to reinforce Java,[23] however, while they were at sea concerns about a Japanese attack on Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), prompted the divertion of the 16th and 17th Brigades to Colombo, and they arrived there on 21 March.[23] The freighter Ben Rennies, carrying the battalion's vehicles arrived shortly afterwards and the 2/3rd then took up defensive positions in the southeast part of the island, which was considered to be the most likely location for a Japanese invasion force to land.[23]
On 5 April, a Japanese naval force sortied from the recently conquered Andaman Islands and launched a series of attacks by carrier-based aircraft on Colombo and Trincomalee.[24] Another attack occurred on 9 April.[23] Little damage was done on land, however both the British and Australian navies suffered losses.[25] Regardless, the Japanese failed to sustain their initial momentum and the expected invasion did not occur. Nevertheless, men from the 2/3rd Battalion were kept busy for the remainder of their time preparing defences, manning anti-aircraft positions and undertaking jungle training, during which time they received instruction in lessons learned from operations in Malaya and Singapore.[26] The men were taught how to use the jungle "...to 'melt' into the foliage; to retrace their steps at night; to use camouflage properly; to detect human presence by crushed twigs and disturbed leaf mould; to move silently over undergrowth. To build shelters; and to discern human from animal sounds."[27]
In July British forces were sent from India to relieve the Australian troops in Ceylon. Subsequently preparations were made for the 2/3rd Battalion to return to Australia, and after embarking upon the SS Westernland,[28] they arrived in Melbourne on 8 August 1942,[2] having returned via the southern route away from the Japanese submarines patrolling the east coast. After this, the troops all received two weeks home leave, staggered from their arrival. The final group had their leave cut short after only three days, however, when they were recalled by urgent telegram.[29] The 16th Brigade was again on the move, this time to Port Moresby in New Guinea, where the fighting against the Japanese along the Kokoda Track was reaching a critical stage. After a short voyage, the brigade arrived at Port Moresby on 21 September 1942.[30]
Following their arrival at Port Moresby, the 16th Brigade along with the 25th Brigade, prepared to relieve the forces on the Kokoda Track. With the Australians having finally halted Japanese advance, the fresh troops would be tasked with launching a counterattack in order to drive the Japanese back to Buna in the north. Consequently, throughout October, November and into December the 2/3rd Battalion took part in three major actions: Eora Creek (22–28 October), Oivi (5–12 November), and on the Sanananda Track (21 November–19 December).[2]
On 3 October General Douglas MacArthur spoke to the 16th Brigade's commander, Brigadier John Lloyd, at Ower's Corner, at the foot of the Kokoda Track: "Lloyd, by some act of God your Brigade has been chosen for this job. The eyes of the Western world are upon you. I have every confidence in you and your men. Good luck and don't stop."[31] The 16th Brigade arrived at Templeton's Crossing on 19 October, just three days behind the 2/25th and the 2/33rd Battalions, whom they then relieved.[32] The following day the 16th Brigade continued the advance but found that the Japanese had withdrawn to Eora Creek, where they had established a strong defensive position.[33]
Here the Japanese held the high ground in well-concealed positions that had clear fields of fire into the narrow gorge below.[34] With no other options, the 16th Brigade was forced to assault the Japanese defences frontally, advancing straight up the gorge. Amidst torrential rain and stiff defence, progress was slow as each defensive position had to be dealt with singly. As the water level in the creek rose steadily, the troops came under heavy mortar fire and were attacked with grenades lobbed from the heights above. The supply situation grew desperate too, however, by 28 October the 2/3rd Battalion had managed to work its way around the Japanese right flank in preparation for an attack.[34] In the afternoon, the battalion launched its attack, breaking through the Japanese outposts and into the main position. The Japanese defenders were overwhelmed and many of them abandoned their weapons as they fled. That night, the remaining Japanese withdrew from the position.[35] The 16th Brigade lost 72 killed and 154 wounded in this action.[36]
Regardless, with his superiors in Australia dissatisfied by the counter-offensive's rate of progress, the 7th Division's commander, Major-General 'Tubby' Allen, was relieved of his command the day before the Australian forces won through at Eora Creek.[35] Following the capture of Eora Creek, Japanese resistance decreased and by 31 September the 16th Brigade advanced along the eastern fork of the Track through Missima without opposition.[37] On 2 November they passed through the now abandoned village of Kokoda. Three days later, as the Australians advanced towards the Kumusi River, the 2/3rd Battalion went into battle at Oivi, after coming up against an entrenched force holding the high ground from Oivi to Gorari.[37] The Japanese counter-attacked the next day and as fighting continued through to 6 November, Major General George Vasey, the new divisional commander, sent the 25th Brigade and the 2/1st Battalion on a successful attack against the Japanese rear at Gorari.[37] The Japanese at Oivi, their supply and withdrawal route cut, were then forced to retreat.[38]
The 2/3rd Battalion's final involvement in the campaign came as the 16th Brigade advanced towards Sanananda in November.[2][39] They left the Wairopi area on 16 November, with the battalion second in order of march. Tired and drained from the exertions of the last two months, the advance across the swamps of the coastal plain proved heavy work.[40] On the first day they made good 6 miles (9.7 km), however, heavy rains the following day and a break down in the resupply situation resulted in a large number of men falling behind due to exhaustion. On 19 November, the 2/3rd spearheaded the brigade advance to the coast. Several Japanese stragglers were taken prisoner and a number of minor contacts followed, however, the Japanese defenders withdrew before the Australians could shake out to conduct an assault.[40]
The following morning, the brigade reached the junction of the Sananada and Cape Killerton trails, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the coast. After the 2/1st Battalion was attacked, the 2/3rd Battalion took part in a brigade flanking attack around the Japanese position to the right, which forced the Japanese to fall back. The action, however, had severely depleted the brigade to the point where, with less than 1,000 fit men, it was unable to continue offensive operations.[41] Thereafter activity was limited to patrolling and maintaining a defensive perimeter. In early December the 16th Brigade was relieved by the 30th Brigade.[42] The 2/3rd Battalion iself was relieved on 6 December, returning to Poppondetta with a strength of just six officers and 67 other ranks, before being evacuated back to Port Moresby by plane on 23 December 1942.[43] They were subsequently returned to Australia shortly afterwards for leave and to reorganise.[44]
After a short leave the 6th Division came together again in late January 1943 on the Atherton Tablelands[2] to begin training, and to convert to the more austere Jungle establishment. Under this establishment, the size of the battalion was reduced by one officer and 106 other ranks, giving the battalion a total of 803 men of all ranks.[45] At this time, a camp was built from scratch at Wondecla, but it was 12 months before all the sick and wounded returned to the battalion's ranks to bring it up to full strength. As the battalion began to reform, a number of men who had performed well in the preceding campaigns were recommended for commissioning and were subsequently sent to an Officer Training Unit at Woodside, in South Australia.[46] Along with training there was time for recreation—swimming carnivals, boxing tournaments and a 6th Division rugby league championship in which the 2/3rd Battalion were victorious, beating the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion in the final.[47] The team captain, Col Windon, later went on to play for and captain the Wallabies.[48]
During this time the battalion received a number of reinforcements from its associated Militia unit, the 3rd Battalion (The Werriwa Regiment). This unit had been fighting in New Guinea as part of the 30th Brigade, with whom it had served on the Kokoda Track alongside the 2/3rd as well as the 39th and 49th Battalions, before being returned to Australia, where it had been disbanded.[2] Other reinforcements also arrived from the 16th Battalion.[49]
Due to a combination of political and strategic decisions, it was almost two years before the battalion went into combat again. In late 1944 the decision was made that in order to free up American troops for operations in the Philippines, Australian forces would take over responsibility for operations around Aitape in New Guinea.[50] The 6th Division returned to New Guinea in November 1944, with the final brigade arriving on 31 December 1944.[51] Although basically cut off from resupply, there were around 35,000 Japanese troops in the area,[52] holding the coast past Wewak and into the interior. Even though they would have eventually been starved out, the Japanese put up heavy resistance to the Australians' primary tactic of aggressive patrolling.[53]
Initially, 16th Brigade was held in divisional reserve, occupying a defensive position west of the Raihu River,[54] however, in February 1945 it was tasked with securing a forward supply base near Dogreto Bay and clearing up to the Anumb River, about 8 miles (13 km) to the east of the river.[55] They came up against only minor opposition and by 23 February they had crossed the Anumb; less than a month later they occupied the coastal town of But another 6 miles (9.7 km) east and removed the Japanese from the Dagua area.[55] During this time, contact with the Japanese was limited to small-scale actions and the main cause of Australian casualties was disease and accidents.[56] In one incident, seven men from the 2/3rd drowned when Danmap River flooded amidst a torrential downpour.[57]
On 10 May Wewak was captured and the 16th Brigade became involved in pursuing the Japanese defenders that had withdrawn inland.[58] The brigade was occupied in this regard until 11 August when offensive operations ceased, after word was received that the Japanese had entered into ceasefire talks.[58]
The 2/3rd Battalion disbanded in Brisbane on 8 February 1946[2] as one of the most decorated battalions of the Second AIF. They had fought all the major Axis powers—the Italians, Germans, Vichy French and Japanese—and in doing so, alongside the Australian 2/5th Battalion they were the only Allied troops able to make this claim.[59] During its service, the battalion lost 203 men killed and 432 wounded. Members of the 2/3rd received the following decorations: four Distinguished Service Orders, 16 Military Crosses, 12 Distinguished Conduct Medals, 30 Military Medals, two British Empire Medals and 73 Mentioned in Despatches.[2]
In 1948, the Militia units that had fought during the war were re-raised as part of the Citizens Military Force (CMF) and it was decided to entrust the battle honours of the Second AIF units to their associated CMF units. As a result, the 2/3rd Battalion's battle honours were passed to the 3rd Battalion (The Werriwa Regiment), which was reformed around Canberra.[59] In 1960, with the introduction of the Pentropic division into the Australian Army, the CMF was reorganised and the 3rd Battalion (The Werriwa Regiment) was reduced to company strength, forming 'C' Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (3 RNSWR). In 1965, following the abandonment of the Pentropic divisional structure, the 3rd Battalion was reformed in its own right as the individual companies were split up to form new battalions with the old regionally based numerical designations.[59] In 1987, however, following another reorganisation of the Army Reserve which saw a reduction in the number of the infantry battalions across Australia, 3 RNSWR was linked with 4 RNSWR to become 4th/3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (4/3 RNSWR).[59]
The 2/3rd Battalion received the following battle honours for its service during the war: