| 10th Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 15 April – 27 August 1942 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Division |
| Size | 2 brigades |
| Garrison/HQ | Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
John Murray |
The 10th Division was a division of the Australian Army, which served briefly during World War II. It was initially formed on 15 April 1942 from the Militia units of the Newcastle Covering Force, however, manpower shortages within the Army at that time led to it being disbanded in August that year. As the war progressed and plans were made for the invasion of the Japanese home islands—Operation Downfall—it was planned to re-raise the 10th Division using personnel drawn from the Second Australian Imperial Force. However, the war came to an end before this operation took place and as a consequence the division was never re-raised.
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Following the start of the Pacific War, the Newcastle Covering Force,[1][2] a Militia formation composed of the 1st and 32nd Brigades[3] under the command of Major General John Murray,[4] was renamed the 10th Division on 15 April 1942 following a complete re-organisation of the higher command of the Australian Army.[1] However, on 27 August 1942, personnel shortages caused the division to be disbanded. Australian Prime Minister John Curtin referred to this in a letter to Winston Churchill in October 1942, saying:
Much later in the war, as Allied forces approached the Japanese home islands, planning began for a Commonwealth Corps, including an Australian Imperial Force (AIF) division,[6] to be the re-raised 10th Division.[7] The division was to be made up of experienced personnel from the existing divisions. The corps would have included British and Canadian divisions, and was to be part of a landing on Honshū in 1946. Regardless, the planned landing would have been dominated by US forces, and was known as Operation Coronet.[6]
However, the introduction of nuclear weapons, and their use at Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japan to surrender before the invasion took place.[6] As a result, the 10th Division was never re-raised. Instead, the decision was made to raise the 34th Brigade for occupation duties in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. This formation consisted of men drawn from the three remaining AIF divisions—the 6th, 7th and 9th Divisions.[8]
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