The 1st Armoured Division was an

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

formation of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...

, raised in 1941 as part of the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initia ...

(AIF) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. While the Division was originally to be deployed to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

in late 1941, it was retained in Australia following the outbreak of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

. The 1st Armoured Division formed a key element of Australia's defences against a feared Japanese invasion and was disbanded in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in September 1943.

History

Formation

The decision to form the 1st Armoured Division was inspired by the success of mass

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

tactics in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

during the early stages of

. The

Australian War Cabinet A war cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war to efficiently and effectively conduct that war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers, although it is quite common for a war cabinet to have senior ...

approved the formation of an armoured division in July 1940, and 1st Armoured Division was established on 1 July 1941, under the command of Major General

John Northcott Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott (24 March 1890 – 4 August 1966) was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupa ...

. The

Australian Armoured Corps The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is a corps of the Australian Army which provides the Australian Defence Force's armour capability. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock ...

was established at the same time, with the corps being formally gazetted on 9 July 1941. The Division was established with two armoured

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

s, 1st and 2nd, each of three armoured

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s. These were supported by various corps troops including an armoured car regiment, a motor regiment (converted from a light horse formation), engineers, a field artillery regiment, an anti-tank battery, and a logistics support group. On paper, each armoured regiment was to be equipped with 10 scout cars, 46 cruiser tanks, and six support tanks; while the motor regiment was to be established with 14 scout cars and 44

Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier and sometimes simply the Bren Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other ...

s, and the armoured car regiment 12 scout cars and 58 armoured cars. During its early existence, the division faced several key challenges. The formation of an armoured division involved a massive expansion of Australia's armoured forces, so the great majority of the division's officers and soldiers had to be trained from scratch in newly established armoured warfare schools. This process was greatly complicated by the limited number of tanks available to the division, with the entire division having only eight

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

and 10

cruiser tank The cruiser tank (sometimes called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank concept of the interwar period for tanks designed as modernised armoured and mechanised cavalry, as distinguished from infantry tanks. Cruiser tanks were develop ...

s by December, and having to utilise 30 Universal Carriers for training. While the number of tanks available to the division slowly increased, it did not receive its full allocation until May 1942.

Defence of Australia

Prior to the commencement of hostilities with Japan the 1st Armoured Division had been scheduled to deploy to the Middle East where it would be fully equipped and complete its training: the 1st Armoured Brigade was to embark for the Middle East in December 1941, with 2nd Armoured Brigade embarking in March 1942. These plans were, however, 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. As an emergency measure the division's armoured regiments were equipped with Bren Carriers until sufficient tanks arrived. Australian M3 Grant (AWM 025477)

Major General

Horace Robertson Lieutenant General Sir Horace Clement Hugh Robertson, (29 October 1894 – 28 April 1960) was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served in the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. He was one of the first graduates ...

replaced Northcott in April 1942 when Northcott was promoted to command the newly established

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

. The 1st Armoured Division's armoured regiments were equipped with

M3 Grant The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British C ...

medium tanks and

M3 Stuart The M3 Stuart/Light Tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version of the tank entered service as the M5 in 1942 to be supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. ...

light tanks in April and May 1942. Following this, the division was concentrated in northern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

where it completed its training with a series of large exercises around

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At ...

. In January 1943, the division was moved to the area between

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and

Geraldton, Western Australia Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

, where it formed part of

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

to counter the perceived threat of a Japanese invasion of Western Australia.

Disbandment

Due to the end of the Japanese threat to Australia and the unsuitability of large armoured formations in

jungle warfare Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for bo ...

the 1st Armoured Division no longer had any real role by 1943. By this time, there was a manpower shortage in the Australian Army, which required a re-allocation of personnel and the gradual reduction of Australia's armoured units. While the division was disbanded in September 1943, its 1st Armoured Brigade and other units was retained as the independent 1st Armoured Brigade Group. This brigade group unit remained part of III Corps in Western Australia until its disbandment in September 1944. The 4th Armoured Brigade, which was established in March 1943 and included several regiments which had previously formed part of the 1st Armoured Division, provided all the Australian armoured units which saw action from 1943 until the end of the war.

Former elements in action

While 1st Armoured Division never saw action as a complete formation, three

s which were part of the division saw action in the

South West Pacific Area South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the D ...

, either while assigned to the division, or later. In September 1942, the 2/6th Armoured Regiment, equipped with

light tanks, was deployed to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, and subsequently saw action during the

Battle of Buna–Gona The battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It followed the conclusion of the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by ...

. During 1944–1945, the 2/4th Armoured Regiment contributed squadron-sized elements to both the

Bougainville campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied ...

and

Aitape–Wewak campaign The Aitape–Wewak campaign was one of the final campaigns of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Between November 1944 and the end of the war in August 1945, the Australian 6th Division, with air and naval support, fought the Imperial Japane ...

s, equipped with Matilda tanks. The 2/9th Armoured Regiment, also using Matildas, served in the

Borneo campaign The Borneo campaign or Second Battle of Borneo was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II to liberate Japanese-held British Borneo and Dutch Borneo. Designated collectively as Operation Oboe, ...

, including the Australian amphibious landings at

Tarakan Tarakan is an island and the largest city of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is located in northern Borneo, midway along the coast of the province. The city boundaries are co-extensive with the island (including a co ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capit ...

and

British Borneo British Borneo comprised the four northern parts of the island of Borneo, which are now the country of Brunei, two Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Malaysian federal territory of Labuan. During the British colonial rule before Worl ...

in 1945. Other armoured units, such as the 1st Armoured Regiment, which also took part in the Borneo campaign, were

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

units which had not formed part of the 1st Armoured Division.

Order of battle

Order of battle upon formation

At the time of its formation in July 1941, 1st Armoured Division consisted of: * Divisional Headquarters * 2/11 Armoured Car Regiment * 2/3 Field Squadron,

Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, be ...

(RAE) * 4 Field Squadron, RAE * 2/1 Field Park Squadron, RAE * 1st Armoured Brigade ** 2/5th Armoured Regiment ** 2/6th Armoured Regiment ** 2/7th Armoured Regiment * 2nd Armoured Brigade ** 2/8th Armoured Regiment ** 2/9th Armoured Regiment ** 2/10th Armoured Regiment *

1st Support Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

from February 1942 ** 17th Motor Regiment **108th Anti Tank Regiment,

Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...

**16th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery * Divisional Administration Troops

Order of battle upon disbandment

At the time of the division's disbandment in September 1943 it consisted of: * Divisional Headquarters * 2nd/11 Armoured Car Regiment * 16 Field Regiment, RAA * 112 Anti-Tank Regiment, RAA * 1st Armoured Brigade ** 2/5 Armoured Regiment ** 2/7 Armoured Regiment ** 2/10 Armoured Regiment ** 15 Motor Regiment * 3rd Motor Brigade ** 4 Motor Regiment ** 26 Motor Regiment ** 101 Motor Regiment * Divisional Administration Troops

1st Armoured Brigade Group

From September 1943 to September 1944 the division's former 1st Armoured Brigade group served as an independent brigade. In September 1943 the Brigade Group consisted of: * Brigade Headquarters * 2/1 Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron * 2/5 Armoured Regiment * 2/7 Armoured Regiment * 2/10 Armoured Regiment * 15 Motor Regiment * Brigade Administration Troops

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

* * {{Australian WW2 Divs, state=collapsed 01 Armoured 01 Armoured Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943