The 30th Brigade was a

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. B ...

-sized

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

unit 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), wh ...

. Formed in December 1941, as part of the

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 ...

, the unit was raised for service during the

Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Established in response to Japan's entry into the war, the brigade's subordinate units were established in several Australian states. Some of these had already been dispatched to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

before the brigade's headquarters was established, although the majority arrived there in early 1942. Following their arrival, the brigade initially provided garrison troops to

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

before later taking part in the fighting along the Kokoda Track during which elements took part in delaying actions around

Kokoda Kokoda is a station town in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is famous as the northern end of the Kokoda Track, site of the eponymous Kokoda Track campaign of World War II. In that campaign, it had strategic significance because it had th ...

and Isurava, before being relieved by units 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 ...

. After the campaign began to turn in favour of the Australians, the Japanese withdrew north towards their beachheads around Buna and Gona, and elements of the brigade were recommitted to the fighting. In early 1943, the 30th Brigade was withdrawn back to Australia and was disbanded in July 1943, with its personnel being redistributed to other formations.

History

The brigade was raised as a

formation in December 1941 in response to Japan's entry into the war. The brigade's headquarters was opened in Sydney, New South Wales, although its constituent units were formed from a number of Australian states.McKenzie-Smith (2018), p. 2114. Upon establishment the brigade was raised as an independent unit, and consisted of three infantry battalions – the newly re-formed Victorian-based 39th, the Queensland 49th and the 53rd from New South Wales – which were supported by the 23rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery and the South Australian-based 13th Field Artillery Regiment, which was equipped with First World War vintage 18-pound field guns.Austin (1988), p. 19. The 7th Field Company was also allocated. From the outset, it was formed to garrison

, and indeed one of its battalions, the 49th, had been deployed to

as early as March 1941.Keogh (1965), p. 157. Following the attacks on

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

and Malaya; however, the decision was made to boost the force around Port Moresby up to a

-group sized force and as a result the 30th Brigade was formed. On 3 January 1942, the brigade headquarters and other elements deployed to New Guinea arriving on the troopship RMS ''Aquitania'', joining the 49th. Following its arrival in New Guinea, the brigade was initially employed in establishing defences around Port Moresby. The beach defences between Bootless Inlet and Tupuselei were expanded, and the 39th Battalion relieved elements of the 49th around 7-mile Drome. Meanwhile, the 13th Field Regiment's guns were assigned to beach defence. The 49th Battalion occupied the Pyramid Point – Ela Beach sector, and the 53rd Battalion occupied the Napa Napa Peninsula, relieving the

Papuan Infantry Battalion The Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) was a unit of the Australian Army raised in the Territory of Papua for service during the Second World War. Formed in early 1940 in Port Moresby to help defend the territory in the event of a Japanese invasion, ...

. In February, the 53rd, less one company, was concentrated on beach defence; the following month the remaining company was withdrawn back to Port Moresby. During this time, the garrison was heavily tasked with labouring and construction duties that only limited training could be undertaken. A more dispersed defensive scheme was adopted in April, but in early May, as the

Battle of Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battl ...

raged, the troops were moved into positions along the beach as the threat of invasion loomed. Kokoda retreat (AWM 013288)

The 14th Brigade arrived to reinforce the garrison in late May, freeing up the 39th Battalion to assume the role of brigade reserve, which saw it move to 3-Mile Valley. After the Japanese landings at Buna in mid-July 1942, the 39th Battalion was detached to

Maroubra Force Maroubra Force was the name given to the ad hoc Australian infantry force that defended Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from the Japanese, and was involved in the Kokoda Track Campaign of the Pacific War, World War II. The force was established b ...

and was sent up the

Kokoda Track The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanes ...

to provide a blocking force. During the subsequent

Kokoda Track campaign The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 in what was then the Australian Territory of Papua. It was primar ...

, the 39th fought a series of desperate delaying actions to slow the Japanese advance on Port Moresby throughout July and August around

and Isurava, where they were joined by the brigade's headquarters and the 53rd Battalion. After heavy fighting, the 30th was relieved by the 21st and 25th Brigades as veteran

units, which had been hurriedly brought back from the Middle East, were rushed to New Guinea to help shore up the Australian position. That month, elements of the brigade were detached to form Honnor Force; the 30th Brigade moved to Laloki River, as Honnor Force attempted to interdict Japanese lines of communication and the 49th Battalion cleared the area around Mt Lawes. The 49th Battalion was relieved by the US 128th Infantry Regiment and the brigade redeployed to guard exfiltration points from the Sogeri Plateau, with elements around 17-Mile, Hombrom Bluff, the lower Goldie River, Merigeda Mission and Laloki Airfield. As the tide of the Kokoda Track campaign turned in the Allies favour, the Japanese began withdrawing back towards Buna. In October 1942, the brigade was withdrawn back to Port Moresby where 53rd Battalion was amalgamated with the 55th Battalion to form the 55th/53rd Battalion. After this, the brigade undertook garrison duties and further training in Port Moresby before taking part in the liberation of Gona and

Sanananda Sanananda is a village on the coast of Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. History Sanananda was occupied by the Imperial Japanese in 1942 during World War II and became a heavily fortified defensive area. It was liberated by the Australian Army and U ...

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 ...

. It was committed to the fighting in December 1942 when the 39th Battalion was dispatched to Gona, and the 49th and 55th/53rd Battalions reinforced the Australian units that were fighting around Sanananda. In early 1943, the brigade was flown back to Port Moresby, prior to its return to Australia. for reorganisation. During this time, the 3rd Battalion was added to its order of battle. Based at Wondecla, on the

Atherton Tablelands The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tinar ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, the brigade was brought back up to establishment and was transferred to the 6th Division, with a view to participating in further operations in

; however, it was decided to reallocate its manpower to reinforce the rest of the 6th Division. From the 49th Battalion those that volunteered to serve with the AIF were sent to the 2/1st Battalion and those from the 39th went to the 2/2nd. The 3rd Battalion received a batch of reinforcements from survivors of the 2/22nd Battalion who had escaped from Rabaul, and it was renamed the 3rd/22nd Battalion. This was short lived, though, as its AIF personnel were transferred to the 2/3rd Battalion while its Militiamen were sent to the 36th and 55th/53rd Battalions. The 30th Brigade was subsequently disbanded on 3 July.

Attached units

Over the course of the brigade's existence, its order of battle changed a number of times as various infantry battalions were force assigned or reallocated to other brigades. The following units were attached at various times: * 3rd Battalion * 39th Battalion * 49th Battalion * 55th/53rd Battalion

Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 30th Brigade: *

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Neville Hatton *Brigadier Selwyn Porter

Notes

References

* * * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Brigades of Australia Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943