III Corps was an
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 ...
unit 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It was responsible for the defence of
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 1942–1944. The corps was formed in April 1942 from Western Command, which had been established in October 1939. Throughout the war, the formation's size expanded and contracted as available manpower, and the strategic situation, dictated. At its height, the corps consisted of two infantry divisions and one armoured division, which were deployed to defend against a Japanese invasion threat, which ultimately never eventuated. The corps ceased to exist in June 1944 when it was converted back into Western Command, which remained until the end of the war in 1945.
History
The corps was raised from the previously existing headquarters Western Command, which had been formed in October 1939 at
Swan Barracks, in
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 i ...
, Western Australia from the
5th Military District as part of initial war preparations following the declaration of war in Europe. In the early stages of the command's existence, there were few troops to spare, as most of the defensive forces from 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 ...
were deployed along the eastern coast of Australia. The founding unit of Western Command was a West Australian-formed Militia unit, the
13th Infantry Brigade. This supported by the
10th Light Horse Regiment and the 25th Light Horse (Machine Gun) Regiment. Two garrison battalions – the 5th and 10th – also provided defensive support around
Fremantle. A third garrison battalion, the 19th, was also raised in Western Australia around this time for close defence, and they eventually formed the 5th Garrison Brigade; internment camp security was provided by 'M' Garrison Company.
In mid-1942, as elements 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 ...
returned from the Middle East, and fears of
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
surface attacks against the Australian mainland increased, the Australian government decided to reinforce Western Australia in the wake of the
Western Australian emergency of March 1942
The Western Australian emergency of March 1942 was a series of local responses that occurred in relation to activity in northern Western Australia that gave Australian military forces serious concerns about the capacity of the Japanese to move ...
. The
6th Infantry Brigade arrived in April 1942, and was followed by the
4th Division, a Militia division raised in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and the
2nd Infantry Brigade. The same month, III Corps headquarters was established at
Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Mount Lawley is an inner northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The suburb is bounded by the Swan River to the east, Vincent, Harold and Pakenham Streets to the south, Central Avenue and Alexander Drive to the north, and Norfolk Stree ...
. Lieutenant General
Gordon Bennett, who had previously commanded the
8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 8th Division (Australia)
* 8th Canadian Infantry Division
* 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China)
* 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...
in
Malaya and on
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, was appointed corps commander, replacing Major General
Eric Plant who had commanded Western Command. Shortly after its establishment, III Corps was placed under the command of 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 ...
.
![4th Division Geraldton October 1942 (AWM image 028700)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/4th_Division_Geraldton_October_1942_%28AWM_image_028700%29.JPG)
In August 1942, the
2nd Division, a
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 ...
Militia unit, joined III Corps. It was headquartered at
Guildford, while the 4th Division was headquartered at
Moora. A large-scale anti invasion exercise was undertaken by the 4th Division around Geraldton in October 1942, during which time the 8th Infantry Brigade assumed the role of an attacking Japanese force, while the 2nd, 6th and 13th Infantry Brigades assumed defensive roles. Throughout late 1942, the corps' infantry divisions traded locations, with the 2nd Division moving into positions around Geraldton and
Mingenew, and the 4th Division establishing itself in the
Dandaragan
Dandaragan is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The name of Dandaragan was first recorded in 1850 as the name of a nearby gulley and spring or watering hole known as Dandaraga spring. The word is Indigenous Australian ...
–
Gingin–
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to:
Placenames
Australia
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales
Canada ...
area, eventually establishing its headquarters around Guildford in December 1942.
The corps was expanded in October and November 1942, with the arrival of the first elements of the
1st Armoured Division, consisting of two brigades. These elements were the 3rd Motor Brigade, which occupied
Mullewa; they were joined by the divisional headquarters in February 1943, and then the 1st Armoured Brigade in March. The remainder of the division arrived in April 1943, and eventually, the division would be based around Geraldton. By this time, though, the threat of invasion had diminished and after this the corps was progressively drawn down, with the 6th and 13th Infantry Brigades being transferred out in January and February 1943.
According to the Army History Unit:
The main function of the corps then became the preparation of smaller units for active service in
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 ...
and elsewhere in the Pacific.
[ A succession of units then passed rapidly through it, as they were transferred closer to the fighting to the north of Australia. The 4th Division's headquarters moved to ]Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
, in April 1943, at which time the 2nd Infantry Brigade was transferred to the 2nd Division,[ although it later departed for the Northern Territory in August 1943. The 1st Armoured Division's headquarters was rolled up in September 1943, and the 3rd Motor Brigade being transferred to the 2nd Division, while the 1st Armoured became a direct command unit of the corps headquarters. The same month, the 8th Brigade was transferred to the ]5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 5th Division (Australia)
*5th Division (People's Republic of China)
* 5th Division (Colombia)
*Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War)
* 5th Light Cavalry Division (France)
*5th Mo ...
and began moving east. By the end of the year, corps headquarters moved to Swan Barracks, in Perth, from Mount Lawley.[
Concerns of a Japanese attack in March 1944 resulted in the corps being placed on notice to respond at short notice. However, the threat passed and further reductions took place throughout the early part of 1944, as the headquarters of the 2nd Division was disbanded in April. By this time only the 3rd Motor Brigade, at Chidlows, and the 1st Armoured Brigade remained in Western Australia. The corps commander, Bennett, retired in May 1944; around the same time, the Australian government had decided to reduce the size of the Army. As a result, it was decided there was no longer a need for a corps-level headquarters to be maintained in Western Australia. In June 1944, the corps was re-designated as Western Command, and assumed the role of the previously existing line of communications area that had been established in the state earlier in the war. The final combat units in Western Australia were disbanded shortly afterwards, with the 3rd Motor and the 1st Armoured Brigades disbanding in August and November 1944, respectively. Western Command remained in existence until the end of the war, providing an administrative function for all troops in Western Australia.
]
Order of battle
The corps' assigned formations changed over the course of its existence as brigades and divisions were transferred in and out. Brigade allocations also changed as parent formations were disbanded throughout the corps' existence. The following formations were assigned to the corps over the course of its existence:
* 1st Armoured Division
**1st Armoured Brigade
** 3rd Motor Brigade
* 2nd Division
** 5th Infantry Brigade
** 8th Infantry Brigade
* 4th Division
**2nd Infantry Brigade
**6th Infantry Brigade
**8th Infantry Brigade
**13th Infantry Brigade
References
Bibliography
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External links
III Corps General Staff Branch war diary
Australian War Memorial
III Corps Adjutant General Branch war diary
Australian War Memorial
{{Western Australia during World War II
3
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944
Western Australia during World War II