The Newcastle Covering Force was an Australian militia force responsible for protecting the strategically important

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

region in New South Wales and its approaches 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 ...

. Established on 8 April 1941, the formation's composition changed over the course of its existence, starting from a single infantry battalion support by a machine-gun unit and swelling to roughly brigade-size, with a brigade headquarters and three battalions – two infantry and one garrison – supported initially by a machine gun battalion that was later converted to a motor regiment. The unit was responsible for defending the important port and air bases in and around the town, part of Fortress Newcastle, against a feared Japanese invasion. Newcastle Covering Force was converted on 15 April 1942 to the 10th Division, a regular

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, following a complete re-organisation of the higher command structures of the Australian Army.

Units

The following units were force assigned to the Newcastle Covering Force: *8th Garrison Battalion (11 December 1941 – 2 February 1942) * 16th Light Horse (Machine Gun) Regiment (2 September 1941 – 14 March 1942) * HQ 32nd Infantry Brigade (2 February – 15 April 1942) **8th Garrison Battalion ** 33rd Infantry Battalion ** 4th Infantry Battalion * 16th Motor Regiment (14 March 1942 – 29 March 1942)

Commanding Officer

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

John Murray

Notes

References

External links

Newcastle Covering Force
{{coord missing, New South Wales Military units and formations established in 1941 History of Newcastle, New South Wales Military units and formations of Australia in World War II Military establishments in the Hunter Region Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 Former military installations in New South Wales