Australian 9th Div at Gaza in 1942 (AWM 050124)

The structure of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, 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 (Austral ...

changed considerably 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 opposin ...

. At the outbreak of war the Army comprised a small regular component and a large, but ill-trained and equipped, militia force. In September 1939 the government authorised the establishment 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 initial ...

for overseas service; this force eventually reached a strength of four infantry divisions, an armoured division and various headquarters and support units. The militia force, which remained in Australia, was neglected until 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 militia units were fully activated in late 1941, and additional such formations were established in 1942. Despite the loss of 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 February 1942, the Army reached its peak strength of eleven infantry divisions and three armoured divisions later that year. This force was larger than what the Australian economy could support, however, and was gradually reduced in size. At the end of 1943 the Government determined that the Army's strength was to be six infantry divisions and 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, though further reductions were ordered in August 1944 and June 1945. If the conflict had continued past August 1945, the size of the Army would have been further reduced to three divisions. Following the end of the war the Australian Army was rapidly demobilized. However, the force formed for occupation duties in Australia became the nucleus of the permanent Australian Regular Army, and a large number of militia units continued to be maintained.

Orders of battle

3 September 1939

On the outbreak of war, the Army comprised the following major units: *Military Board *Army Headquarters ** 1st Division ** 2nd Division ** 3rd Division ** 4th Division ** 5th Division ** 1st Cavalry Division ** 2nd Cavalry Division **Department of the Chief of the General Staff *** 1st Military District – Queensland *** 2nd Military District – New South Wales *** 3rd Military District – Victoria *** 4th Military District – South Australia *** 5th Military District – Western Australia ***

6th Military District 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

– Tasmania ***

7th Military District 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

– Northern Territory *** 8th Military District – New Guinea ***

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state = ...

***Command and Staff School ***Small Arms School ***Army Service Corps Training School ***School of Artillery **Department of the Adjutant-General **Department of the Quartermaster-General and Master-General of the Ordnance

9 April 1942

The Army was restructured in 1942, with major units as follows: * Land Headquarters ** First Army ***

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

**** 3rd Division **** 7th Division *** 5th Division *** 1st Motor Division *** II Corps **** 1st Division **** 2nd Division **** 10th Division ** Second Army *** 2nd Motor Division *** Tasmania Force *** US 41st Division ** III Corps *** 4th Division ** Northern Territory Force *** 19th Brigade Group *** Northern Territory Lines of Communication Area **

New Guinea Force New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian, United States and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Arm ...

** LHQ Reserve *** 1st Armoured Division *** 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion *** 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion ** LHQ Troops ** AIF (Overseas) *** 6th Division *** 9th Division ** Queensland Line of Communications Area ** New South Wales Line of Communication Area ** Victoria Line of Communication Area ** South Australia Line of Communication Area ** Tasmania Line of Communication Area ** Western Australia Line of Communication Area ** New Guinea Line of Communication Area

15 August 1945

The structure of the Army's major combat units and commands at the end of the war was as follows: *Land Headquarters **I Corps ***7th Division ***9th Division ** 4th Armoured Brigade Group (Land Headquarters reserve) **First Army ***6th Division *** 11th Division *** 8th Brigade ***

Pacific Islands Regiment The Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR) is an infantry regiment of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). The regiment is descended from the Australian Army infantry battalions formed from native soldiers and Australian officers and non-c ...

***II Corps ****3rd Division **** 11th Brigade **** 23rd Brigade **Second Army *** 1st Brigade ***5th Division as transferred to Queensland Line of Communications Area on 19 August** Northern Territory Force *** 12th Brigade **Western Command **New South Wales Line of Communications Area **Queensland Line of Communications Area **South Australia Line of Communications Area **Tasmania Line of Communications Area **Victoria Line of Communications Area

Notes

References

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