division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
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 ...
, which served briefly 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 ...
. It was initially formed on 15 April 1942 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 ...
units of the
Newcastle Covering Force
The Newcastle Covering Force was an Australian militia force responsible for protecting the strategically important Newcastle region in New South Wales and its approaches during World War II. Established on 8 April 1941, the formation's composi ...
. However, personnel shortages led to the division being disbanded in August that year.
In 1945, as plans were being made for an invasion of the Japanese home islands, the name 10th Division was revived for a proposed Australian contingent. It was to use personnel drawn from existing units of the Australian Imperial Force. The war ended before the invasion took place and the division was not formally re-raised.
History
Formation and disbandment
In April 1941, the
Newcastle Covering Force
The Newcastle Covering Force was an Australian militia force responsible for protecting the strategically important Newcastle region in New South Wales and its approaches during World War II. Established on 8 April 1941, the formation's composi ...
was formed, taking over responsibility for the defence of
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 ...
from the 1st Division.McKenzie-Smith 2018, pp. 2049–2050. A
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 ...
formation's main element was initially the
1st
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 ...
, although the 32nd Brigade was raised in January 1942 at Warners Bay, and given control of the elements defending the area south of the Hunter River. The formation was commanded by
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 ...
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 vas ...
in December 1941, the Newcastle Covering Force, was mobilised.McCarthy 1959, p. 26. After this, its headquarters moved from Fort Scratchley to
Broadmeadow
Broadmeadow is the geographic center of Newcastle city. Its main commercial hub is located at the "Nineways".2nd Division in March 1942 and moved to Greta to undertake a period of training; during this time the 14th Brigade was attached to the force.
The covering force was renamed the 10th Division on 15 April 1942 following a complete re-organisation of the higher command of the Australian Army. The divisional headquarters moved to New Lambton at this time. The 14th Brigade was deployed 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 ...
in May 1942, and the 1st Brigade returned to the
Newcastle Bight 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 ...
. As the situation in New Guinea turned in favour of the Allies, the threat to Australia reduced. This, coupled with personnel shortages, resulted in the Army deciding to disband or amalgamate a number of units. In September, the division was disbanded, along with the 32nd Brigade, and responsibility for the defence of Newcastle given solely to the 1st Brigade, which was transferred to the 1st Division.
Australian Prime Minister
John Curtin
John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...
referred to the disbandment of the division in a letter to
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
in October 1942, saying:
Plans to re-raise
Much later in the war, as Allied forces approached the Japanese home islands, planning began for a
Commonwealth Corps
The Commonwealth Corps was the name given to a proposed British Commonwealth army formation, which was scheduled to take part in the planned Allied invasion of Japan during 1945 and 1946. The corps was never formed, however, as the Japanese surr ...
, including an Australian Imperial Force (AIF) division,Day 2003, p. 689. to be the re-raised 10th Division. The division was to be made up of experienced personnel from the existing divisions. The
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
would have included British and Canadian divisions, and was to be part of a landing on
Honshū
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island sepa ...
in 1946. Regardless, the planned landing would have been dominated by US forces, and was known as
Operation Coronet During World War II, two operations in the Pacific theater were called Operation Coronet.
* An early planning name for Operation Chronicle, which was executed in June 1943
* Part of Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of Japan in March 1946, ...
.
However, the introduction of the
atomic bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
, and its use at
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...
and
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...
caused Japan to surrender before the invasion took place. As a result, the 10th Division was never re-raised. Instead, the decision was made to raise the 34th Brigade for occupation duties in Japan as part of the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
At its peak, ...
. This formation consisted of volunteers from the three remaining AIF divisions—the
6th
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 ...