1st Armoured Brigade (Australia)
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The 1st Armoured Brigade was a formation 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 ...
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 ...
. The brigade was formed in July 1941, at
Greta Greta may refer to: *Greta (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places * Greta Bridge, village in County Durham, England * Greta, New South Wales, town in Australia ** Greta railway station ** Greta Army Camp, form ...
,
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 ...
from volunteers for the Second Australian Imperial Force and was assigned to the 1st Armoured Division. Raised initially for service in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, following
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's entry into the war, the brigade was assigned to the defence of Australia in case of an invasion. After garrison duties in New South Wales and
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 ...
, it was disbanded in November 1944 without seeing active service, although some of its former units saw action later with other formations. It was re-raised in the postwar period, serving in the Citizens Military Force between 1948 and 1957. During this period, the brigade was based in New South Wales and formed part of Eastern Command. The brigade's headquarters was broken up when the Australian Army determined that there was no need for large-scale armoured formations as the focus shifted to jungle operations and close infantry-armoured cooperation. Its constituent units were subsequently dispersed to other formations.


History


World War II

In June 1940, the Australian government decided to form an armoured division, designated the 1st Armoured Division. This formation included two armoured brigades drawn from the all-volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF), and was intended for deployment to the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. This was by far the largest armoured unit the Australian Army had established, with
interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
experimentation being limited to a single armoured car regiment. The armoured division was considered necessary to enable the formation of a self-contained Australian
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 ...
including the four infantry divisions that had previously been formed. As a result, the 1st Armoured Brigade was formed on 19 July 1941 when its headquarters opened at Victoria Barracks, Sydney. In line with the standard British Army structure for armoured divisions at the time, it was to command three 2nd AIF armoured regiments and a regiment of motorised infantry; each armoured regiment had an authorised strength of 10 scout cars, 46
cruiser tank The cruiser tank (sometimes called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank concept of the interwar period for tanks designed as modernised armoured and mechanised cavalry, as distinguished from infantry tanks. Cruiser tanks were develop ...
s and 6 support tanks. The brigade's first commander was
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. In ...
Frederick Hinton, a World War I veteran who had served with the
Australian Light Horse Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. During the inter-war years, a number of regiments were raised as part of Australia's part-ti ...
at
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, and then as a machine gun officer on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
. During the interwar years, he had risen through the ranks as a
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
officer in the part-time forces. The regiments assigned to the brigade were the 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th Armoured Regiments, which were formed in
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 , established_ ...
and New South Wales after the brigade headquarters was raised. After undertaking individual training, the three regiments and the brigade headquarters were brought together at
Greta, New South Wales Greta is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. History The Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Maitland area are the Wonnarua people. The Greta area was first colonized by Europeans around Anvil Creek in the 183 ...
, in November 1941. The brigade moved as a formation to Tamworth, in December 1941 to begin more complex collective training. In early 1942, the brigade moved again to Singleton where training facilities for an armoured brigade were being rapidly constructed. It had initially been planned to raise a new 2nd AIF infantry battalion – the 2/34th – as a motorised unit, but instead it was decided to utilise the existing
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 ...
light horse units as motor regiments. As a result, the 15th Motor Regiment joined the brigade. Early war plans were made for the brigade to deploy to the Middle East in early 1942; however,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's entry into the war in December 1941 meant that this move was cancelled and instead the brigade was reallocated to the defence of Australia in the case of invasion. A small element – the 2/1st Independent Light Tank Squadron – was formed from the brigade to deploy to
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
around this time, but this deployment was also cancelled in February 1942 after the
fall of Singapore The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of ...
, and the detachment was reassigned to the 1st Armoured Brigade, adopting the designation of the 2/1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron. In April 1942, Brigadier
Robert Nimmo Lieutenant General Robert Harold Nimmo, (22 November 1893 – 4 January 1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in World War I, World War II, with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, as general officer commandi ...
assumed command of the brigade. He held the position only for a short period, and was replaced by Brigadier
Denzil Macarthur-Onslow Major General Sir Denzil Macarthur-Onslow, (5 March 1904 – 30 November 1984) was an Australian Army officer, businessman and grazier. Biography Macarthur-Onslow, the son of grazier Arthur Macarthur-Onslow, enlisted in the Citizens Military ...
in July. The delivery of tanks to the brigade was slow, and until April 1942 its armoured regiments were equipped only with machine gun carriers. US-made M3 Grant
medium tank A medium tank is a classification of tanks, particularly prevalent during World War II which represented a compromise between the mobility oriented light tanks and the armour and armament oriented heavy tanks. A medium tank's classification is ...
s and
Stuart Stuart may refer to: Names * Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...
light tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...
s were delivered throughout the first half of 1942. Divisional exercises were undertaken in August 1942 around
Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At ...
, during which time the brigade occupied a position around Edgeroi Station. The following month, the 2/6th Armoured Regiment was detached and deployed to
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
to fight against the Japanese, and subsequently took part in 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 ...
. Meanwhile, in October 1942, the 1st Armoured Division was reorganised to provide some of its more experienced personnel to help raise the
2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...
and 3rd Armoured Divisions. Once this was complete, the 1st Armoured Division was ordered to begin moving to
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 ...
to undertake garrison duties. The 15th Motor Regiment transferred to the 2nd Armoured Division at this time, while the 2/10th Armoured Regiment, which had been raised in Western Australia, was transferred to the 1st Armoured Brigade to make up for the loss of the 2/6th to combat operations in New Guinea. The 2/1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron was broken up and used to form part of the 2/4th Armoured Regiment, which was assigned to the 2nd Armoured Brigade. The brigade's move to Western Australia began in December 1942, after a preliminary move to Gunnedah. In January 1943, Nimmo resumed command, taking over from Macarthur-Onslow. The following month, the 1st Armoured Brigade had concentrated at Mingenew, and a divisional exercise took place in March 1943. As the tide of war in the Pacific turned in favour of the Allies, the threat of invasion passed. The Australian government decided to reallocate some of the manpower that had been tied up in the armoured divisions to other formations that would be utilised for jungle warfare, or civilian industry. As a result, in April 1943, the 15th Motor Regiment returned to the 1st Armoured Brigade when the 2nd Armoured Division was disbanded. The 1st Armoured Division was retained in Western Australia, though, and Brigadier Frank Wells assumed command of the brigade in June. In August, the 1st Armoured Brigade was moved to Moora. The following month, the 1st Armoured Division ceased to exist as a formation and was broken up. The 1st Armoured Brigade was retained as an independent brigade group and reported directly to
III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...
. It received the new 2/1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron, which was formed from the 1st Armoured Division's headquarters, as well as artillery from the 16th Field Regiment and the 112th Anti-Tank Regiment and engineers from the 2/3rd Independent Field Company. Various other support units were also attached during this time. Brigade headquarters remained at Moora while the brigade's units undertook training at various locations. Throughout 1944, Australia's armoured forces continued to be reduced. The combat units in Western Australia were also disbanded or transferred as the threat to the state declined. On 8 March, all elements of III Corps were placed on six hours notice to respond to a Japanese naval force which was believed to be headed for the Fremantle–Perth area. This proved to be a false alarm, and all units returned to normal duties on 14 March. The 2/6th Armoured Regiment returned to the brigade in March 1944, releasing the 2/5th Armoured Regiment to join the 4th Armoured Brigade. Following this, further reductions took place as the 2/7th Armoured Regiment was disbanded in May, followed by the 112th Anti-Tank Regiment in June. In June 1944, the brigade's strength was reported as 5,338 personnel. Brigade headquarters moved to Northam that month, at which time III Corps headquarters was redesignated as Western Command as the process of converting it into a line of communications formation began. Nevertheless, the 1st Armoured Brigade's order of battle remained steady until October when the 15th Motor Regiment was disbanded and both the 2/6th Armoured Regiment and the brigade reconnaissance squadron were transferred to the 4th Armoured Brigade in Queensland. The 16th Field Regiment was also transferred to the east coast, moving to Sydney. Finally, in October – November 1944, the brigade ceased to exist – having never seen combat – being broken up to provide reinforcements for forces deployed elsewhere. At this time, both 2/10th Armoured Regiment and the 1st Armoured Brigade's headquarters were disbanded at Northam. The 1st Armoured Brigade Group was the last combat unit to be stationed in Western Australia during the war. From its disbandment until the end of the war, the 4th Armoured Brigade commanded the Army's remaining armoured forces.


Postwar

In the postwar period, the Australian Army re-raised two armoured brigades – the 1st and the 2nd – in April 1948 within the part-time Citizens Military Force (CMF). The 1st Armoured Brigade was formed in New South Wales as part of Eastern Command, and was placed under the command of Macarthur-Onslow, who had previously held the post during the war. At this time, the brigade consisted of two armoured regiments – the 1st and 12th/16th – and the 6th Motor Regiment. The two armoured regiments operated reconditioned
Matilda II The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda, was a British infantry tank of the Second World War.Jentz, p. 11. The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machin ...
infantry tank The infantry tank was a concept developed by the United Kingdom and France in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were designed to support infantrymen in an attack. To achieve this, the vehicles were generally heavily vehicle armo ...
s in the post-war period. These tanks were considered obsolete, and were later supplemented with small numbers of
Centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...
main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...
s which were issued only for training. The 6th Motor Regiment was issued M3 Scout Cars, which were also obsolete. The 1st Armoured Regiment was based at Parramatta, while the 12th/16th Armoured Regiment was spread across regional New South Wales with depots in Muswellbrook, Armidale, Tamworth, and
North Maitland North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
. 'A' Squadron of the Newcastle-based 15th Amphibian Assault Regiment, was assigned to the brigade to provide an amphibious capability, and operated LVT(A)4s. As of 1953, the 1st Armoured Brigade's headquarters were located in Lancer Barracks at Parramatta. Throughout the early 1950s, the brigade's elderly vehicles and equipment became rundown. Plans to purchase Centurion tanks for the CMF armoured regiments were abandoned in 1954 due to the pressure the
National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...
scheme was placing on the Army's budget. The Matildas were withdrawn from service in 1955, and the 1st Armoured Brigade's two armoured regiments used
Staghound The Staghound, sometimes referred to as the English Staghound, is an extinct breed of scent hound from England. A pack hound, the breed was used to hunt red deer and became extinct in the 19th century when the last pack was sold. History The S ...
armoured cars for training that year. From 1956, tank training was centralised at
Puckapunyal, Victoria Puckapunyal (more formally the Puckapunyal Military Area, but also known as the Puckapunyal Camp or Puckapunyal Army Base, and colloquially as "Pucka") is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Vi ...
with units rotating through the Armoured Centre. In 1953, Brigadier Kenneth Arnott took over command of the brigade, remaining in the position until 1956 when Brigadier John James replaced him. In 1957, the director of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) noted that the poor state of the CMF armoured regiments' equipment meant that it was no longer possible for them to become proficient in cooperation between infantry and tanks. The brigade ceased to exist in September 1957, following a reassessment of the role of armour within the Australian Army. This resulted in a focus upon infantry support in jungle conditions, rather than large-scale armoured warfare. As a result, armoured brigade headquarters were no longer considered unnecessary. Nevertheless, a small armoured headquarters staff was retained underneath the Brigadier, RAAC cell that was established within both
Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
and Eastern Commands at this time. This staff was intended as a cadre from which to form a brigade headquarters in an emergency, but represented only about half of the 105 personnel that had previously undertaken the role. It did not command any units, and had an advisory function. The headquarters was disbanded in 1960. The individual regiments previously assigned to the brigade were also affected by the change. The 1st and 15th being amalgamated to form the 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers. The 6th Motor Regiment was converted into an infantry unit designated the 6th Royal New South Wales Rifles, retaining the lineage of its predecessor mounted unit. By 1960, with the introduction of the pentropic establishment, the 1st/15th had been assigned to the 3rd Division as a tank unit, while the 6th Royal New South Wales Rifles had ceased to exist, being subsumed into the
Royal New South Wales Regiment The Royal New South Wales Regiment (RNSWR) is a reserve infantry regiment of the Australian Army based in the state of New South Wales. Organisation The regiment currently consists of four battalions: * 1st/19th Battalion; * 2nd/17th Battalion; ...
.


Brigade units

The following units served with the brigade during the war: * 2/5th Armoured Regiment * 2/6th Armoured Regiment * 2/7th Armoured Regiment * 15th Motor Regiment * 2/10th Armoured Regiment * 2/1st Armoured Regiment Reconnaissance Squadron * 2/1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron * 16th Field Regiment In the postwar period, the following units were assigned to the brigade: * 1st Armoured Regiment (Royal New South Wales Lancers) * 12th/16th Armoured Regiment (Hunter River Lancers) * 6th Motor Regiment (New South Wales Mounted Rifles) * 'A' Squadron, 15th Amphibian Assault Regiment (Northern River Lancers)


Commanders

The following officers commanded the 1st Armoured Brigade: * Brigadier FB Hinton (1941–1942) * Brigadier RH Nimmo (1942–1943) * Brigadier D Macarthur-Onslow (1942–1943) * Brigadier FE Wells (1943–1944) * Brigadier D Macarthur-Onslow (1948–1953) * Brigadier KMH Arnott (1953–1956) * Brigadier JA James (1956–1957)


See also

* List of Australian Army brigades


References

Citations Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book , last1=Palazzo , first1=Albert , title=The Australian Army: A History of its Organisation 1901 to 2001 , date=2001 , publisher=Oxford University Press , location=South Melbourne, Victoria , isbn=978-0-19-551506-0 Armoured brigades of Australia Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1957