Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/September

Units and Awards

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The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and makes up the majority of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. The RAR was formed as the Australian Regiment in November 1948 and received its 'Royal' prefix in October 1949. Elements from the regiment have served in several major conflicts and it reached its peak strength during the Vietnam War when it comprised nine battalions. The RAR currently consists of seven battalions.

No. 201 Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force experimental electronic warfare and electronic intelligence flight of World War II. The Flight was formed at RAAF Base Laverton in April 1945 and was allocated three B-24 Liberator aircraft which were to be converted to electronic warfare/electronic intelligence aircraft. These conversions were still underway at the end of the war, however. No. 201 Flight ceased to function in December 1945 and was disbanded in March 1946.

The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. The 2nd AIF began forming in September 1939 and was gradually expanded to a peak strength of four infantry divisions, an armoured division and numerous support units. The Second AIF fought against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Vichy France and the Japanese Empire, with many units fighting in both the Mediterranean and Pacific theatres of the war. Most 2nd AIF personnel were demobilised by the end of 1946 and the 2nd AIF officially ceased to exist in June 1947.

HMAS Assault was a Royal Australian Navy naval training centre at Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, New South Wales. The centre was established in September 1942 with HMAS Westralia being used to provide interim accommodation until building work was completed. The centre trained Royal Australian Navy Beach Commandos, landing craft crews, beach parties and signal teams. HMAS Assault was decommissioned in August 1944 but was recommissioned in April 1945 as a British Royal Marines commando depot. HMAS Assault was permanently closed after the war and was used as a migrant hostel by the Commonwealth Employment Service from 1949 to 1953.

No. 5 Operational Training Unit (5OTU) was a Royal Australian Air Force operational training unit of World War II. 5OTU was formed at Wagga Wagga in October 1942 as a light bomber training unit equipped with Beaufort and Beaufighter aircraft. The unit was later equipped with Boston and Mosquito bombers and moved to Tocumwal in 1943 and RAAF Base Williamtown in 1944. 5OTU became a crew conversion unit after the war and was disbanded in July 1947. 5OTU was reformed at Williamtown in April 1970 to provide RAAF pilots with fast jet conversion training and was disbanded in July 1971.

The second HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152) is a Royal Australian Navy Anzac class frigate. She was built by Tenix Defence Systems at Williamstown, Victoria and was commissioned in March 2001. HMAS Warramunga has made a number of deployments, including fisheries protection patrols in the Southern Ocean and border protection patrols off Northern Australia. She conducted her first operational deployment to the Persian Gulf between July 2006 and February 2007. HMAS Warramunga was also the first Australian ship to fire the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile.

The Volunteer Defence Corps was an Australian militia force of World War II modelled on the British Home Guard. The VDC was established in July 1940 and was run by the government and the RSL. The VDC's leadership was mainly drawn from veterans of World War I and most VDC volunteers were men either too young or too old to serve in the regular military. The VDC was placed under the control of the Australian military in July 1941 and eventually reached a strength of almost 100,000 men across Australia. The VDC was disbanded after the war.

No. 94 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force ground attack squadron of World War II. No. 94 Squadron was formed at Castlereagh, New South Wales in May 1945. The Squadron's training was delayed by the slow delivery of the de Havilland Mosquito aircraft with which it was to be equipped and it did not reach operational status before the end of the war. No. 94 Squadron ceased flight training in September 1945 and was disbanded in January 1946.

HMAS Latrobe (J234/M234) was a Royal Australian Navy Bathurst-class corvette of World War II. She was built in Sydney and commissioned in November 1942. Latrobe escorted convoys off Northern Australia and New Guinea during 1943 and early 1944. From June 1944 to January 1945 she operated mainly in New Guinean waters before receiving a refit in Adelaide. Latrobe returned to service in March 1945 and operated off New Guinea and Borneo until the end of the war. She returned to Australia in December 1945 and served as a training ship at Flinders Naval Depot from January 1946 until late 1952. HMAS Latrobe was laid off in March 1953 and was sold for scrap in May 1956.

The 2/4th Command Squadron was an Australian Army commando unit of World War II. The unit was formed in August 1941 and was posted to the Northern Territory in March 1942. The squadron took part in the Battle of Timor between September 1942 and January 1943. From August 1943 to February 1944 it participated in the Salamaua–Lae and Huon Peninsula campaigns. After a lengthy period of training the squadron played an important role in the liberation of Tarakan in May to June 1945. The 2/4th Commando Squadron was disbanded in January 1946.

No. 2 Air Ambulance Unit was a Royal Australian Air Force air ambulance unit of World War II. The Unit was formed in March 1942 at RAAF Base Fairbairn. No. 2 Air Ambulance Unit operated throughout Australia during 1942 and began flights to New Guinea in 1943. Although it remained based in Australia, No. 2 Air Ambulance Unit supported the Allied forces engaged in the New Guinea campaign until the end of the war. Following the end of the war the Unit flew Australian prisoners of war home until November 1945 when its aircraft were transferred to No. 36 Squadron. No. 2 Air Ambulance Unit was disbanded in December 1945.

The Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) was the branch of the Royal Australian Navy which recruited women. The Service was established in April 1941 when the RAN enrolled 14 women at HMAS Harman. In October 1942 the WRANS were sworn in as enlisted personnel in the RAN, and in February 1943 their numbers were increased to 1,000. By the end of the war, their numbers had increased to over 2,500. The WRANS was disbanded in 1948 but was reformed in 1951. WRANS were limited to non-sea going and non-combat duties. The WRANS was permanently disbanded in 1984 after women were fully integrated into the Navy.

The Middle Head Fortifications were a network of forts and tunnels located at Georges Heights in Sydney, Australia. The fortifications at Middle Head formed part of Sydney Harbour's defences and were built during the 1870s. The Fortifications were later modified and remained in service until after World War II. Following the war a number of Australian Army training and logistics units were located at Middle Head until 2002. The Middle Head Fortifications now form part of a national park.

No. 467 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force heavy bomber squadron during World War II. It was formed in the United Kingdom in November 1942 and was equipped with Avro Lancaster heavy bombers. The Squadron formed part of RAF Bomber Command and conducted raids on Germany, France and Italy from 1943 until 1945. Following the end of the war in Europe No. 467 Squadron was selected to form part of Tiger Force and operate against Japan from bases in Okinawa. However, the war ended before the Squadron deployed to Asia and it was disbanded in the United Kingdom in September 1945.

Joint Task Force (JTF) Gold was the Australian Defence Force unit formed to provide security and general support for the 2000 Summer Olympics which was held in Sydney, Australia between 15 September and 1 October 2000. JTF Gold had a strength of over 4000 personnel drawn from all three services and was commanded by Brigadier Gary Byles. The JTF consisted of several unit sized elements, each responsible for specific security or general support.

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy located in Canberra that provides military and tertiary academic education for Midshipmen and Officer Cadets of the Australian Defence Force. It also provides post-graduate study for civilians, more senior ADF personnel and public servants. It is associated with the University of New South Wales, which is the awarding body for ADFA qualifications. ADFA was established in 1986 and replaced the three services' individual officer cadet training institutions. Since January 2001, ADFA has been part of the Australian Defence College command structure, which is also responsible for the Australian Command and Staff College and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies.

RAAF Base Townsville is a Royal Australian Air Force air base located in Townsville, Queensland. The base was established in 1939 and was a key Allied base during World War II. During the early months of the Pacific War the base was an important operational airfield and as the front line moved away from Australia it became a key logistics and maintenance facility. The base was retained after the end of the war and was used to support military operations in northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. RAAF Base Townsville is currently home to a number of RAAF units and the Army's 5th Aviation Regiment.

HMAS Australia (1911) was an Indefatigable-class battlecruiser and the first flagship of the Royal Australian Navy. She was laid down at Glasgow in Scotland on 26 June 1910, launched on 25 October 1911, completed and commissioned at Portsmouth on 21 June 1913, and sailed for Australia on 21 July 1913. Australia saw action during World War I first in the Pacific and then as the flagship of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron, based in Portsmouth. Australia was present for the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918. Australia was paid off on 12 December 1921 and, in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, was sunk with her main armament 24 miles from Sydney on 12 April 1924.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the Australian Army and is the second most senior in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. The regiment serves in the armoured reconnaissance role. The regiment was formed in 1965 as 1st Cavalry Regiment through the regimentation of regular squadrons in CMF regiments: A Squadron, 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse, B Squadron - A Squadron, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment. The regiment has seen action in East Timor as part of INTERFET and Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion. The regiment's mascot is an Australian Wedge-tailed Eagle named Corporal Courage II after the original mascot Courage I.

No. 1 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. The squadron is currently based at RAAF Amberley and operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighter. No. 1 Squadron was established as No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps at Point Cook, Victoria, on 1 January 1916. During World War I the squadron fought in the Palestine Campaign for the entire war. No. 1 Squadron deployed to Malaya in July 1940. The Squadron suffered severe losses at the hands of the Japanese and was withdrawn to Australia in March 1942 and disbanded. No. 1 Squadron re-formed on 1 December 1943 and served out the war in the Pacific until it was disbanded at Narromine, NSW on 7 August 1946. No. 1 Squadron re-formed as a heavy bomber squadron on 23 February 1948. The squadron was based in Singapore from 1950 to 1958 and flew missions against communist guerrillas during the Malayan Emergency. On returning to Australia in July 1958 the Squadron was re-equipped with the Canberra bombers. The squadron operated F-111s after their belated arrival in 1973 in the low level strike role until they were retired in 2010. In 2017, a detachment of aircraft from the squadron undertook operations in the Middle East.

HMAS Collins (SSG 73) is named for Vice Admiral Sir John Collins and is the lead ship of the Collins-class submarines. Collins was laid down by the Australian Submarine Corporation at Osborne, South Australia on 14 February 1990, launched on 20 August 1993 by the widow of John Collins and commissioned on 27 July 1996. Jane's Fighting Ships states that the Collins has been modified to support special forces operations. Collins is expected to reach the end of its useful life by around 2025.

The Pilbara Regiment is a regiment of the Australian Army. It is an infantry unit, but has a significantly different role than a standard infantry formation. It is a Regional Force Surveillance Unit (RFSU), and as its name suggests, surveillance is its primary role. It was raised on 26 January 1982, as the 5th Independent Rifle Company, The Pilbara Regiment. The company was redesignated as a full regiment in 1985, continuing its original role as an RFSU. The regiment's official mission is: "To provide the Australian Army with information by conducting surveillance operations to contribute to an effective ADF surveillance network in the North West of Australia (Pilbara Region)". The regiment has responsibility for an area of 1.3 million km² from Port Hedland to Carnarvon in Western Australia, and from the coast to the border with the Northern Territory; this is around 1/6 of the total land area of Australia.

No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron was a joint Dutch and Australian bomber squadron of World War II.No. 18 (NEI) Squadron was formed at Canberra on 4 April 1942. Like the other two joint Australian-Dutch squadrons the Dutch authorities provided No. 18 Squadron's pilots and aircraft (obtained via Lend Lease) while most the groundcrew were Australian. Unlike the other two squadrons, however, the RAAF also provided many aircrew to the squadron. Originally No. 18 (NEI) Squadron flew both B-25 Mitchell medium bombers and A-20 Havoc. The RAAF component of No. 18 (NEI) Squadron was disbanded on 25 November 1945 and the Squadron passed to Dutch control on 15 January 1946.

HMAS Canberra (1927) was a County class cruiser that served with the Royal Australian Navy from 1928 to 1942. She was laid down on 9 September 1925, launched on 31 May 1927 and commissioned on 9 July 1928. After five months in British waters, the Canberra first arrived in Australia at Fremantle, Western Australia on 25 January 1929. Canberra spent the majority of World War II in Australian waters. Just before 0145 on 9 August 1942 Canberra received the opening shots of the Battle of Savo Island from a powerful Japanese cruiser force. Within the first two minutes of the battle she was struck by two torpedoes and over 20 salvoes of 8 inch (203 mm) shellfire. The crew of Canberra suffered 193 casualties during the Battle of Savo Island, including her captain, Frank E. Getting. Nine officers and 65 ratings were missing believed killed. Canberra was replaced by HMAS Shropshire and the USS Canberra was named in her honour.

The Australian 1st Battalion was raised for the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War and formed part of the Australian 1st Brigade. The 1st Battalion was formed from soldiers recruited in New South Wales in 1914 and left Australia for Egypt in October 1914. The 1st Battalion saw action in Gallipoli in 1915 and took part in the Battle of Lone Pine. The 1st Battalion was deployed to France in 1916 and served with the Australian force there until the end of the war. During this period the Battalion saw action in several major battles including the Battle of Pozières, Bullecourt and the German spring offensive. The 1st Battalion was disbanded in May 1919.

No. 107 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron. Based in New South Wales the Squadron conducted anti-submarine patrols off the Australian east coast during the Second World War. No. 107 Squadron was formed in May 1943 at RAAF Base Rathmines to operate the Vought Kingfisher aircraft which had been ordered by the Netherlands East Indies Naval Service but delivered to Australia following the Japanese conquest of the NEI. The Squadron was based at Rathmines until July 1944 when it moved south to St Georges Basin. While the Squadron participated in the search for the German submarine U-862 after she sank the U.S. Liberty Ship Robert J Walker off Moruya on 24 December 1944 it did not sight any submarines during the war. No. 107 Squadron was disbanded in October 1945.

HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01) was an Australian Adelaide class guided-missile frigate laid down by Todd-Pacific Shipbuilding at Seattle, Washington 29 July 1977, launched 21 June 1978 and commissioned 15 November 1980. In 1990, along with HMAS Darwin, Adelaide deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Damask, Australia's participation in the international coalition against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Adelaide saw further service in the Middle East, including two tours of active service, in support of Operation Slipper in 2001 and as part of Operation Catalyst in 2004. Adelaide was the ship which intercepted SIEV 4 in the event which sparked the Children overboard affair in October 2001. Adelaide was decommissioned in 2008 and deliberately sunk off the New South Wales coast to become a dive wreck in 2011.

The 3rd Brigade is an Australian infantry brigade. The brigade was first formed in 1914 as part of the 1st Division and saw action during the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front. During World War Two the Brigade participated in the defence of Darwin until it was disbanded in April 1944. The 3rd Brigade was re-raised in 1967 as a light infantry brigade and is presently based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland.

No. 24 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. The Squadron was formed in 1940 and saw action as a bomber squadron during World War II. During the war the Squadron participated in the unsuccessful defence of Rabaul in 1942 and later saw action flying Vultee Vengeance dive bombers and B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. Since the end of the war No. 24 Squadron has been an RAAF Reserve squadron located near Adelaide, South Australia.

HMAS Brisbane was a Town class light cruiser laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard at Cockatoo Island at Sydney in New South Wales on 25 January 1913, launched on 30 September 1915 by Mrs Andrew Fisher, wife of the Prime Minister of Australia, and commissioned on 31 October 1916. HMAS Brisbane paid off on 22 January 1929 and was placed in reserve at Sydney. The ship recommissioned on 2 April 1935 and sailed for the United Kingdom on 2 May 1935, manned by a complement which would form the balance of the ship's company of the cruiser HMAS Sydney. She paid off at Portsmouth in England on 24 September 1935 and sold for scrap to Thomas W. Ward and Company of Sheffield in June 1936.