| Australia's
Armies
By Mike Bennighof, Ph.D.
September 2008
When British regulars left Australia in
1870, they placed the continent's security
in the hands of local militia formations
controlled by the separate colonial governments.
Massive change came at the turn of the century,
when over 16,000 Australian soldiers served
in South Africa against the Boer republics.
With their riding and shooting skills, and
a culture valuing physical courage, they
were thought capable of meeting the Boer
commandos on equal terms and performed very
well.
When Australia became a Commonwealth in
1901, the assorted militia units were combined
into a new Australian Army divided into regular
and militia units. The regulars included
only artillery and specialist units, with
the militia, now styled the Citizen Military
Forces, controlling all infantry. By law,
the militia could not be called to serve
overseas or against striking industrial workers.
With close to 30,000 men, it was a large
force considering the strategic situation.
"Shoot straight, you bastards." Harry
Harbord Morant. Hero or scapegoat?
When Britain declared war against Germany
in August 1914, Australia answered the call
with enthusiasm. Since the militia could
not be sent to war, a new all-volunteer Australian
Imperial Force, or AIF, was established.
Almost 9,000 men would be killed in action
at Gallipoli, still seen by many Australians
as the crucible that fired a separate Australian
national identity. Rebuilt from this disaster,
the AIF went on to field five infantry divisions
on the Western Front and a number of cavalry
brigades (styled "light horse" in
Australian parlance) in Palestine plus a
camel brigade. Over 60,000 Australians were
killed in action, out of 330,000 who served
overseas.
Australia's Diggers
When war broke out again in 1939, Australia
formed a Second Australian Imperial Force
under similar circumstances. The troops volunteered
to fight anywhere, while the militia remained
limited to Australian territory. The 2nd
AIF initially formed four infantry divisions,
numbered 6th through 9th to carry on the
numbering sequence of the original AIF. Brigades
also picked up where the Great War units
left off, but battalions were numbered normally
with an added "2" to signify their
standing in the 2nd AIF. For example, the
16th Infantry Brigade initially included
the 2/1st, 2/2nd, 2/3rd and 2/4th Infantry
Battalions.
Sixth Australian Division was formed in
October 1939, and 7th Australian Division
in April 1940. Both shipped out for Palestine
later that year, together with I Australian
Corps headquarters. One brigade from 6th
Division was diverted to Britain to help
defend against a potential Nazi invasion,
and would later return to the Middle East.
Eighth
Australian Division formed in the summer of 1940, but did not
join the others in the Middle East, eventually
going northwards to form part of the garrison
of Malaya. Ninth Australian Division formed
in October 1940 from the brigade sent to
England, one taken from 8th Division plus
a newly-formed brigade.
The AIF also began formation of an armored
division in the summer of 1941, but the British
proved very slow to provide tanks for colonial
formations (as was also the case with Indian
and South African efforts to form their own
armored divisions). First Australian Armoured
Division finally received American-made Grant
and Stuart tanks in May 1942. Under the original
plan, the division would deploy to the Middle
East and receive its tanks and large-unit
training there. First Armoured Brigade was
scheduled to deploy in December 1941 as the
first element of the division, but the Japanese
attack on Allied forces prompted the Australian
government to retain the division for homeland
defense.
Instead, Australian divisions began streaming
home. Eighth Division was lost with Singapore,
but the other three 2nd AIF divisions continued
to fight the Japanese until the war's end,
primarily in New Guinea. All of them ended
the war on Borneo, fighting the Japanese
there. A 10th Division would have been formed
from veteran volunteers of all three formations
for the invasion of Japan, but it proved
unnecessary when Japan surrendered in September
1945.
The Koala Army
While the 2nd AIF gained fame fighting in
the Western Desert, Crete and Greece (word
of the 7th Division's campaign in Syria against
the Vichy French was heavily censored), at
home the Militia remained untouched. Scorned
by AIF troops as "koalas" (since
the koala could not, under Australian law,
be exported or shot) or "chocolate tin
soldiers" (since they would melt away
if exposed to the desert sun), many younger
members burned for the chance to fight Australia's
enemies. Men could not volunteer for the
AIF until they turned 20, but could be conscripted
for the CMF at 18, and thus eager for action
in the desert found themselves stuck at home
guarding the Cronulla beaches instead.
Militia soldiers could volunteer for the
AIF once they turned 20, but when the Japanese
attacked the Allies the government rescinded
this provision as Robert Menzies, Australia's
prime minister, finally ordered full mobilization
for the Militia. Militia troops would begin
full-time training to guard Australia, though
most brigades had conducted multiple three-month
camps. Though not up to the standard of the
AIF after a year of combat, the Militia formations
were probably as well trained as the regular
divisions had been when they left Australia.
Mobilization filled four Militia infantry
divisions, numbered 1 through 4, and two
cavalry divisions. Almost immediately the
two cavalry divisions began converting their
Light Horse regiments to motorized infantry
and armoured regiments, though they had almost
no tanks until the summer of 1942. By the
end of 1941 they had been re-designated as
1st and 2nd Motor Divisions, and in 1942
they became 2nd and 3rd Armoured Divisions.
The Militia also added three more infantry
divisions in 1942, numbered 5th, 11th and
12th.
While Menzies agitated for the return of
his regulars and refused to enlist Australia's
last reserve in more of Winston Churchill's
mad schemes, his government did broaden its
interpretation of "Australia" to
include the mandated territory of New Guinea.
This allowed the use of CMF battalions in
front-line fighting, and a Militia unit,
7th Brigade, took part in the first Allied
victory over Japanese land forces at Milne
Bay in August and September 1942. Two other
Militia brigades fought in the first battles
in New Guinea as well, and the Militia's
39th Infantry Battalion would become known
as the "ragged bloody heroes" of
the Kokoda Trail. The battalion took 409
poorly-trained young conscripts up the trail
in August 1942. Only 32 marched back out
of the bush, but they had stopped the Japanese
advance over the Owen Stanley Mountains to
the south coast of New Guinea.
These koalas have teeth. Australian infantry
on Bougainville, 1944. Australian War Memorial
018777.
In February 1943 the government stretched
the Militia's combat zone again, allowing
deployment of CMF units anywhere south the
Equator in South East Asia. In addition,
a CMF battalion could be transferred to the
AIF is 65 percent of its combat strength
or 75 percent of its ration strength volunteered.
With their combat zone greatly expanded,
the Militia divisions began to see front-line
combat. Third and 5th Divisions went to New
Guinea, an afterwards 3rd Division fought
on Bougainville while 5th Division invaded
New Britain. By late 1944 most of their battalions
had elected to transfer to the AIF, making
them effectively AIF divisions though they
retained their CMF designations.
The Variant
In Great Pacific
War, Australian
and New Zealand forces are represented by
two 3-4 infantry units and two 2-3 infantry
units. Overall that's probably a little less
than they deserve. The two 3-4 units would
represent four Australian AIF divisions and
one New Zealand front-line formation; a little
strong for five very good divisions but within
tolerance limits. The two 2-3 units would
cover the four initial Australian militia
divisions and the New Zealand 3rd Division
(with the attached Fiji Brigade), and again
that's about right for these second-line
units when they were first raised.
To more accurately reflect Australia's military
power, there should also be one Australian
2-4 cavalry unit in the British 1939 force
pool. This unit and the 2-3 infantry units
may only enter hexes in Australia and British
New Guinea. Starting in Spring 1942, the
British player may replace the 2-4 Cavalry
unit with the new 4-5 Australian armored
unit at a cost of five BRPs whether it is
on the map or in the force pool, as long
as it is not in an enemy zone of control,
and may replace the 2-3 infantry units with
the new 3-4 infantry units, under the same
restriction. Deployment restrictions remain
in effect. Starting in Spring 1943, the 4-5
Australian armored unit and the 3rd and 4th
infantry units may enter hexes in the Netherlands
East Indies (including New Guinea) and Malaya.
You can download the new Australian pieces
here.
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