The plaque location is indicated by the red poppy in the second image. [5], In early April 1941, the battalion, less 'D' Company which travelled west for home leave, entrained at Oakbank, near to Woodside, South Australia where they had moved the previous February. [38] In late June, 'B' Company embarked upon the Dutch vessel, the SS Jansens and deployed to Netherlands New Guinea as part of Merauke Force, remaining there in a defensive capacity until May 1944. Relieving the 7th Machine Gun Battalion,[13] the battalion was attached to the 3rd Division and undertook defensive duties in Port Moresby, mainly located at Ward's Airfield, starting in July. [54], In late August, following the conclusion of hostilities the 2/3rd was concentrated at Wewak Point, in the 19th Brigade's area, where final parades were held and education classes commenced to prepare the soldiers for discharge and return to civilian life. Members of the 2/3rd battalion were captured by the Japanese in Java in 1942. Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Reed (1942–1944), This page was last edited on 13 January 2021, at 23:35. [48] The campaign that followed was, in the words of author Eustace Keogh, essentially a "mopping up campaign", with the division being tasked with security of the airstrip and base area, and ensuring that contact was maintained with Japanese forces in the area. Upon formation, the battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Blackburn,[7] a World War I veteran who had received the Victoria Cross for actions at Pozieres. The Australian Army formed its first armoured units in the late 1920s when two independent Tank Sections equipped with Vickers Medium tanks were formed in New South Wales and Victoria. Each of the four divisions in the Sec… By late July, the majority of the battalion moved to Wewak Point, while two companies remained in the vicinity of Mandi–Bandi; operations in the area had killed 59 Japanese, for the loss of four men from 2/3rd killed in action and eight wounded. Their movements and … Shortly afterwards, they came under air attack from Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes on 22 February, during which one member of the 2/3rd was killed, while six others were wounded. Those who had survived the fighting spent the rest of the war as prisoners. Furthermore, it was only partially independent from the United Kingdom (Britain). There, fresh orders reached them. On 3 March, the battalion went into action around Leuwiliang for the first time as Dutch troops began to withdraw. Many of these personnel then saw combat in Borneo in 1945. [59] For the 2/3rd, the Syrian campaign was the only one of its three campaigns where it was employed wholly as a machine gun unit in support of the infantry; on Java and in Aitape–Wewak, it was utilised as infantry. [26] This force, under Blackburn who was promoted to brigadier, came to be known as "Blackforce",[7] with headquarters being established at Batavia. [21] In the aftermath of the campaign, the 2/3rd stayed on as part of the Allied occupation force established in Syria and Lebanon to defend against a possible drive south by Axis forces through the Caucasus. The 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion was formed in June 1940 as part of the 7th Division and served in Egypt, Syria, the Netherlands East Indies and New Guinea during World War Two. Later, they moved to Semina where they established a camp until shipping became available for the return to Australia. [44] As a result of this change, the battalion was required to return all of its vehicles, with the intention that its guns would largely be carried across the battlefield by soldiers moving on foot. As with the rest of the Australian Army, the outbreak of war in 1939 lead to a dramatic expansion of Australia's armoured force. [6] With an authorised strength of 700 to 800 men, the battalion was equipped with 48 Vickers medium machine guns that were spread between four main companies. The 6th Machine Gun Battalion was a battalion of the Australian Army that was raised for service during World War II. Each Infantry Brigade had a Machine Gun Company under command. When World War II broke out, the decision was made to raise several machine gun battalions within the 2nd AIF, allocated at a rate of one per division. The units aboard the Orcades (the 2/2nd Pioneers, an engineer field company, an anti-aircraft regiment as well as transport and medical personnel) were ordered to form an ad hoc force along with a squadron from the British 3rd The King's Own Hussars and an artillery battery from the US 131st Field Artillery Regiment. [11][12], Several months later, the 6th Machine Gun Battalion was sent to New Guinea, where the Australians were fighting against the Japanese. The move was carried out on foot over several days. Conditions around the airfield were highly malarial and the machine gunners were subjected to a number of aerial attacks. They endured a bitter cold, and snowy, winter at Fih near Tripoli, which was punctuated by leave drafts to Tel Aviv. There the battalion undertook a vigorous physical training regime to regain the fitness lost from the sea voyage. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Blackburn when it was raised, the battalion was primarily a South Australian unit, although it had sub-units formed in Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. After completing training in Australia, in April 1941 the battalion embarked for the Middle East. 29 Officers, 1007 Other Ranks. The convoy reached Gourock in Scotland in mid-June. [60], The 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion received the following battle honours:[7], The following officers commanded the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion during the war:[7][61], Of these, both Blackburn and Reed were World War I veterans who had later served in the Militia in the 18th Light Horse Regiment, in South Australia, during the inter-war years. He served alongside Weary Dunlop and survived, to live out his days in Adelaide, passing away at 84 years old. [50] While this took place, 'B' and 'D' Companies were assigned to the 17th Brigade, with whom they undertook a mainly defensive role around Aitape, while accompanying infantry patrols into the interior. They were transported overland from Colac in early January 1942 to Winnellie. 2/2 Australian Machine Gun Battalion history written by a Veteran. 6 Machine Gun Battalion, 2AIF was stationed at Wallgrove Army Camp west of Sydney in New South Wales from 26 Aug 1942 to 17 Oct 1942. Lewis Gun Section: 10 Other Ranks 1 Lewis light-machine gun. The single exception was the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion. The plaque commemorates those who served with the 19th Machine Gun Battalion during World War Two. [3], The battalion was relieved around Gusap in March 1944, and returned to Dobodura by air. Not so in WW2. [35], While the troops who had boarded the Orcades went into captivity on Java, the five officers and 257 other ranks that had been transported on the eight smaller ships returned to Australia in the last week of March 1942. The 6th Division was subsequently assigned to take over from the US XI Corps around Aitape–Wewak. Over the course of the war, on the Western Front the concept had evolved through the establishment of machine gun companies in 1916 and machine gun battalions in 1918. Men who were in the hospital or on course were subsequently reposted to the 2/2nd Machine Gun Battalion, and remained in the Middle East, later seeing action at El Alamein. Reinforcements arrived from various locations, including the Machine Gun Training Battalion based at Camden, New South Wales, while others came from the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion to provide a cadre of experienced personnel. [23], The Orcades, a fast transport capable of 26 knots, set sail for Colombo before even the battalion's baggage could be brought on board. 2/3rd Australian Machine-Gun Regiment (Victoria) 2/4th Australian Pioneer Battalion; 9th Australian Divisional Cavalry - From 8th Infantry Division in May 1941; 2/3rd Field Company, RAE - Tasmania/Western Australia/South Australia - From 6th Infantry Division; 2/13th Field Company, RAE - Queensland - Ex 2/1st Field Park Company The plan had been for the Dutch troops to make a stand at Djasinga, but faulty intelligence resulted in a rout and the Dutch began to withdraw back to Bandung, flooding through Blackforce's lines. Anumb River, But–Dagua, Damour, Jebel Mazar, Jezzine, Nambut Ridge, Sidon, and Syria 1941. 1st Australian Divisional Train. After completing training in Australia, in April 1941 the battalion embarked for the Middle East. [46], Although it had been intended to deploy the Australians as part of the Allied efforts to recapture the Philippines, this did not eventuate. The Orcades reached Oosthaven, in Sumatra, on 15 February, and the troops from Orcades were ferried ashore on the tanker Van Spillsbergen, where they were grouped together as "Boost Force" under orders to take up the defence of the Palembang airfields and providing protection to civilians as they were evacuated. [51], In February 1945, as the Australians began advancing into the thick, hilly interior, the utility of the machine guns decreased. [39], While 'B' Company was deployed to Merauke, the remainder of the battalion moved to the Atherton Tablelands in mid-August 1943, at which time the battalion was transferred to the command of the 6th Division,[40] assigned as a corps unit rather than a direct command unit. In the ensuing chaos, Dutch engineers blew up the bridge at the Tjianten River. In June/July 1941 it saw action against Vichy French forces during the Syria–Lebanon campaign, during which time the battalion was heavily involved in supporting various elements of the 7th Division. On 15 April 1942, the order was passed to re-form the battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Reed, the battalion's original second-in-command. Formed in February 1918 by merging the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 21st Australian Machine Gun Companies. The battalion defended a position north-east of Beirut, around Bikfaya, initially but was moved around to various locations including Aleppo, on the Turkish border, throughout the remainder of 1941. From there, the battalion travelled overland to Sydney where they embarked upon the SS Ile de France from Pyrmont Wharf, bound for the Middle East, as part of a large convoy of troopships. [52] From then until the end of the war, the battalion took part in the ground advance through Wewak and beyond, fighting a series of small scale patrol actions, initially advancing through Arohemi and Muguluwela, and finally the town of But, while 'B' Company was assigned to Farida Force and carried out an amphibious landing around Dove Bay, in early May. [1] This was part of a reorganisation of the Militia infantry battalions, which saw them lose their integral machine gun companies, so that they could be grouped together under a single battalion headquarters. 6 MACHINE GUN BATTALION, 2AIF IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2 . For the next couple of days, the battalion fought several skirmishes with 'C' Company bearing the brunt of the Japanese attacks, suffering seven killed and 28 wounded, while inflicting about 200 casualties on the Japanese. While its personal were transferred to the Regular Army 1st Battalion on 12 July 1919 disembodied on 29 July, it was not formally disbanded until April 1953. [15] Sailing via Fremantle where 'D' Company rejoined the battalion, they sailed on to Colombo, which was reached in late April, where the troopship put in for repairs and shore leave was given to all battalion personnel. [56] Members of the battalion received the following decorations: one Distinguished Service Order, three Military Crosses, four Military Medals, one British Empire Medal and 21 Mentions in Despatches. Battalions based around the machine gun were established as part of the mobilisation of the British Army in the mid to late 1930s. [34] They would subsequently endure three-and-a-half years in captivity as Japanese prisoners of war, being sent to camps across south-east Asia, including the infamous Thai–Burma Railway. The 6th Machine Gun Battalion was raised on 22 August 1942, at Narellan, New South Wales. The militia battalions belonged to the 7th Brigade (9th, 25th and 61st Battalions) in the successful defence of Milne Bay; the 30th Brigade (3rd, 39th and 55th/53rd Battalions) which had fought over the Kokoda Trail and the 14th Brigade (36th and 49th Battalions) which had joined the four AIF Brigades in the attack on Gona and Sanananda. Formed with men from across the state, they all came together at Northam military camp, east of Perth, where they carried out their initial training. Others who did not board the Orcades included the battalion's 'B' Echelon, essentially all its vehicles, baggage and heavy weapons, and its maintenance personnel. The 6th Machine Gun Battalion was a battalion of the Australian Army that was raised for service during World War II. [57] The difficulties of target acquisition in dense jungle also contributed. [4] At its peak, the 2/3rd was equipped with 124 motor vehicles of various descriptions and 50 motorcycles. ), the 1st Line Territorial Force battalions of the regiment wer… A second armoured car regiment was formed in Sydney in 1939. The battalion's final action of the war came on 7 August when a patrol killed four Japanese. AUSTRALIAN ARMY IN AUSTRALIA DURING WWII . Battalion Headquarters 4 x Company. Company Headquarters (2 Officers, 57 Other Ranks) 4 x Platoon. [43] During this time, the battalion was based around Wondecla, south-west of Cairns. [8] In common with the other Australian machine gun battalions, the colours chosen for the battalion's unit colour patch (UCP) were black and gold. These came into action against the advanced Australian parties on Third Ridge, not at the landing; and the action took place at around 8.30 am, some four hours after the initial landing. In June/July 1941 it saw action against Vichy Fre… The battalion was disbanded in January 1946. Arriving at Port Adelaide, the battalion's vehicles, weapons and heavy equipment was moved to Morphettville Racecourse and the remaining personnel concentrated at Sandy Creek. After this, Blackforce began moving towards Soekaboemi on 5 March, as part of efforts to reach Tjilatjap on the southern coast of the island to secure passage back to Australia. Initially, they were camped around Tadji defending the airfield there, but after Christmas, the majority of the battalion – headquarters, headquarters company and two machine gun companies – was assigned to the 19th Brigade as they advanced west along the coast towards the Danmap, switching to providing support to the 16th Brigade in early January as it drove towards Abau; in the open country of the coastal area the machine guns proved quite effective. [10] Training was completed around Wollongong and Shellharbour, New South Wales. A Light Aid Detachment of electrical and mechanical engineers was also attached. Based around the Deception Bay area, north of Brisbane, a company was deployed to Moreton Island and another to Bribie Island. As the situation in the Pacific worsened for the Allies – Singapore had fallen in early February and the Japanese were steadily advancing through the Netherlands East Indies – the Allies made the decision to hastily make a stand. [30] As the Japanese began advancing further in the Indies, Blackburn sought to re-orient his troops, and the machine gunners were subsequently moved to the Leuwiliang area, 15 miles (24 km) west of Buitenzorg along an expected main avenue of advance, and they were given the task for defence the bridge over the Tjianten River. [2] The relevant companies came from several units assigned to the 1st Division,[3] specifically: the 1st, 13th, 17th, 18th, 20th/19th, and 34th Infantry Battalions. [lower-alpha 3] On 7 February 1920, following the establishment of the Territorial Army (T.A. In early 1944, the battalion returned to Australia and over the course of the year was disbanded, with its personnel being sent to other units as reinforcements. Forced to endure brutal conditions, over worked in labour camps, and inadequately provided for, casualties amongst these men were high. In this case, into Battalions of four Machine Gun Companies, attached to each Division, again with the same numeric designation; in this case the 3 rd Division. [7] During the war the battalion lost 202 men killed or died on active service, of which 56 were killed in action, 139 died while prisoners of war and seven in accidents or illness on active service. Its role during this period was to defend Gusap Airfield,[15] amidst heavy fighting around Shaggy Ridge. The 2nd Machine Gun Battalion was an infantry support unit of the Australian Army that was raised for service during World War I as part of the all volunteer Australian Imperial Force.It was one of five such units raised as part of the AIF during the war. These were presented in a triangular shape with a border of grey. [8] As personnel were evacuated due to illness, the Port Moresby company was used as a reinforcement pool until it was disbanded. [33] As the Allied defence of the island began to collapse, the machine gunners were ordered to hold up the Japanese around Leuwiliang for a day. In June 1944, the battalion began disbanding as its personnel were needed as reinforcements for other operational units. While the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion didn't come into being until March 1918, its resources were previously known as the 9th, 10th, 11th and 23rd Machine Gun Companies. [11] At this point, the unit's establishment was completed, as the battalion structure was finalised. Please note that we are taking some time off over Christmas and New Year from 19th December, 2020 to 3rd January, 2021. Therefore, most of Australian weapons and equipment during war was imported from either Britain or USA, although many were replaced with locally produced versions later in war. [27], Blackburn established his force into a brigade formation, utilising the pioneers and machine gunners as infantry battalions, and forming a third infantry battalion from troops that were assigned to garrison the base, as well as logistics and administrative personnel, and members of the AIF who had been able to get out of Singapore before it fell. [2] Motorised infantry units, equipped with wheeled motor vehicles, motorcycles and sometimes tracked carriers,[3] the machine gun battalions were formed to provide a greater level of support by fire than that which was organically available within ordinary infantry battalions. Two of these wounded were later smuggled out of the Indies by medical personnel back to Australia, with one rejoining the battalion there later in the year. Designated a South Australian battalion, its personnel were nevertheless recruited from several Australian states: South Australians predominated, but there were also men from Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia, with many of the battalion's cadre staff of officers and senior non commissioned officers having served previously in the Militia with various light horse regiments and infantry battalions. They remained there until 31 January when they boarded a train which took them to Kantara where they were ferried across the canal to continue the journey to Port Tewfik where the majority of the battalion, totalling 636 personnel of all ranks, boarded the troopship Orcades. 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