5th Brigade (Australia)
Encyclopedia
5th Brigade is a brigade
of the Australian Army
. It is a Reserve
combined arms formation based in New South Wales
and forms part of the 2nd Division.
battalion
s—the 17th, 18th
, 19th and 20th Battalions. The majority of its personnel were drawn from men that had previously served in New Guinea
with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
. It served at Gallipoli, where it took part in the August Offensive before being evacuated in December 1915. In early 1916, the brigade was sent to France where for the next two and a half years it fought on the Western Front
.
Following the end of the war, the 5th Brigade was disbanded, however, it was re-raised in 1921 as part of the Citizens Military Force. At this time it consisted of the 4th, 20th, 36th and 54th Battalions
. During the Second World War the brigade was reduced to three infantry battalions—the 44th, 54th and 56th Battalions
—and was undertook defensive duties in Australia until it was disbanded in June 1944 as part of the reallocation of manpower resources undertaken by the Army at the time.
In 1948 the CMF was established once more, albeit on a limited scale and the 5th Brigade was re-raised. In 1960, with the introduction of the Pentropic divisional structure
, the brigade ceased to exist as it was decided to move away from the traditional triangular formation. The Pentropic structure was abandoned in 1965, however, and the Army returned to the previous tropical establishment. The brigade was reformed at this time, albeit under the guise of the "5th Task Force", and consisted of three battalions—3 RNSWR, 4 RNSWR and 17 RNSWR. In 1982 it reverted to the designation of "5th Brigade" and in 1987 all Reserve formations were reduced to two infantry battalions.
Today, 5th Brigade is a combined arms formation of the Australian Army Reserve, based in New South Wales
and it is one of six brigade
s of the 2nd Division.
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. It is a Reserve
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
combined arms formation based in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and forms part of the 2nd Division.
History
It was initially formed in 1915 for service during the First World War and consisted of four infantryInfantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s—the 17th, 18th
18th Battalion (Australia)
The 18th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. During World War I, the battalion was raised in 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force, attached to the 5th Brigade, of the 2nd Division...
, 19th and 20th Battalions. The majority of its personnel were drawn from men that had previously served in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of the First World War to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guinea in the south-west Pacific...
. It served at Gallipoli, where it took part in the August Offensive before being evacuated in December 1915. In early 1916, the brigade was sent to France where for the next two and a half years it fought on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
.
Following the end of the war, the 5th Brigade was disbanded, however, it was re-raised in 1921 as part of the Citizens Military Force. At this time it consisted of the 4th, 20th, 36th and 54th Battalions
54th Battalion (Australia)
The 54th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1916 for service during the World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium before being amalgamated with the 56th Battalion in late 1918 following...
. During the Second World War the brigade was reduced to three infantry battalions—the 44th, 54th and 56th Battalions
56th Battalion (Australia)
The 56th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1916 for service during the World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium before being amalgamated with the 54th Battalion in late 1918 following...
—and was undertook defensive duties in Australia until it was disbanded in June 1944 as part of the reallocation of manpower resources undertaken by the Army at the time.
In 1948 the CMF was established once more, albeit on a limited scale and the 5th Brigade was re-raised. In 1960, with the introduction of the Pentropic divisional structure
Pentropic organisation
The Pentropic organisation was a military organisation used by the Australian Army between 1960 and 1965. It was based on the United States Army's pentomic organisation and involved reorganising most of the Army's combat units into units based on five elements, rather than the previous three or...
, the brigade ceased to exist as it was decided to move away from the traditional triangular formation. The Pentropic structure was abandoned in 1965, however, and the Army returned to the previous tropical establishment. The brigade was reformed at this time, albeit under the guise of the "5th Task Force", and consisted of three battalions—3 RNSWR, 4 RNSWR and 17 RNSWR. In 1982 it reverted to the designation of "5th Brigade" and in 1987 all Reserve formations were reduced to two infantry battalions.
Today, 5th Brigade is a combined arms formation of the Australian Army Reserve, based in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and it is one of six brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s of the 2nd Division.
Current composition
- Headquarters 5th Brigade (located in Sydney)
- 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers1st/15th Royal New South Wales LancersThe 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers is a current Australian Army Reserve Light Cavalry Regiment. The regiment is based at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, New South Wales. The regiment has recently re-equipped with 4x4 Land Rover patrol vehicles as part of the conversion to a Light Cavalry ...
(located at Lancer Barracks, ParramattaParramatta, New South WalesParramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
) - 1st/19th Battalion1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales RegimentThe 1st/19th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment , is an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It is one of four battalions of the Royal New South Wales Regiment and is currently a Reserve unit attached to the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division. In its present form 1/19 RNSWR was raised in...
, Royal New South Wales RegimentRoyal New South Wales RegimentThe Royal New South Wales Regiment is a reserve infantry regiment of the Australian Army based in the state of New South Wales. The regiment consists of four battalions:-Organisation:*1st/19th Battalion*2nd/17th Battalion*4th/3rd Battalion...
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) - 23rd Field Regiment (located at KogarahKogarah, New South WalesKogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
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- 21st Construction Regiment (located at Holsworthy BarracksHolsworthy BarracksHolsworthy Barracks is located in the outer south-western Sydney suburb of Holsworthy. It is part of the Holsworthy military reserve, which has been a training area and artillery range for the Australian Army since World War I. Following World War II it became a major base for the permanent...
) - 142nd Signals Squadron
- 5th Combat Service Support Battalion
- Sydney University RegimentSydney University RegimentSydney University Regiment is an officer training regiment of the Australian Army Reserve. It can trace its lineage back to 1900 when the University Volunteer Rifle Corps was raised as a unit of the colonial New South Wales Defence Force. Over time this unit has undergone a number of name and role...
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