6th Brigade (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The 6th Brigade is an Australian Army
brigade
. First formed during the First World War as an infantry
unit of the Australian Imperial Force
, the brigade served at Gallipoli and in France
and Belgium
on the Western Front
. In the 1920s, as part of a reorganisation of the Australian Army, it became part of the 3rd Military District of the Citizens Military Force, encompassing units from Victoria
and South Australia
. In 1991, it became part of the Ready Reserve Scheme, based at Enoggera Barracks
, in Brisbane
, Queensland
, before being disbanded in 1996 when the scheme was discontinued. The brigade was re-raised on 1 March 2010 to oversee the Army's command support and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (CS & ISTAR) units.
s—the 21st
, 22nd, 23rd
and 24th Battalion
—all of which were raised in Victoria
. After being sent to Egypt
in June 1915 with the 2nd Division as part of an expansion of the Australian Imperial Force
, the brigade was sent to Gallipoli in September, however, as the last Allied
offensive had come to an end the previous month, from then up until December 1915 when the Anzacs were evacuated from the peninsula, the brigade was not involved in any significant engagements. Later, in 1916, they were transferred to the Western Front
, where they took part in the fighting in the trenches until the end of the war.
During their time on the Western Front, the 6th Brigade was involved in a number of major battles including the Battle of Pozieres
, the Battle of Mouquet Farm
, and the Battle of Bullecourt
. They were also involved in beating back the tide of the German Spring Offensive
in 1918 before taking part in the final campaign of the war as part of the Hundred Days Offensive
.
. In 1928, it became part of the 3rd Military District and was re-organised to include the 7th, 8th, 21st and 38th Battalions.
, however, in July 1943, consisting of the 14th/32nd
, 19th and 36th Battalions, it was sent to New Guinea
. Based in Buna
, in Papua, they carried out garrison duties as well as patrols around the areas surrounding Milne and Nassu Bay. In May 1944, they moved to Lae
. In June they were sent to Buolo for a rest, before returning to Lae in September where they were transferred from the 4th Division to the 5th Division and the decision was made to send them to New Britain.
In November advanced elements of the brigade from the 19th Battalion landed at Jacquinot Bay, and after the other two battalions arrived they began a campaign of harassment against the much larger Japanese forces on the island, with the objective of restricting Japanese to freedom of action in the area. The brigade advanced along the coast, using barges, crossing the Mevelo River in February before carrying out a number of patrols towards the Wulwut River to the east. In mid-March, they came up against the main Japanese defensive line in the Waitavalo–Tol Plantation around Bacon Hill and over the course of two days, the 19th Battalion and 14th/32nd fought to capture it.
Following this, the 6th Brigade established a defensive line that extended across the Gazelle Peninsula, and from there they continued to mount patrols into Japanese held-territory until April 1945 when they were withdrawn back to Australia. Although it was originally planned that the brigade would re-organise to make up its losses and begin training for participation in further operations, as the war in the Pacific wound down, the decision was made disbanded the 6th Brigade and a number of its component units in July 1945 as part of the demobilisation process.
, was allocated to 3rd Division along with the 4th and 9th Brigade. By April 1953, it was part of Southern Command.
Between 1960 and 1965 the Australian Army briefly adopted the Pentropic divisional structure
. During this time brigade formations were discontinued, although their headquarters units remained in many cases, in order to improve the flow of information. Following the decision to return to the traditional triangular divisional structure in 1965, the brigade formations were re-adopted, albeit with the designation of 'task forces' rather than 'brigades', as it was felt that the later term was too "rigid". As a result the 6th Brigade was known for a time as the '6th Task Force'. In early 1982, however, the designation of brigade was readopted.
The Ready Reserve Scheme was established in 1991 and the brigade was re-organised around this scheme, forming a combined arms element consisting of roughly 3,719 personnel incorporating 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
, 49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment, 'A' Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 139th Signals Regiment, 1st Field Regiment and the 6th Brigade Administrative Support Battalion. At this time, the 3rd Division was disbanded and 6th Brigade was re-allocated to the 2nd Division.
Later, in 1996, after the decision was made to discontinue the Ready Reserve Scheme, 6th Brigade was disbanded, and its units were merged with others and reallocated to 7th Brigade.
and it forms part of the Army's Forces Command. The 6th Brigade's current constituent units are:
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...
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...
. First formed during the First World War as an infantry
Infantry
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...
unit of the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
, the brigade served at Gallipoli and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
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...
. In the 1920s, as part of a reorganisation of the Australian Army, it became part of the 3rd Military District of the Citizens Military Force, encompassing units from Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. In 1991, it became part of the Ready Reserve Scheme, based at Enoggera Barracks
Enoggera Barracks
Enoggera Barracks is an Australian Army base in the northwestern Brisbane suburb of Enoggera in Queensland.-History:...
, in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, before being disbanded in 1996 when the scheme was discontinued. The brigade was re-raised on 1 March 2010 to oversee the Army's command support and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (CS & ISTAR) units.
First World War
Originally formed in early 1915, the brigade consisted of four infantry battalionBattalion
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 21st
21st Battalion (Australia)
The 21st Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was raised in 1915 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force for service during World War I and formed part of the 6th Brigade, attached to the 2nd Division. It fought during the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front...
, 22nd, 23rd
23rd Battalion (Australia)
The 23rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was raised in 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force for service during World War I and formed part of the 6th Brigade, attached to the 2nd Division. It fought during the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front...
and 24th Battalion
24th Battalion (Australia)
The 24th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised in 1915 for service during World War I as part of the 1st Australian Imperial Force, it was attached to the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division and served during the Gallipoli campaign and in the trenches of the Western...
—all of which were raised in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. After being sent to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in June 1915 with the 2nd Division as part of an expansion of the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
, the brigade was sent to Gallipoli in September, however, as the last Allied
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
offensive had come to an end the previous month, from then up until December 1915 when the Anzacs were evacuated from the peninsula, the brigade was not involved in any significant engagements. Later, in 1916, they were transferred to 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...
, where they took part in the fighting in the trenches until the end of the war.
During their time on the Western Front, the 6th Brigade was involved in a number of major battles including the Battle of Pozieres
Battle of Pozières
The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
, the Battle of Mouquet Farm
Battle of Mouquet Farm
The Battle of Mouquet Farm, which began on 5 August 1916, was part of the Battle of the Somme and followed the Battle of Pozières. The farm was eventually captured on 26 September by No. 16 Section of the 6th East Yorkshire Pioneers.-Battle:...
, and the Battle of Bullecourt
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
. They were also involved in beating back the tide of the German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
in 1918 before taking part in the final campaign of the war as part of the Hundred Days Offensive
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat...
.
Inter war years
In 1920, following the re-organisation of the Citizens Military Force (CMF), 6th Brigade became part of the 4th Infantry Division, encompassing units drawn from Victoria and South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. In 1928, it became part of the 3rd Military District and was re-organised to include the 7th, 8th, 21st and 38th Battalions.
Second World War
At the start of the Second World War, the 6th Brigade undertook garrison duties in Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, however, in July 1943, consisting of the 14th/32nd
14th/32nd Battalion (Australia)
The 14th/32nd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which served during the Second World War. It was formed in September 1942 by the amalgamation of the 14th and 32nd Battalions and was assigned to the 6th Brigade, 4th Division in Geraldton, Western Australia...
, 19th and 36th Battalions, it was sent to New Guinea
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
. Based in Buna
Buna
Buna may refer to the official Mbum language of Cameroon, as well as:People:*Buna Lawrie, an Australian Aboriginal musician.Places:*Buna village, a small Bosnia and Herzegovina village at the confluence of the Buna and Neretva rivers...
, in Papua, they carried out garrison duties as well as patrols around the areas surrounding Milne and Nassu Bay. In May 1944, they moved to Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
. In June they were sent to Buolo for a rest, before returning to Lae in September where they were transferred from the 4th Division to the 5th Division and the decision was made to send them to New Britain.
In November advanced elements of the brigade from the 19th Battalion landed at Jacquinot Bay, and after the other two battalions arrived they began a campaign of harassment against the much larger Japanese forces on the island, with the objective of restricting Japanese to freedom of action in the area. The brigade advanced along the coast, using barges, crossing the Mevelo River in February before carrying out a number of patrols towards the Wulwut River to the east. In mid-March, they came up against the main Japanese defensive line in the Waitavalo–Tol Plantation around Bacon Hill and over the course of two days, the 19th Battalion and 14th/32nd fought to capture it.
Following this, the 6th Brigade established a defensive line that extended across the Gazelle Peninsula, and from there they continued to mount patrols into Japanese held-territory until April 1945 when they were withdrawn back to Australia. Although it was originally planned that the brigade would re-organise to make up its losses and begin training for participation in further operations, as the war in the Pacific wound down, the decision was made disbanded the 6th Brigade and a number of its component units in July 1945 as part of the demobilisation process.
Post War
In 1948, the CMF was re-raised and 6th Brigade, under the command of Brigadier Selwyn PorterSelwyn Porter
Major General Selwyn Havelock Watson Craig Porter CBE, DSO was an Australian Army officer and chief commissioner of Victoria Police.-Early life:...
, was allocated to 3rd Division along with the 4th and 9th Brigade. By April 1953, it was part of Southern Command.
Between 1960 and 1965 the Australian Army briefly adopted 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...
. During this time brigade formations were discontinued, although their headquarters units remained in many cases, in order to improve the flow of information. Following the decision to return to the traditional triangular divisional structure in 1965, the brigade formations were re-adopted, albeit with the designation of 'task forces' rather than 'brigades', as it was felt that the later term was too "rigid". As a result the 6th Brigade was known for a time as the '6th Task Force'. In early 1982, however, the designation of brigade was readopted.
The Ready Reserve Scheme was established in 1991 and the brigade was re-organised around this scheme, forming a combined arms element consisting of roughly 3,719 personnel incorporating 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment is a motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Brisbane, Queensland, on 6 June 1965 and has since then served in a number of overseas deployments and conflicts including South Vietnam, East Timor and Iraq...
, 49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment, 'A' Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 139th Signals Regiment, 1st Field Regiment and the 6th Brigade Administrative Support Battalion. At this time, the 3rd Division was disbanded and 6th Brigade was re-allocated to the 2nd Division.
Later, in 1996, after the decision was made to discontinue the Ready Reserve Scheme, 6th Brigade was disbanded, and its units were merged with others and reallocated to 7th Brigade.
Current role
The 6th Brigade was re-raised on 1 March 2010 to command the Army's CS & ISTAR units. Its headquarters is located at Victoria Barracks, SydneyVictoria Barracks, Sydney
Victoria Barracks is an Australian Army base in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Victoria Barracks is located in the suburb of Paddington, between Oxford Street and Moore Park Road...
and it forms part of the Army's Forces Command. The 6th Brigade's current constituent units are:
- 1st Ground Liaison Group
- 1st Intelligence Battalion
- 2/30th Training Group
- 6th Engineer Support Regiment
- 7th Signal Regiment
- 16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian ArtilleryThe 16th Air Defence Regiment is the youngest regiment of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. As the Australian Defence Force's only Ground Based Air Defence unit the Regiment is responsible for protecting a wide range of military assets during wartime, ranging from Army units in the field...
- 19th Chief Engineer Works
- 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian ArtilleryThe 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery is an Australian Army Regiment which was raised in 2006. The Regiment is responsible for providing the Australian Army with artillery spotting and tactical reconnaissance...
- 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland RegimentFar North Queensland RegimentThe 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment is a light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. The battalion serves as a Regional Force Surveillance Unit , carrying out reconnaissance and surveillance tasks as its primary role...
- NORFORCENORFORCEThe NORFORCE is an infantry regiment of the Australian Army Reserve. Formed in 1981, the regiment is one of three Regional Force Surveillance Units employed in surveillance and reconnaissance of the remote areas of Northern Australia.-History:In the late-1970s and early 1980s the need for a...
- Pilbara RegimentPilbara RegimentThe Pilbara Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Australian Army Reserve and is one of three Regional Force Surveillance Units employed in surveillance and reconnaissance of the remote areas of northern Australia...