Australian Armoured Units of World War II

Armoured units made a relatively small, but important, contribution to Australia’s war effort during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. While Australia formed three armoured divisions and two independent armoured brigades during the war, Australian armoured units only saw action as independent regiments and companies supporting larger infantry formations.

Pre-war

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. An armoured car regiment was formed in 1933 based on the 19th Light Horse Regiment. A second armoured car regiment was formed in Sydney in 1939.

As with the rest of the Australian Army, the outbreak of war in 1939 lead to a dramatic expansion of Australia’s armoured force. Each of the four divisions in the Second Australian Imperial Force

Second Australian Imperial Force

The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...

(AIF) was authorised a cavalry reconnaissance regiment equipped with light tanks and scout carriers.

Divisional cavalry regiments

Until the formation of the 1st Armoured division, the three AIF divisional cavalry regiments were Australia’s only armoured units. What the Australian armoured force lacked in numbers, however, was more than made up by the intense activity of these regiments in the Middle East.

While all four AIF Divisions were authorised a divisional cavalry regiment, only three regiments were eventually formed as it was wrongly believed that the 8th Division

Australian 8th Division

The 8th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, who were in turn, part of the Allies of World War II. The 8th Division was raised from regular army units and new, all-volunteer infantry brigades, from July 1940 onwards...

did not need armoured support in Malaya

British Malaya

British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...

. The three AIF Divisional cavalry regiments were:

6th Divisional Cavalry Regiment
2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment (Australia)
The 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War and was later converted into to a commando unit. Initially formed at Ingleburn, New South Wales, on 3 November 1939 following the commencement of Australia's involvement in the...
7th Divisional Cavalry Regiment
Australian 7th Division
The 7th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1940 to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force...
9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment
Australian 9th Division
The 9th Division was a division of the Australian Army that served during World War II. It was the fourth division of the Second Australian Imperial Force and was formed in the United Kingdom in late 1940 from infantry brigades and support units which had been previously raised in Australia and...

(initially formed as 8th Divisional Cavalry Regiment)

In December 1941 four Militia light horse regiments were converted to form Divisional reconnaissance battalions. These Battalions were re-designated as Cavalry Regiments in late 1942. The four units were:

2nd Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 2nd Light Horse Regiment)
8th Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 8th Light Horse Regiment)
21st Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 21st Light Horse Regiment)
25th Reconnaissance Battalion (ex 25th Light Horse Regiment)

The organisation of a divisional cavalry regiment was:

Regimental Headquarters (4 light tanks, 2 cariers)
Administration Squadron
Three Fighting Squadrons each with:
- One Squadron Headquarters (2 light tanks, 2 universal carriers)
- Two light tank troops (each with 3 light tanks)
- Three carrier troops (each with 3 carriers)

In early 1943 the AIF divisions and three of the militia divisions were converted from motorised infantry

Motorised infantry

In NATO and most other western countries, motorised infantry is infantry which is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers, infantry combat vehicles, or infantry fighting vehicles...

to light infantry

Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...

'Jungle Division

Jungle Division

The Jungle Division was a military organisation adopted in 1943 by the Australian Army during the Second World War. This organisation was a much lighter version of the standard British-pattern infantry division used during previous campaigns in the deserts of North Africa and was optimised to meet...

s'. As part of this conversion the AIF divisional cavalry regiments were re-formed as unarmoured commando regiments

Australian commandos

The name commando has been applied to a variety of Australian special forces and light infantry units that have been formed since 1941–42. The first Australian "commando" units were formed during the Second World War, where they mainly performed reconnaissance and long-range patrol roles during...

with the regimental headquarters commanding previously independent commando companies. The 3rd and 5th Divisions' cavalry regiments appear to have been disbanded. Armoured support for the jungle divisions was provided, when required, by elements of the 4th Armoured Brigade Group

Australian 4th Armoured Brigade

The Australian 4th Armoured Brigade was formed in January 1943 to provide armoured support for Australian Army units operating in the South West Pacific Area. The Brigade was never intended to serve as a single formation, rather its role was to provide a pool of armoured units from which units and...

Carrier platoons and companies

During the early years of the war all Australian infantry battalions were authorised a platoon of Universal Carrier

Universal Carrier

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrong. Produced between 1934 and 1960, the vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War...

s. The Carrier Platoon's main roles were to transport the Battalion's crew served weapon

Crew served weapon

A crew-served weapon is any weapon system that requires a crew of more than one individual to function at optimum efficiency due to its operational complexity, such as requiring one person to load while another fires. The weight and bulk of the system often also necessitates multiple personnel for...

s and conduct reconnaissance. The carriers were also occasionally used to transport infantry.

Experience 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...

in 1942 demonstrated that, like almost all vehicles, the Universal Carrier was ill-suited to the dense jungle terrain common throughout the south-west pacific. As a result, when the Australian Army restructured its six front-line infantry divisions as Jungle Divisions in 1943 the infantry battalion Carrier Platoons were disbanded and replaced by a single divisional carrier company. The divisions which were retained on the British-pattern organisation retained their battalion carrier platoons. Due to the Universal Carrier's vulnerability in jungle terrain the divisional carrier companies were mainly used to transport supplies to forward positions and provide defence for the division's rear areas. While the carrier companies continued to train for offensive roles it is unclear if they were ever used for this purpose.

Universal Carriers were also issued to anti-tank and armoured regiments during the war:

Several anti-tank regiments were issued with 2 pounder
Ordnance QF 2 pounder
The Ordnance QF 2-pounder was a British anti-tank and vehicle-mounted gun, employed in the Second World War. It was actively used in the Battle of France, and during the North Africa campaign...

guns mounted on modified Australian-built Universal Carriers.
Standard Universal Carriers were issued to the Army's Armoured Regiments in 1941 and early 1942 for training purposes and to provide the Army with a minimal armoured capability until the arrival of large numbers of M3 Grant and M3 Stuart tanks in April 1942.

Armoured divisions and brigades

The 1st Armoured Division was formed in 1941. Following the outbreak of hostilities with Japan a further two armoured divisions and two independent armoured brigades were formed:

2nd Armoured Division
3rd Armoured Division
3rd Army Tank Brigade
4th Armoured Brigade Group

Following the disbandment of the 1st Armoured Division in September 1943 the Division's 1st Armoured Brigade survived as an independent brigade group until it was also disbanded in September 1944.

Armoured regiments and battalions

Upon its formation the 1st Armoured Division was organised along British lines and was authorised six armoured regiments and an armoured car regiment. While these regiments began forming in mid-1941 they were not issued with any tanks as it was planned to equip the Division and finalise its training when it deployed to the Middle East between December 1941 and March 1942. Following the outbreak of war in the Pacific and the decision to retain the Division in Australia the 1st Armoured Division's armoured regiments were issued with newly-arrived M3 Grant medium tanks in April and May 1942, and the Division completed its training in northern 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...

.

The Australian Armoured Corps was expanded in early 1942, with the conversion of the 2nd Motor Division to the 2nd Armored Division. This conversion involved three motorised regiments being armoured with M3 Grants and a further motorised regiment being converted to an armoured reconnaissance regiment. In addition, the 3rd Army Tank Brigade was formed to provide armoured support to infantry units. In keeping with this role, the Brigade's three Tank Battalions were equipped with Matilda II infantry tanks.

While a third armoured division was formed in late 1942, this only resulted in the formation of an additional armoured reconnaissance unit as the 1st Armoured Division's 2nd Armoured Brigade was assigned to the new division and provided its armoured units.

Due to the Matilda II's superior performance in jungle terrain almost of the armoured units to be deployed to the South West Pacific were re-equipped with these vehicles before deployment.

Summary list of Australian armoured units

This table was derived from Dust, Sand & Jungle by Paul Handel and Australian Armour by Major General R.N. Hopkins (Retired) and the unit war diaries available on the Australian War Memorial website. It is currently incomplete as it does not contain the armoured training formations and the anti-tank regiments issued with self-propelled guns and may not include all of Militia divisions' reconnaissance regiments and the armoured brigade reconnaissance squadrons.

Note that the date of formation given for the Militia units is in most cases the date they were converted from a horse-mounted or motorised unit into an armoured unit.

Unit Name	Formed	Disbanded	Notes
Armoured Divisions
1st Armoured Division	July 1941	September 1943	Formed as an AIF Division
2nd Armoured Division	February 1942	February 1943	Previously 2nd Cavalry Division and 2nd Motor Division
3rd Armoured Division	November 1942	October 1943	Previously 1st Cavalry Division and 1st Motor Division
Armoured Brigades
1st Armoured Brigade 1st Armoured Brigade (Australia) The 1st Australian Armoured Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in July1941, at Tamworth, New South Wales and disbanded November 1944...	July 1941	September 1944	Independent brigade group from September 1943 to September 1944
2nd Armoured Brigade 2nd Armoured Brigade (Australia) The 2nd Australian Armoured Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in July1 941, at Puckapunyal, Victoria and disbanded April 1944...	July 1941	October 1943	Transferred from 1st Armoured Division to 3rd Armoured Division in November 1942
3rd Army Tank Brigade	May 1942	September 1943
4th Armoured Brigade	January 1943	End of war	Brigade HQ previously 6th Armoured Brigade HQ
6th Armoured Brigade 6th Armoured Brigade (Australia) The 6th Armoured Brigade was a formation of the Australian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in May 1942, by the conversion of the 6th Motor Brigade and was assigned to the 2nd Motor Division. The brigade also absorbed units of the 5th Motor Brigade in June 1942...	February 1942	February 1943	Previously 6th Australian Cavalry Brigade and 6th Motor Brigade. HQ to 4th Armoured Brigade upon disbandment.
Armoured Car Regiments
1st Armoured Car Regiment	Late 1933		Converted to 1st Motor Regiment in 1941, later 1st Army Tank Battalion
2nd Armoured Car Regiment	March 1939		Converted to 2nd Army Tank battalion in 1942
6th Armoured Car Regiment	February 1942?	February 1943?	May never have been converted from a motor regiment. Previously the 6th Light Horse Regiment.
2/11th Armoured Car Regiment 2/11th Armoured Car Regiment (Australia) The 2/11th Armoured Car Regiment was an Australian Army armoured reconnaissance regiment of World War II. The Regiment was formed in 1941 and disbanded in 1944 without seeing action.-History:...	August 1941	April 1944
12th Armoured Car Regiment	November 1942	October 1943?	Previously the 12th Light Horse Regiment and 12th Motor Regiment
Divisional Cavalry and Reconnaissance Regiments
6th Divisional Cavalry Regiment 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment (Australia) The 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War and was later converted into to a commando unit. Initially formed at Ingleburn, New South Wales, on 3 November 1939 following the commencement of Australia's involvement in the...	November 1939	End of war	Converted to the 2/6th Commando Regiment in early 1943
7th Divisional Cavalry Regiment	May 1940	End of war	Converted to infantry in late 1942 and to 2/7th Commando Regiment in April 1943
9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment	July 1940	End of war	Formed as 8th Divisional Cavalry Regiment. Converted to the 2/9th Commando Regiment in December 1943
2nd Reconnaissance Battalion	?	July 1943	Militia unit, previously the 2nd Moreton Light Horse. Later renamed 2nd Cavalry Regiment. This unit was the 5th Division's Australian 5th Division (World War II) The 5th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army which served during the First and Second World Wars. The Division was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades... reconnaissance battalion in mid 1942.
8th Reconnaissance Battalion	December 1941	Early 1943?	Militia unit. This unit was the 3rd Division's reconnaissance battalion. Renamed 8th Cavalry Regiment in late 1942.
10th Light Horse Regiment	?	?	Militia unit. Named 10th Reconnaissance Battalion between 1940 and 1942. It is, however, if unclear if this unit was even partially armoured. It formed part of the Australian III Corps Australian III Corps III Corps was an Australian Army unit during World War II. It was responsible for the defence of Western Australia in 1942-45.The founding unit of the corps was a West Australian-formed Militia unit, the 13th Brigade... corps troops in early 1943.
21st Reconnaissance Battalion	December 1941	May 1943	Militia unit, previously the 21st Light Horse Regiment. Renamed 21st Cavalry Regiment in September 1942. As an armoured unit this battalion served under a number of divisions. Upon disbandment the regiment's personnel were used to form a number of carrier companies and platoons.
25th Cavalry Regiment	?	?	Militia regiment. This unit was the 4th Division's divisional cavalry regiment in late 1942.
Armoured Regiments
2/4th Armoured Regiment	October 1942	End of war	Formed from 2/1st and 2/2nd Light Tank Squadrons and D Squadron, 2/11th Armoured Car Regiment
2/5th Armoured Regiment 2/5th Armoured Regiment (Australia) The 2/5th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army. Raised for service during World War II, the regiment was formed in 1941 and disbanded at the end of the war in 1945 without having been deployed outside of Australia.-History:...	July 1941	End of war
2/6th Armoured Regiment 2/6th Armoured Regiment (Australia) The 2/6th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army that served during World War II. Raised in 1941 the Regiment took part in the Battle of Buna–Gona in 1942–43, however, it did not see further action during the war and was disbanded in September 1945.-History:The 2/6th...	August 1941	End of war
2/7th Armoured Regiment 2/7th Armoured Regiment (Australia) The 2/7th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army. Raised for service during World War II in October 1941, it was initially intended to serve in the Middle East, however due to the changing nature of the war and manpower shortages, the regiment never saw service outside of...	August 1941	October 1944
2/8th Armoured Regiment 2/8th Armoured Regiment (Australia) The 2/8th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army. It was raised for service during World War II, being formed in July 1941. It deployed to New Guinea in 1943 but did not see any action before being disbanded in February 1944....	July 1941	February 1944	Converted to the 41st, 42nd and 43rd Landing Craft Companies upon disbandment
2/9th Armoured Regiment 2/9th Armoured Regiment (Australia) The 2/9th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army. Raised for service during World War II, the regiment was formed in August 1941 and spent most of the war in Australia...	August 1941	End of war
2/10th Armoured Regiment 2/10th Armoured Regiment (Australia) The 2/10th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army. Formed for service during World War II, the regiment was raised in 1941, but was disbanded in late 1944 having never been deployed overseas.-History:...	July 1941	September 1944
12th Armoured Regiment	June 1942	April(?) 1943	Previously 18th Light Horse Regiment and 18th Motor Regiment
13th Armoured Regiment	May 1942	October 1943	Previously 13th Light Horse Regiment. Re-designated 13th Motor Regiment in March 1943
14th Armoured Regiment	June 1942	March 1943	Previously 17th Machine Gun Regiment, 4th Armoured Regiment and 104th Motor Regiment
1st Army Tank Battalion	May 1942	End of war	Previously 1st Armoured Car and 1st Motor Regiment. Redesignated 1st Armoured Regiment in 1944.
2nd Army Tank Battalion	May 1942	March 1944	Previously 2nd Armoured Car Regiment
3rd Army Tank Battalion	May 1942	March 1944	Raised as 3rd Armoured Regiment
Independent Squadrons
2/1st Light Tank Squadron	October 1941	October 1942	Re-designated 1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron in early 1942
2/2nd Light Tank Squadron	October 1941	October 1942	Re-designated 2nd Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron in early 1942
3rd Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron	February 1942?	February 1943?
2/1st Reconnaissance Squadron	September 1943	End of war	Previously 1st Armoured Division HQ Squadron. Later re-designated Special Equipment Squadron
2/1st Amphibious Armoured Squadron	August 1944	End of war
1st Armoured Car Squadron Australian 1st Armoured Car Squadron The Australian 1st Armoured Car Squadron was an Australian Army unit formed as part of Australia's contribution to the occupation of Japan. Upon its return to Australia in 1948 the Squadron was expanded and re-equipped to form the 1st Armoured Regiment....	January 1946		Formed for occupation duties in Japan. Expanded to form the 1st Armoured Regiment following its return to Australia in July 1949.
Divisional Carrier Companies
3rd Division Carrier Company	Early 1943?	End of war
5th Division Carrier Company	Early 1943?	End of war
6th Division Carrier Company Australian 6th Division The 6th Division of the Australian Army was a unit in the Second Australian Imperial Force during World War II. It served in the North African campaign, the Greek campaign and the New Guinea campaign, including the crucial battles of the Kokoda Track, among others...	Early 1943?	End of war
7th Division Carrier Company	Early 1943?	End of war
9th Division Carrier Company	Late 1943?	End of war
11th Division Carrier Company	Early 1943?	End of war

External links

Graham Donaldson Australian Tank Deployment
Paul Handel and Brett Green ANZAC Steel website
Captain James C. Morrison Mechanising an Army : mechanisation and the conversion of the Light Horse, 1920-1943
Australian Light Horse Association Light Horse Military Units
www.Australian-armour.com World War 2 Armoured Units
Sentinel Website Australian Military Vehicles Index

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