4th Armoured Brigade (Australia)

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Australian 4th Armoured Brigade
4th Australian Armoured Brigade Formation Sign
4th Australian Armoured Brigade formation sign
Active 1943–46
Country  Australia
Branch Army
Type Armoured
Role Infantry support
Equipment Matilda II and M3 Grant tanks
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Denzil Macarthur-Onslow

The Australian 4th Armoured Brigade was an armoured formation established as part of the Australian Army during the Second World War. It was formed in February 1943 to provide armoured support for 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 sub-units could be provided to augment infantry forces. It was also responsible for developing specialised armoured vehicles for armoured warfare in tropical terrain. Elements of the 4th Armoured Brigade supported the Australian Army's major operations from 1943 until the end of the war. It was disbanded in February 1946.

History

Establishment

The 4th Armoured Brigade was established in February 1943 as part of a reorganisation of the Army's armoured units. As there was no longer any threat of Japanese forces invading Australia, the 2nd Armoured Division was disbanded to free up manpower for other purposes. However, it was decided to retain the headquarters of that division's 6th Armoured Brigade to command armoured units which were intended to take part in offensive operations in New Guinea and other locations in the South West Pacific. This specialised formation was designated the 4th Armoured Brigade.[1] The need for armoured support of infantry forces had been demonstrated by the Army's experiences in the New Guinea Campaign during 1942 and early 1943.[2]

4th Armoured Brigade Matilda II and M3 Grant tanks firing small calibre weapons during a demonstration in 1944

The main role of the 4th Armoured Brigade was to provide detachments of tanks to support infantry units.[3] As it was not practical or necessary to deploy large armoured units in the jungle terrain common across the South West Pacific, the brigade was organised into several self-supporting regimental groups. These regimental groups could in turn provide sub-units with the necessary logistics support to form the armoured component of other units during combat operations.[4][3] The brigade was also responsible for developing and deploying specialised types of tanks.[3]

Upon formation, the main units of the 4th Armoured Brigade were the 1st Army Tank Battalion, 2/6th Armoured Regiment and 2/9th Armoured Regiment.[3] The 1st Army Tank Battalion was equipped with Matilda II infantry tanks and had previously formed part of the 3rd Army Tank Brigade.[5] The 2/6th Armoured Regiment had formed part of the 1st Armoured Division until August 1942 when it and its M3 Stuart light tanks were transferred to New Guinea. Elements of the regiment saw combat in the Battle of Buna–Gona, where the Stuart tanks proved too lightly-armoured to be effective.[6] The 2/9th Armoured Regiment was transferred from the 3rd Armoured Division and was equipped with M3 Grant medium tanks.[5] The brigade also had several supporting engineer, medical, signals and services units. As it was not intended to operate as a single unit, the 4th Armoured Brigade lacked the armoured reconnaissance, artillery, combat engineer and infantry units which were standard in Australian Army armoured brigades.[3] The 4th Armoured Brigade's commanding officer from its establishment until its disbandment was Brigadier Denzil Macarthur-Onslow.[7]

Combat operations

The units of the 4th Armoured Brigade were concentrated at Singleton, New South Wales on 10 March 1943.[3] The 1st Army Tank Battalion was subsequently transferred to Caboolture in southern Queensland and reorganised as a self-supporting battalion group while remaining part of the 4th Armoured Brigade. The unit was redesignated the 1st Tank Battalion on 10 June 1943, and in August that year was shipped to Milne Bay in New Guinea. It subsequently supported the 9th Division during the Landing at Lae and Huon Peninsula campaign. The 1st Tank Battalion returned to Australia in June 1944 and was redesignated again to become the 1st Armoured Regiment.[8] In the meantime the 2/4th Armoured Regiment was added to the 4th Armoured Brigade in October 1943; this unit had previously formed part of the 3rd Armoured Division and was re-equipped with Matilda II tanks.[9][10] Also in October 1943, a party from the 4th Armoured Brigade armed with pistols was sent to Grovely Camp near Brisbane to put down a riot by soldiers being held under detention there, but did not need to use force.[11] During March 1944 the 2/6th Armoured Regiment was transferred to the 1st Armoured Brigade Group, and the 2/5th Armoured Regiment was transferred from that brigade group to the 4th Armoured Brigade.[12]

By mid-1944 the 4th Armoured Brigade was located in Southport, Queensland.[13] In June 1944 it established a training area at Nerang in Queensland where armoured units could practice operating in tropical conditions.[14] During mid-1944 the 4th Armoured Brigade trialled two M4 Sherman tanks alongside Grants and Matilda IIs.[15] In September 1944 the brigade gained the 2/1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron when the 1st Armoured Brigade Group was disbanded; this unit was reorganised to become the Armoured Squadron (Special Equipment) in January 1945.[16] Following the disbandment of the 1st Armoured Brigade Group the 4th Armoured Brigade was the last remaining armoured brigade in the Australian Army, and commanded all of its armoured units other than the 2/6th Armoured Regiment.[12] The 2/1st Armoured Amphibious Squadron was also established as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade in November 1944.[12] The final change to the wartime structure of the 4th Armoured Brigade occurred in July 1945 when the 2/6th Armoured Regiment rejoined the unit.[12]

File:Infantry tank (AWM 089471).jpg
A 2/9th Armoured Regiment Matilda II tank supporting infantry during the fighting on Tarakan Island in May 1945

One of the 4th Armoured Brigade's regimental groups supported Australian Army offensive operations in New Guinea and Bougainville during 1944 and 1945.[17] The 2/4th Armoured Regiment was transferred to New Guinea in August 1944, and came under the command of the First Australian Army.[14] From January 1945 until the end of the war, C Squadron of the 2/4th Armoured Regiment supported the 6th Division during the Aitape-Wewak campaign.[18] The regimental headquarters and two other squadrons took part in the Bougainville Campaign from October 1944 until the end of the war where they supported II Corps.[19]

During 1945 two 4th Armoured Brigade regimental groups took part in the Borneo campaign. C Squadron of the 2/9th Armoured Regiment was attached to the 26th Brigade Group during the invasion of Tarakan in May 1945. The remainder of this regiment subsequently supported the 9th Division during the early stages of the Battle of North Borneo from 10 June.[20][21] The 1st Armoured Regiment and Armoured Squadron (Special Equipment) were attached to the 7th Division and took part in the Battle of Balikpapan from 1 July.[20][22]

By July 1945 only the 2/5th and 2/6th Armoured Regiments (both equipped with Grant tanks) and the 2/1st Armoured Amphibious Squadron remained at Southport in Australia with the 4th Armoured Brigade's headquarters. The two regiments were preparing for further offensive operations, but did not leave Australia.[23] Most of the 4th Armoured Brigade's units were rapidly disbanded following the war. The 2/1st Armoured Amphibious Squadron was disbanded in August 1945, and the Armoured Squadron (Special Equipment) followed in October that year.[24] The 4th Armoured Brigade headquarters and 2/5th and 2/6th Armoured Regiments were disbanded in February 1946, and the 2/9th Armoured Regiment was also disbanded in the early part of the year.[25][26] Only the 1st Armoured Regiment remained an active unit, with it returning to its pre-war designation of the 1st Royal New South Wales Lancers in 1949.[8] Volunteers from the 4th Armoured Brigade also manned the 1st Armoured Car Squadron which was established in 1946 for occupation duties in Japan; this squadron was expanded to form the 1st Armoured Regiment in 1949 which remains an active part of the Australian Army.[27] A memorial to the 4th Armoured Brigade was dedicated at Caboolture in 1993.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hopkins 1978, pp. 125–126.
  2. ↑ Beale 2011, p. 182.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Hopkins 1978, p. 126.
  4. ↑ Beale 2011, p. 202.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hopkins 1978, pp. 126, 326.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 316.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 327.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Hopkins 1978, p. 328.
  13. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 330.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hopkins 1978, p. 140.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Hopkins 1978, pp. 140, 328.
  17. ↑ Beale 2011, p. 228.
  18. ↑ Beale 2011, pp. 228–229.
  19. ↑ Beale 2011, pp. 232–233.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Beale 2011, p. 235.
  21. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 161.
  22. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 166.
  23. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 177.
  24. ↑ Hopkins 1978, p. 320.
  25. ↑ Hopkins 1978, pp. 177, 328.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Works consulted

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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