2/16th Battalion (Australia)

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16th Battalion (Australia)
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2/16th Battalion
Troops from the 2/16th fly in to Kaiapit, September 1943
ActiveApril 1940 – February 1946
CountryAustralia
BranchAustralian Army
TypeInfantry
Size~ 800–900 personnel all ranks[1]
Part of21st Brigade, 7th Division
ColoursWhite over blue
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 2/16th Battalion was an

Borneo
in July 1945. At the end of the war, the 2/16th were disbanded in January 1946.

History

Formation and service in the Middle East

The 2/16th Battalion was recruited in

Perth, in the state of Western Australia in early 1940, with its first war diary entry being made on 20 April 1940.[2] Raised from volunteers from the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF), which was established for overseas service at the start of the war,[3] many of the battalion's early recruits were from the goldfields of Western Australia. After the concentration and training of the battalion's initial cadre in Perth, the battalion was moved to Northam where on 30 April the first draft of recruits arrived and the process of forming the battalion's subunits began.[2] With an authorised strength of around 900 personnel,[4] like other Australian infantry battalions of the time, the battalion was formed around a nucleus of four rifle companies – designated 'A' through to 'D' – each consisting of three platoons.[5]

The unit conducted its own basic training, which was only partially completed prior to its embarkation for Egypt in October 1940. The battalion's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel

16th Battalion, a unit which had served during World War I before being raised as a Militia formation in 1921. These colours were white over dark blue, in a horizontal rectangular shape, although a border of gray in the shape of a diamond was added to the UCP to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart.[7]

Sailing via India, the 21st Brigade briefly landed at

Bombay and constituted for the first time at Deolali, before continuing on to the Middle East.[8] After their arrival in Egypt in late November 1940, the 2/16th moved to Palestine where it continued its training.[2] In February 1941, the 2/16th received a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alex Bath MacDonald, a Permanent Military Force member.[9] Shortly after this, the battalion was allocated to defend the Egypt–Libya border against a possible German attack, and occupied defensive positions.[2]

Syria-Lebanon Campaign

In April 1941, the battalion was transported back to Palestine to take part in Operation Exporter, which was the Allied codename for the

Syria-Lebanon Campaign.[2] Commencing in early June 1941, the battalion began offensive actions against Vichy French troops and over the course of the next six weeks fought major actions at the Litani River, Sidon and Damour.[10][11] The 2/16th Battalion suffered heavily during the campaign, having 264 casualties; according to the Australian War Memorial, this was the most of any Australian unit that took part in the campaign.[2] In August, Lieutenant Colonel Arnold Potts took over command of the battalion.[9] The unit remained in the Middle East until January 1942, being stationed in Lebanon and forming part of the Allied occupation force that was established following the armistice in mid-July 1941.[2]

New Guinea Campaigns

By early 1942, the Japanese had entered the war, and the Australian government decided to bring some of its troops from the Middle East back to Australia to bolster its defences. The 2/16th embarked at the end of January 1942, and returned to Australia, landing at

Battle of Mission Ridge in early September it suffered heavy casualties after being encircled by the Japanese and conducting a fighting withdrawal to Imita Ridge. Following its relief in the middle of September, the battalion's surviving members were joined with those from the 2/14th Battalion to form a composite unit temporarily, as the battalion suffered so many casualties in the retreat that it was down to an effective strength of about 200 men; the 2/14th had also suffered heavily.[2][14]

Troops of the 2/16th Infantry Battalion watch aircraft bombing Japanese positions prior to their attack on "The Pimple", Shaggy Ridge, New Guinea.

As the tide of the campaign along the Kokoda Track turned towards the Australians, the Japanese withdrew north towards their beachheads around Buna and Gona, with the Australians in pursuit. A brief period of rest and reorganisation followed for the 2/16th during this time, as they were re-constituted before being committed to the Battle of Buna–Gona in November 1942. Despite the arrival of reinforcements, the battalion could only provide two or its four rifle companies to the fighting, and by early January it was withdrawn, with a strength of only 56 men.[2]

The battalion was subsequently rebuilt on the

Ramu Valley and then moved into the Finisterre Range, the 2/16th undertook a series of patrols and advances, but experienced only minor actions. These culminated in a significant action around Shaggy Ridge on 27–28 December, when it conducted an assault on a position dubbed "The Pimple".[16] In January 1944, at the conclusion of the campaign, the battalion was withdrawn to Port Moresby, and returned to Australia in late March.[2]

Borneo and disbandment

After returning to Australia, the battalion spent over a year training for its final campaign – the

Celebes before being repatriated to Australia for demobilisation in early 1946. The 2/16th Battalion was disbanded in February 1946 while camped in Brisbane, Queensland.[2]

Throughout its service a total of 3,275 men served with the battalion

Member of the Order of the British Empire.[2]

Battle honours

The 2/16th Battalion received 21

theatre honours
:

These honours were subsequently entrusted to the

16th Battalion in 1961,[19] and through this link are maintained by the Royal Western Australia Regiment.[20] These honours are carried on by the 16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment.[10]

Commanding officers

The following officers served as commanding officer of the 2/16th Battalion:[9][21]

Notes

  1. ^ The establishment of a standard Australian infantry battalion was 35 officers and 875 other ranks at the start of the Second World War. Under the jungle organisation each battalion was reduced by one officer and 106 other ranks. See Kuring 2004, p. 47 and Palazzo 2004, p.94.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "2/16th Battalion". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  3. ^ Grey 2008, p. 146.
  4. ^ Palazzo 2004, p. 94.
  5. ^ Long 1952, p. 52.
  6. ^ "AWM52 8/3/16/1: April – July 1940". Unit War Diaries. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  7. ^ Long 1952, pp. 321–323.
  8. ^ Burns 1960, p. 23.
  9. ^ a b c d e Pratten 2009, p. 325.
  10. ^ a b "16th Battalion, Royal West Australian Regiment". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
  11. ^ James 2017, p. 165.
  12. ^ Keogh 1965, pp. 127–132.
  13. ^ Brune 2004, p. 143.
  14. ^ Brune 2004, p. 236.
  15. ^ Bradley 2004a, p. 148.
  16. ^ Bradley 2004b, pp. 22–27.
  17. ^ Keogh 1965, pp. 457–460.
  18. ^ Johnston 2005, p. 248.
  19. ^ Festberg 1972, p. 77.
  20. ^ Festberg 1972, p. 32.
  21. ^ Johnston 2005, p. xiv.

References

Further reading

External links
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