III Corps (Australia)
III Corps | |
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![]() Tanks from the 2/10th Armoured Regiment on exercise in Western Australia | |
Active | 1942–1944 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Australian Army |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | |
1939–1942 1944–1949 | ![]() |
III Corps was an Australian Army unit during World War II. It was responsible for the defence of Western Australia in 1942–1944. The corps was formed in April 1942 from Western Command, which had been established in October 1939. Throughout the war, the formation's size expanded and contracted as available manpower, and the strategic situation, dictated. At its height, the corps consisted of two infantry divisions and one armoured division, which were deployed to defend against a Japanese invasion threat, which ultimately never eventuated. The corps ceased to exist in June 1944 when it was converted back into Western Command, which remained until the end of the war in 1945.
History
The corps was raised from the previously existing headquarters Western Command, which had been formed in October 1939 at
In mid-1942, as elements of the
In August 1942, the
The corps was expanded in October and November 1942, with the arrival of the first elements of the
According to the Army History Unit:
At its peak, in Apr–May 1943, 3rd Corps included, in addition to 2nd and
1st Armoured Division (1st Armoured Brigade and 3rd Motor Brigade). As the tide of war against Japan turned in favour of the Allies, the role of 3rd Corps in defence of WA diminished.[8]
The main function of the corps then became the preparation of smaller units for active service in
Concerns of a Japanese attack in March 1944 resulted in the corps being placed on notice to respond at short notice.[9] However, the threat passed and further reductions took place throughout the early part of 1944, as the headquarters of the 2nd Division was disbanded in April. By this time only the 3rd Motor Brigade, at Chidlows, and the 1st Armoured Brigade remained in Western Australia.[10] The corps commander, Bennett, retired in May 1944;[3] around the same time, the Australian government had decided to reduce the size of the Army.[11] As a result, it was decided there was no longer a need for a corps-level headquarters to be maintained in Western Australia. In June 1944, the corps was re-designated as Western Command, and assumed the role of the previously existing line of communications area that had been established in the state earlier in the war. The final combat units in Western Australia were disbanded shortly afterwards, with the 3rd Motor and the 1st Armoured Brigades disbanding in August and November 1944, respectively. Western Command remained in existence until the end of the war, providing an administrative function for all troops in Western Australia.[10]
Order of battle
The corps' assigned formations changed over the course of its existence as brigades and divisions were transferred in and out. Brigade allocations also changed as parent formations were disbanded throughout the corps' existence. The following formations were assigned to the corps over the course of its existence:[5][12][13]
- 1st Armoured Division
- 1st Armoured Brigade
- 3rd Motor Brigade
- 2nd Division
- 5th Infantry Brigade
- 8th Infantry Brigade
- 4th Division
- 2nd Infantry Brigade
- 6th Infantry Brigade
- 8th Infantry Brigade
- 13th Infantry Brigade
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h McKenzie-Smith 2018a, p. 2027.
- ^ Morgan 2018, p. 37.
- ^ a b Lodge 1993, pp. 165–167.
- ^ Sutton 2002.
- ^ a b McCarthy 1959, p. 26.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018b, pp. 61–63.
- ^ Lambert 2012, p. 97.
- ^ a b c d "Brief History of 2nd Division". Army History Unit. Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2009, p. 28.
- ^ a b McKenzie-Smith 2018a, p. 2028.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 19.
- ^ Dexter 1961, p. 280.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018a, pp. 2027–2028.
Bibliography
- Dexter, David (1961). The New Guinea Offensives. OCLC 2028994.
- Lambert, Zach (2012). "The Birth, Life and Death of the 1st Australian Armoured Division" (PDF). Australian Army Journal. IX (1). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Land Warfare Studies Centre: 89–103. ISSN 1448-2843. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2 November 2013.
- Lodge, A. B. (1993). "Bennett, Henry Gordon (1887–1962)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 13. Melbourne University Press. pp. 165–167. ISBN 9780522845129.
- OCLC 1297619.
- McCarthy, Dudley (1959). South-West Pacific Area – First Year. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Vol. V. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3134247.
- ISBN 978-0-9806-2910-1.
- McKenzie-Smith, Graham (2018a). The Unit Guide: The Australian Army 1939–1945, Volume 2. Warriewood, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-925675-146.
- McKenzie-Smith, Graham (2018b). "The Japanese Landing at Dongara – 24–28 October 1942". ISSN 0048-8933.
- Morgan, Benjamin (2018). "Australian Garrison Battalions During the Second World War". Sabretache. LIX (4 (December)). Military Historical Society of Australia: 35–42. ISSN 0048-8933.
- Sutton, R. (2002). "Plant, Eric Clive Pegus (1890–1950)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 16. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 978-0-5228-4997-4.
External links
- III Corps General Staff Branch war diary, Australian War Memorial
- III Corps Adjutant General Branch war diary, Australian War Memorial