I Corps (Australia)
I Corps | |
---|---|
Active | 1940–1945 |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Australian Army |
Type | Corps |
Size | Several divisions |
Part of | First Army (from 1942) |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
I Corps was an
In 1942, following Japan's entry into the war, I Corps was transferred to the
History
Formation
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Australian government decided to raise the Second Australian Imperial Force, an all volunteer force for overseas service that was separate to the previously existing part-time Militia.[1] Initially, this force consisted of a single division – the 6th Infantry Division – as well as some base and support troops. On 25 February 1940, the decision was made to expand the 2nd AIF to a corps, consisting of two infantry divisions – the 6th and 7th – and throughout March and into April work began to start forming the new units, and establish a corps headquarters, in Melbourne. This formation would be responsible for the AIF units forming in Australia. On 11 April 1940, the establishment of I Corps was gazetted, and by the middle of the month the headquarters' strength was reported as 12 officers and 45 other ranks.[2] Lieutenant General Thomas Blamey was appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC).[3]
In late May 1940, approval was provided for the 2nd AIF to raise a third division – the
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern theatres
Initially, when I Corps headquarters arrived there was only one Australian infantry division in the Middle East – the 6th, which was completing its training – however between October and December the 7th arrived, followed by the 9th by January 1941.[4] During this time, the brigades assigned to each division were shuffled between superior headquarters as a result of several reorganisations to provide the better trained brigades to the formations likely to see combat first.[6] At this time, the main elements of the corps headquarters moved forward towards the combat zone, leaving the administrative staff in Gaza and establishing themselves in Ikingi Maryut, in Egypt.[4] Here they began preparations for operations. The 6th Infantry Division was the first to go into action, capturing Bardia in early January 1941.[7] This was followed by further actions at Tobruk, Derna, Barce, and Benghazi, as the Italians were forced to withdraw across Libya by the Allies.[8][9]
In February, I Corps took over control of
Meanwhile, in Greece, the corps controlled the Australian 6th Division, the
The corps re-formed in
Pacific area
Java, Ceylon, and home defence
Following the outbreak of the Pacific War, I Corps headquarters, along with the 6th and 7th Divisions, were released from service in the Middle East to meet the threat posed by the Japanese advance through the Pacific.[18] The divisions departed Egypt by sea in several convoys between January and March 1942.[19] The 9th Division would remain in the Middle East, though, upon request,[20] and would see further action in the First and Second Battles of El Alamein, where they would be assigned to the British XXX Corps.[21]
As the situation in the Pacific grew desperate for the Allies, plans were made to deploy I Corps headquarters, and the 6th and 7th Divisions, to
I Corps HQ was subsequently relocated to Australia, reaching Adelaide in March 1942 and then moving to Melbourne. The 7th Division deployed to northern New South Wales,[26] while the 6th Division (less the 19th Infantry Brigade which was sent to garrison Darwin) was detached to Ceylon to provide a garrison to defend against a possible Japanese invasion. The invasion did not eventuate, and the Australians remained on the island until July 1942,[27] and finally reached Australia the following month.[28]
While the 16th and 17th Brigades were in Ceylon, the Army in Australia had undergone a significant reorganisation to meet the threat of a possible Japanese invasion. In April 1942, I Corps headquarters was used to raise an army level formation, the First Army, and a new I Corps headquarters was raised from Headquarters Southern Command (previously the 3rd Military District.[29] I Corps came under the command of Lieutenant General Sydney Rowell around this time.[30] Assigned to the defence of southern Queensland, the new I Corps moved to Esk, Queensland, where it became part of the First Army and commanded troops in northern New South Wales and Queensland, including the 25th Infantry Brigade, the Brisbane Covering Force, the 7th Infantry Brigade, the 1st Motor Brigade and the remainder of the 7th Division, which was held back in reserve around Glen Innes, New South Wales.[29] In this assignment, it joined II Corps, one of the two other corps (the other being III Corps) raised at this time.[31] In May 1942, the corps was bolstered with the remainder of the 3rd Infantry Division, although they were transferred to II Corps in July, and moved further north, and were replaced within I Corps by the US 32nd Infantry Division.[29]
New Guinea
As the fighting in New Guinea intensified and the Japanese advanced beyond Kokoda, plans were made to reinforce the troops along the Kokoda Track. As a result, in August 1942, I Corps headquarters deployed to Port Moresby where they took over from the existing headquarters New Guinea Force, becoming Headquarters I Corps & New Guinea Force, although for all intents and purposes it was referred to as New Guinea Force. The formation subsequently commanded the troops around Milne Bay, which subsequently repulsed a Japanese landing, as well as the 7th Division troops deploying along the Track, the 6th Division troops around Port Moresby, and Kanga Force around Wau.[29]
In late September, following the
Following the capture of northern Papua, New Guinea Force was reorganised, and new formations began arriving. Meanwhile, throughout the first half of 1943, Australian operations focused upon the
Meanwhile, in Australia, I Corps headquarters was re-established at
Borneo
Throughout 1944, plans were made for I Corps to be used in the Philippines and Ambon, but ultimately these were not acted upon as the role of Australian forces in the Pacific diminished and as US forces gained the ascendency.[35][38] By October 1944, Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead had assumed command of the corps.[39] Finally, it was decided that the force would be committed to the operation to re-take Borneo in mid-1945,[35] in order to secure important air and naval bases to allow further operations elsewhere in Borneo and then later Java.[40][41]
For the operation, the corps was placed directly under General
Following the cessation of hostilities in August, the corps assumed responsibility for facilitating the Japanese surrender on Borneo and in making preparations for returning the area to Dutch colonial control in the post war period.[35] This included undertaking local and protective patrols to maintain law and order and to secure Japanese soldiers who had not yet surrendered. As part of the demobilisation process, I Corps headquarters closed on 15 September 1945, at which time its constituent divisions were transferred to the direct command of Advanced Land Headquarters.[44] In the post war period, no corps-level formations have been raised by the Australian Army.[45]
Subordinate formations
In early 1941, when I Corps commenced operations in the Middle East, it consisted of the following formations:[46]
- 6th Infantry Division (16th, 17th and 19th Infantry Brigades)
- 7th Infantry Division (18th, 21st and 25th Infantry Brigades)
- 9th Infantry Division (20th, 24th and 26th Infantry Brigades)
In July – September 1943, I Corps consisted of the following formations:[47]
- 5th Infantry Division (15th, 17th, 29th Infantry Brigades, US 162nd Infantry Regiment)
- 7th Infantry Division (18th, 21st, 25th Infantry Brigades, US 503rd Parachute Regiment
- 9th Infantry Division (20th, 24th and 26th Infantry Brigades)
- 11th Infantry Division (6th Infantry Brigade)
- 4th Infantry Brigade
In the final stages of World War II, I Corps consisted of the following units:[48]
- 6th Infantry Division
- 7th Infantry Division
- 9th Infantry Division
Additionally, a number of Royal Australian Artillery units were attached to I Corps at various times. In many cases these artillery units were attached temporarily to HQ RAA 1st Australian Corps for training, reorganisation and re-equipping before deployment on active service under the command of other formations, principally the 3rd, 6th, 7th or 9th Australian Infantry Divisions.[49]
Commanders
The following officers served as commander of I Corps:[50]
- 1940–1941: Lieutenant General Thomas Blamey
- 1941–1942: Lieutenant General John Lavarack
- 1942: Lieutenant General Sydney Rowell
- 1942–1944: Lieutenant General Edmund Herring
- 1944: Lieutenant General Stanley Savige
- 1944: Lieutenant General Frank Berryman
- 1944–1945: Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead
Notes
- ^ Long 1961, p. 39.
- ^ a b AWM52 1/4/1/1: February – August 1940.
- ^ Long 1961, p. 84.
- ^ a b c d e f McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2017.
- ^ Long 1961, p. 99.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, pp. 2038–2046.
- ^ a b Johnston 2008, p. 32.
- ^ Thompson 2010, p. 89.
- ^ Johnston 2008, pp. 55–60.
- ^ Long 1953, p. 7.
- ^ Wilmot 1993, pp. 68 & 88.
- ^ Thompson 2010, p. 161.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2038.
- ^ Long 1953, pp. 413–414.
- ^ a b Horner 2000, pp. 61–63.
- ^ a b McKenzie-Smith 2018, pp. 2017–2018.
- ^ Long 1953, p. 515.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2018.
- ^ a b Hasluck 1970, p. 73.
- ^ Maughan 1966, pp. 537–538.
- ^ Pettibone 2006, p. 336.
- ^ Keogh 1965, p. 130.
- ^ Wigmore 1957, p. 457.
- ^ Johnston 2005a, pp. 80–81.
- ^ Wigmore 1957, p. 495.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, pp. 2018 & 2040.
- ^ Johnston 2008, pp. 126–128.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2040.
- ^ a b c d e McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2022.
- ^ Hill 2002.
- ^ McCarthy 1959, p. 26.
- ^ McCarthy 1959, p. 140 & 238.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark 1998, pp. 223 & 232–235.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark 1998, p. 241.
- ^ a b c d e f g McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2024.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, pp. 2023–2024.
- ^ Dexter 1961, p. 780.
- ^ Johnston 2005b, p. 14.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 19.
- ^ Keogh 1965, pp. 431–434.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark 1998, pp. 251–254.
- ^ Keogh 1965, p. 433.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark 1998, pp. 251–255.
- ^ AWM52 1/4/1/72: September 1945, part 1.
- ^ Dennis et al 1995, p. 182.
- ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, pp. 2017 & 2038–2046.
- ^ Dexter 1961, p. 280.
- ^ Dennis et al 1995, p. 183.
- ^ AWM52 4/1/5/1: May – August 1940, p. 13.
- ^ I Australian Corps: Unit Appointments.
References
- "I Australian Corps: Unit Appointments". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- "AWM52 1/4/1/1: February – August 1940: 1 Australian Corps General Branch (1 Aust Corps 'G' Branch)" (PDF). Unit war diaries, 1939–45 war. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- "AWM52 1/4/1/72: September 1945, part 1: 1 Australian Corps General Branch (1 Aust Corps 'G' Branch)" (PDF). Unit war diaries, 1939–45 war. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- "AWM52 4/1/5/1: May – August 1940: Royal Australian Artillery Headquarters, 1 Australian Corps". Unit war diaries, 1939–45 war. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1998). The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles (1st ed.). Sydney, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-611-2.
- Dennis, Peter; ISBN 0-19-553227-9.
- Dexter, David (1961). The New Guinea Offensives. OCLC 2028994.
- Hasluck, Paul (1970). The Government and the People 1942–1945. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil. Vol. II. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 33346943.
- Hill, A. J. (2002). "Rowell, Sir Sydney Fairbairn (1894–1975)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 16. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 978-0-52284-997-4.
- Horner, David (2000). "Lavarack, Sir John Dudley (1885–1957)". ISBN 978-0-52284-843-4.
- ISBN 1-74114-191-5.
- Johnston, Mark (2005b). The Huon Peninsula 1943–1944. Australians in the Pacific War. Canberra: Department of Veterans' Affairs. ISBN 1-920720-55-3.
- Johnston, Mark (2008). The Proud 6th: An Illustrated History of the 6th Australian Division 1939–1945. Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-51411-8.
- OCLC 7185705.
- OCLC 18400892.
- Long, Gavin (1953). Greece, Crete and Syria. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Vol. II (1st ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3134080.
- Long, Gavin (1963). The Final Campaigns. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Vol. VII (1st ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 1297619.
- Maughan, Barton (1966). Tobruk to El Alamein. Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 1 – Army. Vol. III (1st ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 954993.
- 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 978-1-925675-146.
- Pettibone, Charles (2006). The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II. Vol. II: The British Commonwealth. Victoria, British Columbia: Trafford. ISBN 1-4120-8567-5.
- Thompson, Peter (2010). Anzac Fury: The Bloody Battle of Crete 1941. North Sydney, New South Wales: William Heinemann. ISBN 978-1-86471-131-8.
- Wigmore, Lionel (1957). The Japanese Thrust. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Vol. IV (1st ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3134219.
- ISBN 0-14-017584-9.