2/3rd Pioneer Battalion (Australia)
2/3rd Pioneer Battalion | |
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Active | 1940–1946 |
Country | Australia |
Branch | Australian Army |
Role | Pioneer |
Part of | 9th Division |
Engagements | World War II
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Insignia | |
Unit colour patch |
The 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion was a
History
The 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion was raised for service during World War II as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) in May 1940 and drew the majority of its initial intake of personnel from Sydney.[1] The concept of pioneer battalions had originally been explored by the Australians during World War I, when five such battalions were formed and used as support troops assigned at divisional level on the Western Front. Notionally organised along a traditional infantry structure, pioneer battalions consisted of a headquarters and four companies, and were expected to serve to undertake minor engineering tasks during combat to free up trained engineers for more complex tasks. Four such units were raised during World War II to provide engineer support to the 2nd AIF's four infantry divisions, and within the divisional structure, the pioneers were administered as corps troops under the direction of the divisional engineer commander.[2]
After undertaking training in various locations in New South Wales, in March 1941 the battalion was moved to Darwin, Northern Territory, to undertake garrison duties. At that time they were assigned to the 7th Division and they remained in the north of Australia until September when they were transported to Sydney. Two months later they embarked on the Queen Mary, bound for the Middle East.[1]
They disembarked in Egypt in November and after spending some time in Palestine, they were sent to Syria to undertake garrison duties following the completion of the campaign against the Vichy French forces there. Following this, the battalion was transferred to the 9th Division after the decision was made to bring the 7th Division back to Australia in early 1942 in response to Japan's entry into the war. In July 1942, the 9th Division was moved from Syria to Egypt and between August and November, the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion took part in the fighting around El Alamein,[1] temporarily being assigned to the 24th Brigade when the 2/28th Battalion was virtually destroyed following an unsuccessful attack on Ruin Ridge.[3]
In early 1943, the battalion returned to Australia as the 9th Division was brought back from the Middle East to deal with the threat posed by Japan's entry into the war.
In March 1944, the battalion was withdrawn back to Australia for rest and reorganisation. They subsequently spent over a year training in Queensland before taking part in the fighting on
The fighting on Tarakan came to an end in mid-June when organised Japanese resistance was overcome.[1] Small pockets of Japanese troops remained at large, however, and so mopping up operations were undertaken throughout June and into July until these groups began to surrender due to their increasingly desperate shortage of food.[7] During this time, the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion conducted barge patrols between Tarakan and the neighbouring islands, as well as undertaking foot patrols in the south of the island.[10]
On 15 August, following the
After the war, the functions of the pioneers were subsumed into traditional infantry battalions, which each raised a platoon of assault pioneers within their support companies. As a result, no pioneer battalions have been re-raised in the Australian Army since the end of World War II.[14]
Battle honours
The 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion received the following battle honours:
- Capture of Lae, North Africa 1942, El Alamein, South-West Pacific 1943–45, Finschhafen, Defence of Scarlet Beach, Siki Cove, Borneo, Tarakan.[1]
Commanding officers
The following officers served as commanding officer of the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion:
- John Alexander Anderson,
- Alfred Victor Gallasch,
- William Charles Douglas Veale.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "2/3rd Pioneer Battalion". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ Dennis et al 1995, pp. 465–466.
- ^ Mackenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2102.
- ^ Johnston 2005, p. 30
- ^ Keogh 1965, p. 327.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 411.
- ^ a b Keogh 1965, p. 443.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 433.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 432.
- ^ Long 1963, pp. 447–448.
- ^ Harries & Harries 1991, p. 458.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 450.
- ^ James 2009, p. 14.
- ^ Dennis et al 1995, p. 466.
References
- Dennis, Peter; ISBN 0-19-553227-9.
- Harries, Meirion; Harries, Susie (1991). Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-75303-6.
- James, Karl (2009). "Soldiers to citizens". Wartime (45). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. ISSN 1328-2727.
- ISBN 1-920720-55-3.
- OCLC 7185705.
- OCLC 1297619.
- Mackenzie-Smith, Graham (2018). The Unit Guide: The Australian Army 1939–1945, Volume 2. Warriewood, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-925675-146.
Further reading
- Anderson, John; Jackett, John (1955). Mud and Sand: Being the Official War History of the 2/3 Pioneer Battalion A.I.F. Sutherland, New South Wales: 2/3 Pioneer Battalion Association. OCLC 13155334.