Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/October

Units

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Please follow the unit sequence of Navy, Army, Airforce when creating Daily Unit pages

The 1st Commando Regiment is a mixed regular and reservist commando regiment of the Australian Army. It is part of the Australian Special Operations Command (SOCOMD). The regiment was formed on 1 February 1981 by joining the 1st and 2nd Commando Companies. The unit's Headquarters is located in Randwick, New South Wales. The 1st Commando Company is located in HMAS Penguin, Balmoral, New South Wales and the 2nd Company at Fort Gellibrand in Williamstown, Victoria. The unit's motto is "Strike Swiftly".

No. 100 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force bomber and maritime patrol squadron of World War II. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and was disbanded in 1946. No. 100 Squadron was formed at RAAF Base Richmond on 15 February 1942. The Squadron was formed from a nucleus of No. 100 Squadron RAF, which had been destroyed during the Malayan Campaign, and was named in this Squadron's honour. No. 100 Squadron flew its first combat missions in June 1942. At first the squadron flew reconnaissance patrols and anti-shipping and bombing missions against the Japanese, but switched to level bombing of Japanese installations. The Squadron continued in this role until the end of the war and was disbanded at Finschafen on 19 August 1946.

HMAS Armidale (ACPB 83) is the lead ship of the Armidale class patrol boats which are the newest patrol boats of the Royal Australian Navy. Armidale was officially commissioned in Darwin on 24 June 2005. Armidale is based in Darwin and performs border protection and fisheries protection patrols. The ship displaces 270 tonnes and has a range of 3,000 nautical miles.

The 16th (Aviation) Brigade currently commands most of the Australian Army's aviation units. The brigade was first formed in 1939 as an infantry brigade and saw action in Libya, Greece and New Guinea as part of the 6th Division before being disbanded at the end of World War II. The brigade was re-raised on 2 April 2002 by combining the Aviation Support Group and the 1st Division's Aviation unit. While the 16th Brigade's headquarters is located at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane the various flying and support units are based in Darwin, Townsville and Oakey.

No. 461 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in Britain on 25 April 1942 operating Short Sunderland aircraft and began flying anti-submarine patrols in July 1942. No. 461 Squadron sank three U-Boats in 1943 and another three U-Boats in 1944. Following the end of the war the squadron was disbanded on 4 June 1945.

HMAS Swan (II) was an Australian-built Grimsby class sloop. The Swan was laid down by the Cockatoo Island Dockyard at Sydney in New South Wales on 1 May 1935, launched on 28 March 1936 and commissioned on 21 January 1937. The Swan served as an escort and patrol vessel during World War II and escorted many convoys in Australian waters and the South West Pacific. General Eather, GOC Australian 11th Division, accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in New Ireland from General Ito on board Swan on 18 September 1945. Swan paid off to reserve on 18 August 1950, was converted to a training ship between October 1954 and February 1956 and recommissioned on 10 February 1956. Swan paid off for disposal on 20 September 1962 and was sold for scrap to Hurley and Dewhurst of Sydney on 5 June 1964.

The Australian 1st Armoured Division was an Australian Army division of World War II. The 1st Armoured Division was established on 1 July 1941 and was projected to be deployed to North Africa in late 1941. These plans were dropped in early December 1941 when it was decided to retain the division in Australia to defend against the feared Japanese landings on the Australian mainland. The Division received its full complement of M3 Grant and M3 Stuart tanks in April and May 1942 and completed its training later in 1942. From January 1943 the Division formed part of III Corps and was based near Geraldton, Western Australia. Due to the end of the threat to Australia and the unsuitability of large armoured formations in jungle warfare the 1st Armoured Division was disbanded in September 1943.

No. 16 Air Observation Post Flight RAAF was an artillery spotting unit which saw action in World War II. The Flight was formed at Lae in New Guinea on 20 October 1944 and was equipped with four Auster light aircraft. No. 16 AOP Flight first saw action supporting Australian Army units in New Guinea and later flew in support of the Australian I Corps during the Borneo campaign (1945). Following the war No. 16 AOP Flight was based in Canberra until its disbandment in mid-1947. The Flight was reformed in 1958 as a training formation but was disbanded again in 1960 following the formation of the joint RAAF-Army [Australian 16th Army Light Aircraft Squadron].

The Coastwatchers were a group of Australian naval officers, native islanders and escaped prisoners of war whose task was to observe enemy movements and rescue stranded Allied servicemen in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. A group of approximately 400. All naval personnel who took part in Coastwatcher operations behind enemy lines were commissioned officers of the RANVR, to protect them in case of capture, although this was not always recognized by the Japanese military, which captured and executed several. Arthur Reginald Evans the most famous coastwatcher is credited with saving the life of future president John F. Kennedy when his boat sunk.

The 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion was a battalion of the Australian Army was raised at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, on 16 October 1939 as part of the 16th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division for World War II. During the war the battalion took part in the North African campaign, Greek campaign and the New Guinea campaign. The battalion took part in the advance along the Kokoda Track between September 1942 and January 1943 with heavy losses. The Battalion disbanded in December 1945.

No. 36 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron. The Squadron was first formed in March 1942 at RAAF Base Laverton and currently operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from RAAF Base Amberley. No. 36 Squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Berlin Airlift, Korean War, Vietnam War and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Squadron has also supported Australian peacekeeping operations around the world, including in Somalia, Cambodia and East Timor.

HMAS Protector was a Royal Australian Navy trials and submarine rescue ship. Protector was purchased by the Navy in 1990 and supported the Collins-class submarine trials from 1992. While Protector was decommissioned in 1998 she was sold to Defence Maritime Services, and remains in use as a training ship operating out of HMAS Creswell under the name Seahorse Horizon.

The Australian 11th Battalion was a World War I Australian Army unit. It was among the first infantry units raised for the 1st AIF during the First World War. It was the first battalion recruited in Western Australia, and with the 9th, 10th and 12th Battalions it formed the 3rd Brigade. By the end of the war 11th Battalion suffered casualties of 1115 killed, 2249 wounded (including gassed).

No. 41 Squadron RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed from 'A' Flight of No. 33 Squadron at Townsville on 21 August 1942 and was originally equipped with ex-Qantas Short Empire flying boats. These aircraft were returned to Qantas in July 1943 and the Squadron operated Dornier Do 24 flying boats until receiving the superior Martin Mariner aircraft in early 1944. Throughout the war No. 41 Squadron flew regular transport services from its bases in Townsville, Cairns and Rathmines between Australia and New Guinea and along the Australian east coast. No. 41 Squadron was disbanded at Cairns on 27 September 1945.

HMAS Vampire at the Australian National Maritime Museum. — HMAS *Vampire* at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

HMAS Vampire (D11) was a Daring-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy. She was laid down by the Cockatoo Island Dockyard at Sydney on 1 July 1952 and was commissioned on 23 June 1959. Vampire spent most of her career on exercises and tours through South East Asia. Her only war time duties were to escort the transport ship HMAS Sydney to Vietnam in 1965 and 1966 and conduct active patrols off Malaya and Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation in 1966. Vampire paid off on 13 August 1986 and was preserved as a museum ship at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour in Sydney.

The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is an Australian infantry battalion based in Townsville, Queensland, as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR was initially formed in 1945 as the Australian 67th Battalion and has seen active service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. For many years, the battalion was assigned to the parachute role and was based in Sydney, but was converted to a light infantry battalion in 2011 and subsequently relocated from Holsworthy Barracks, Townsville.

No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit (1RSU) is the Royal Australian Air Force unit responsible for operating the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN). While 1 RSU's headquarters are located at RAAF Base Edinburgh the unit also has personnel stationed at the JORN sites near Longreach, Queensland, Alice Springs, Northern Territory and Laverton, Western Australia. The unit was formed on 1 July 1992.

HMAS Albatross (I) was a seaplane tender and Australia's first aircraft carrier. Albatross was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at Cockatoo Island, Sydney in New South Wales in April 1926, launched on 23 February 1928 by Lady Stonehaven, wife of the Governor General of Australia, completed on 21 December 1928 and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 23 January 1929. HMAS Albatross paid off to reserve on 26 April 1933 after four years of uneventful service, was accepted by the Admiralty as part payment for the cruiser HMAS Hobart and sailed for England on 11 July 1938.

The Australian 1st Armoured Car Squadron was an Australian Army unit formed in 1946 as part of Australia's contribution to the occupation of Japan. The Squadron arrived in Japan in April 1946 and conducted uneventful patrols throughout the Australian 34th Brigade's area of responsibility until late 1948 when it returned to Australia. In July 1949 the Squadron was expanded and re-equipped with Churchill tanks to form the 1st Armoured Regiment.

No. 30 Squadron was Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron for most of its operational history. No. 30 Squadron was established in March 1942 as a long range fighter squadron operating the Bristol Beaufighter. The Squadron saw action throughout the South-West Pacific before disbanding in August 1946. No. 30 Squadron was reformed in 1948 as a target towing squadron and operated in this role until 1956. The squadron was reformed again in 1961 as the RAAF's only Surface to Air Guided Weapons Squadron and was active in this role until its disbandment in 1965.

HMS J1 later HMAS J1 was a Royal Navy J class submarine built by HM Dockyard at Portsmouth in Hampshire and launched on 6 November 1915. J1 operated in patrols in the North Sea during World War I. She was transferred along with 5 other J class submarines to Australia on 25 March 1919 and operated out of Geelong in Victoria. She was paid off on 12 July 1922 sold on 26 February 1924 and sunk as a breakwater on 26 May 1926.

The 1st Field Regiment is a close support regiment attached to the 7th Brigade at Enoggera Barracks in Queensland. It is equipped with the L119 Howitzer Field Gun. The 1st Field Regiment was formed in 1914 under the name 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade, part of 1st Division Artillery. The 2nd/1st Regiment RAA was raised on 31 October 1939 at Ingleburn, New South Wales for service in World War II and again disbanded in January 1946. 1st Field Regiment was again raised on 25 May 1949 at North Head, Sydney and has remained active since.

No. 75 Squadron is an Australian fighter squadron based at RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory. The squadron was initially formed in 1942 and saw extensive action in the South-West Pacific during World War Two. The squadron was disbanded after the war and remained inactive until 24 January 1949, the squadron has been active ever since. The squadron has seen action in Iraq in 2003 as part of the Australian contribution to the invasion of Iraq and then again in 2015 during operations to counter ISIL.

HMAS Manoora (L-52) was a Kanimbla class landing platform that was acquired as a training and helicopter support ship. She was originally built as the Newport class tank landing ship (LST) USS Fairfax County for the U.S. Navy. This required the ship to be extensively reconstructed, essentially making it a new vessel. Manoora saw active service in the Persian Gulf (2002, 2003) and non-combat service in the Solomon Islands (2000, 2001, 2003) and East Timor (2006). It was decommissioned in 2011 and sold for scrap in 2013.

The 39th Battalion was an Australian Army Militia unit which played a crucial role on the Kokoda Track in World War II. The battalion was originally raised during World War I as part of the First Australian Imperial Force, and served on the Western Front. After the war, it was re-raised in Victoria as a part-time unit, but was later amalgamated with other units. During the early part of World War II, the battalion was re-raised in 1941 as part of emergency preparations following Japan's entry into the war. Apart from a small number of World War I veterans, the battalion consisted largely of young, inexperienced soldiers. It was hurriedly deployed to New Guinea, where it fought a series of delaying actions along the Kokoda Track. The battalion was disbanded in mid-1943 after taking heavy casualties at Buna–Gona. On 8 August 2006, the Deployed Forces Support Unit was renamed the 39th Personnel Support Battalion in honour of the 39th Battalion.

No. 35 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron. First formed in 1942 No. 35 Squadron has seen action in World War II and the Vietnam War. The squadron was formed at RAAF Base Pearce on 11 March 1942 and served in Western Australia and the South West Pacific during the war. The squadron was disbanded at Townsville on 10 June 1946. The squadron was reformed on 1 June 1966 when RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam was redesignated, the squadron then served continuously until it was formally deactivated on 10 March 2002.

HMAS Sydney (IV) was an Adelaide class frigate laid down on 21 August 1980, launched 26 September 1980 and commissioned 29 January 1983 and is the fourth ship to bear the name. During her career, the frigate has been involved in Operation Morris Dance and INTERFET, and has been deployed to the Persian Gulf on several occasions. She was the first ship to undergo the FFG Upgrade, which included the installation of updated Harpoon and Standard missiles. In 2009, the ship undertook a round-the-world voyage. In its final years Sydney was maintained as a moored training ship before being decommissioned in 2015.

The Federation Guard is a tri-service ceremonial unit made up of members from the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force. Formed in 2000 for Australia's Federation Centenary, it is the first purely ceremonial unit in the history of the Australian armed forces, and has since represented Australia in various roles both at home and around the world, including providing the guard at Buckingham Palace in 2000. The "Guard" has a total of 159 members from all three services and was formed initially for the celebrations of the centenary of Australia, the standard of the Guard was such that it was kept on as a permanent unit.

No. 10 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The Squadron was first formed on 1 July 1939 at RAAF Base Point Cook for service during World War II. During the war the Squadron was both the first RAAF squadron and the first British Commonwealth squadron to see active service in WWII and the Squadron was also the only RAAF squadron to see continuous active service throughout the war. Recently the squadron has seen action in East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the 2003 Gulf War.

816 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron. 816 Squadron was first formed as a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron in 1939 embarked in HMS Furious. The squadron has been reformed multiple time during its history, most recently in 1992. 816 is currently active as a helicopter squadron equipped with S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters. The Squadron is based at HMAS Albatross (NAS Nowra) and primarily operates from the Navy's Adelaide class frigates.

The Australian 5th Aviation Regiment is an Australian Army aviation unit. The 5th Aviation Regiment was formed at Townsville on 18 January 1988 to operate the S-70A Blackhawk and UH-1 Iroquois helicopters which had previously been operated by the Royal Australian Air Force. The 5th Aviation Regiment has opertated S-70A Blackhawk, UH-1 Iroquois and CH-47 Chinook helicopters and forms part of the 16th (Aviation) Brigade. The regiment's S-70As and UH-1s were replaced by MRH-90 helicopters in 2014 and 2015.