Jungle division

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Soldiers of B Company of the Australian 30th Battalion cross a shallow river between Weber Point and Malalamai during the Battle of Sio, February 9, 1944.

The Jungle Division was a type of formation introduced by the Australian Army during World War II in 1943 . It was lighter equipped than the infantry divisions used in the course of the war, especially in the African campaign , which were based on the British model. It should take into account the special challenges of the jungle war against the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific Area . The jungle divisions were smaller overall, had fewer heavy weapons, vehicles and support units, and proved successful during later battles in the Southwest Pacific with Australian participation.

Reorganization of the Australian Army in 1943

The changing conduct of warfare during World War II led to significant changes in the composition of the Australian army units. The successes of the motorized and mechanized infantry of the German Wehrmacht in the Polish and Western campaigns convinced the Australian army planners that the army needed more armored units. From 1941, the 1st Armored Division was the first major association of this type to be set up. In 1942, the two cavalry divisions of the Army Reserve followed , which were motorized and then converted into tank divisions . The 3rd Army Armored Brigade was also set up to support the infantry.

After the outbreak of the Pacific War , the Japanese threat shifted the Australian troop focus from the African-European to the Pacific theater of war. The demands and difficulties of jungle warfare led the Land Forces Headquarters to define three different types of divisions in February 1943. Armored divisions, infantry divisions and jungle divisions. Larger armored units proved unsuitable for the requirements of the Jungle War and were disbanded in the course of 1943 and 1944.

The Australian military leadership decided in early 1943 to convert six infantry divisions into jungle divisions. These had fewer personnel as well as heavy weapons, vehicles and support units than the previous infantry divisions, which were based on the pillars of “manpower, transport and telecommunications”. Within the divisions, the personnel of the respective battalions was reduced, the anti- aircraft and transport platoons were disbanded or converted into machine gun platoons with four Vickers machine guns each . The number of 81 mm mortars increased from six to eight. The numerous motorcycles, trucks and other motorized vehicles in the standard divisions were of limited use in the often roadless wilderness of the southwestern Pacific jungle. For this reason, each rifle company received only one jeep and one trailer. The transport of supplies had to be carried out by the foot-capable soldiers and local porters or from the air. Many administrative activities and the associated personnel were withdrawn from the units, as were the teams that were no longer needed for the supply and maintenance of the division's fleet.

The idea behind the changes was to make the infantry formations more mobile and more effective, and to free them from elements that are not needed in tropical terrain. In addition, the decreasing effectiveness of the Japanese artillery and air forces made less heavy defense weapons necessary. The use of fewer soldiers was also intended to make men available to the domestic civil industry, which suffered from the drain of trained workers into military service. With 13,118 men, a jungle division was about 4,000 men weaker than an infantry division. The biggest problems were in the transport of supplies, as the islands north of Australia often only had a poor road network and inadequate port facilities. The transport of supplies inland and of the wounded for evacuation to the coast or to airfields was mainly carried out on foot. The structure of the jungle divisions optimized the Australian armed forces as far as possible in relation to the external conditions and was the first time that the Australian army had organizationally adapted units specifically to the circumstances instead of following British military doctrine.

The six jungle divisions, including three of the Army Reserve, were the 3rd , 5th , 6th , 7th , 9th and 11th divisions . These divisions made up the majority of the troops deployed outside Australia. The remainder were deployed or disbanded mainly at home. Although the jungle divisions proved to be successful, it became apparent that additional artillery support was necessary and some of the divisions each received two additional field artillery regiments.

Structure of a jungle division

When they were set up in 1943, the jungle divisions basically had the following structure:

Remarks

  1. ^ Albert Palazzo: The Australian Army. A History of its Organization 1901-2001. 2001, pp. 178-183.
  2. ^ A b Albert Palazzo: The Australian Army. A History of its Organization 1901-2001. 2001, pp. 183-186.
  3. ↑ Jeffrey Gray: The Australian Army. 2001, p. 149.
  4. ↑ A common infantry battalion consisted of 35 officers and 875 men. In the jungle divisions these were reduced to 34 officers and 769 men.
  5. ^ A b John Coates: Bravery Above Blunder. The 9th Australian Division at Finschhafen, Sattelberg, and Sio. 1999, p. 49.
  6. ^ A b c d Albert Palazzo: The Australian Army. A History of its Organization 1901-2001. 2001, p. 184.
  7. ^ Albert Palazzo: The Australian Army. A History of its Organization 1901-2001. 2001, p. 183.
  8. ↑ The 10th Division was disbanded in 1942, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armored Division in 1943. The 2nd and 4th Divisions followed in 1944. The 1st and 12th Divisions , the Northern Territory Force, serving for training , were reduced to brigade strength in 1945.
  9. ↑ Additional units such as machine gun battalions, command squadrons and tank regiments were subordinate to the higher corps and could be assigned to the divisions if necessary.
  10. ^ Albert Palazzo: The Australian Army. A History of its Organization 1901-2001. 2001, p. 185.

literature

  • John Coates: Bravery Above Blunder. The 9th Australian Division at Finschhafen, Sattelberg, and Sio. Oxford University Press, New York and South Melbourne 1999, ISBN 0-19-550837-8 , OCLC 43736921 .
  • Jeffrey Gray: The Australian Army. Oxford University Press, New York and South Melbourne 2001, ISBN 0-19-554114-6 , OCLC 46707304 .
  • Albert Palazzo: The Australian Army. A History of its Organization 1901-2001. Oxford University Press, New York and South Melbourne 2001, ISBN 0-19-551507-2 , OCLC 64581457 .