Structure of the Australian Army during World War I

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Australian infantry, Ypres 1917

The structure of the Australian Army during World War I included a small force of mostly militia which served in Australia and larger expeditionary forces which were raised for deployment overseas following the outbreak of the conflict in August 1914. The home army consisted of the small regular Permanent Forces, the part-time Citizen Forces, and the Australian Garrison Artillery, which were maintained in Australia to defend the country from attack, while expeditionary forces consisted of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) which occupied German New Guinea from September 1914, and the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) which fought at Gallipoli in 1915, and in the Middle East and on the Western Front in Europe from 1916 to 1918.[1][2] Following an initial precautionary mobilisation following the outbreak of war, by the end of August 1914 those units of the reserve formations of the home army that had been activated began to stand down.[3][4] From 1915, only skeleton garrisons were maintained at coastal forts.[5] Meanwhile, as the war continued overseas the AIF sustained heavy losses, and although it expanded considerably during the war, with the voluntary recruitment system unable to replace its casualties by 1918 most of its units were significantly undermanned.[6]

Divisions

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Australian infantrymen of the 3rd Division during the Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918.

During the war, Australia raised an all volunteer force for overseas service, known as the Australian Imperial Force, which subsequently served in several theatres, including the Gallipoli Campaign, the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Between the start of the war in August 1914 and its end in November 1918, Australia raised a total of seven infantry divisions, one of which – the New Zealand and Australian Division – was also manned by New Zealanders.[7] Of these, six took part in combat, while one – the 6th – was broken up in the United Kingdom and disbanded in September 1917 before being deployed due to manpower shortages.[8] In addition, there were two mounted divisions raised: the ANZAC Mounted Division and the Australian Mounted Division.[9]

Designation Date raised Date disbanded Campaigns Notes
Australian 1st Division 1914 1919 Gallipoli and the Western Front [10][11]
Australian 2nd Division 1915 1919 Gallipoli and the Western Front [10]
Australian 3rd Division 1916 1919 Western Front [10][12]
Australian 4th Division 1916 1919 Western Front [10]
Australian 5th Division 1916 1919 Western Front [10]
Australian 6th Division 1917 1917 Broken up before being deployed [10][13]
New Zealand and Australian Division 1915 1915 Gallipoli [10][14]
ANZAC Mounted Division 1916 1919 Sinai and Palestine Campaign [10][15]
Australian Mounted Division 1917 1919 Sinai and Palestine Campaign [10][16]

Order of battle

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1914

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1918

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See also

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Notes

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Footnotes

  1. ^ No. 1 Flight, Australian Flying Corps was formed in the 3rd Military District on 14 July 1914.[22]
  2. ^ The Australian Intelligence Corps was disbanded on 30 September 1914 and replaced by Intelligence Sections which were formed in each Military District. It was reformed in 1939.[23]
  3. ^ The Australian Volunteer Automobile Corps was disbanded in 1915.
  4. ^ The Central Flying School became part of the AIF on 9 September 1918.[35]

Citations

  1. ^ Fleming 2012, pp. 3–5.
  2. ^ Palazzo 2001, pp. 70–76.
  3. ^ Palazzo 2001, pp. 70.
  4. ^ Wilcox 1999, p. 177.
  5. ^ Scott 1941, pp. 196–198.
  6. ^ Kuring 2004, p. 78.
  7. ^ Grey 2008, p. 92.
  8. ^ Grey 2008, pp. 100–101.
  9. ^ Grey 2008, pp. 99 & 117.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Grey 2008, pp. 92–117.
  11. ^ Stevenson 2007, pp. 185–187.
  12. ^ Palazzo 2002, p. 1.
  13. ^ Mallett, Ross. "Sixth Division, AIF (England, February – September 1917)". 1st AIF Order of Battle. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  14. ^ "New Zealand & Australian Division". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  15. ^ "ANZAC Mounted Division". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  16. ^ Falls & MacMunn 1930, pp. 273–274.
  17. ^ Australian Military Forces 1914, pp. 10–34.
  18. ^ a b c Bou 2010, p. 100.
  19. ^ a b Hall 1968, pp. 70–71.
  20. ^ a b Palazzo 2001, p. 54.
  21. ^ Kuring 2004, p. 40.
  22. ^ a b c Isaacs 1971, p. 11.
  23. ^ Dennis et al 2008, p. 65.
  24. ^ Kuring 2004, p. 36.
  25. ^ Kuring 2004, p. 44.
  26. ^ MacKenzie 1941, pp. 26–27.
  27. ^ Stevenson 2013, p. 29.
  28. ^ a b Mallett, Ross. "Part A: Formations". First AIF Order of Battle 1914–1918. Australian Defence Force Academy. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  29. ^ Hall 1968, p. 39.
  30. ^ Australian Military Forces 1918, pp. 8–31.
  31. ^ Kuring 2004, pp. 40–42.
  32. ^ Grey 2008, p. 86.
  33. ^ MacKenzie 1941, pp. 154–155.
  34. ^ Palazzo 2001, p. 68.
  35. ^ a b Coulthard-Clark 1991, p. 12.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • "Australia's Army". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 1 April 1913. p. 9. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  • Grey, Jeffrey (2001). The Australian Army. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. Vol. I. Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195541146.
  • Horner, David (1995). The Gunners. A History of Australian Artillery. Sydney, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1863739173.
  • McNicoll, Ronald (1979). The Royal Australian Engineers 1902 to 1919: Making and Breaking. History of the Royal Australian Engineers. Vol. II. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Corps Committee of the Royal Australian Engineers. ISBN 9780959687125.
  • Perry, F.W. (1992). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5A. The Divisions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand and Those in East Africa. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-25-6.
  • Wilson, Graham (2012). Bully Beef and Balderdash: Some Myths of the AIF Examined and Debunked. Newport, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 9781921941566.