11th Division (Australia)
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The 11th Division was an
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
unit formed during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
by the renaming of
Milne Force Milne Force was a garrison Australian Army force formed in July 1942 during the World War II which controlled allied naval, land and air units in the region of Milne Bay, in the Territory of Papua. The force was responsible for constructing airstr ...
in December 1942. Predominately a
Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
formation, the division's main role during the war was as a base command headquarters, although elements saw action in
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
against Japanese forces during the
Finisterre Range campaign The Markham Valley, Ramu Valley and Finisterre Range campaigns were a series of battles within the broader New Guinea campaign of World War II. The campaigns began with an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive in the Ramu Valley, from 19 Sep ...
and in
New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...
. It was disbanded in July 1946.


History

In July 1942, a headquarters was raised to command the units that had been sent to
Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range (Papu ...
, to establish a series of airfields there after the
Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battle ...
. The majority of the staff for this headquarters came from the 1st Division, and at the time of its establishment it was called "C Force" and became
Milne Force Milne Force was a garrison Australian Army force formed in July 1942 during the World War II which controlled allied naval, land and air units in the region of Milne Bay, in the Territory of Papua. The force was responsible for constructing airstr ...
in August 1942. Only a limited number of troops were assigned, with the first elements being two companies of
Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
troops from the 55th Battalion, bolstered later by the arrival of the 7th Infantry Brigade and then the 18th Infantry Brigade, a veteran
Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...
unit. Throughout late August and early September, the Japanese attempted to land troops to capture the airfields and in the Battle of Milne Bay were defeated by the defending Milne Force elements. In October, the 17th Infantry Brigade arrived to relieved the 18th, which was despatched to Buna in December 1942. It was decided that the formation would assume a more active role and in December 1942, Milne Force was renamed the 11th Division. Upon establishment, the division was commanded by Major-General Cyril Clowes. It remained around Milne Bay until January 1943, when the 5th Division arrived to relieve it and the division was transferred to
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
. At Moresby, the 11th Division headquarters relieved the 6th Division staff and took the base units, including the 7th Brigade, under command. A further move occurred in July 1943, when the divisional headquarters was flown to Dobodura, assuming responsibility for the area between Oro Bay and Buna from the US 41st Infantry Division. The division commanded the 6th and 29th Infantry Brigades, both Militia formations. The 29th was transferred to the 3rd Division in August to take part in the fighting around
Salamaua Salamaua () was a small town situated on the northeastern coastline of Papua New Guinea, in Salamaua Rural LLG, Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland. The c ...
. In September 1943, Major-General Allan Boase took command of the division. The following month division came under the control of II Corps having previously been assigned to I Corps (and before that
New Guinea Force New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian, United States and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Ar ...
). The divisional headquarters moved to Lae in February 1944, relieving the 5th Division, which was transferred to
Finschhafen Finschhafen is a town east of Lae on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. The town is commonly misspelt as Finschafen or Finschaven. During World War II, the town was also referred to as Fitch Haven in the logs of some U. ...
to relieve the 9th Division. At Lae, the division resumed the base command with the 29th Brigade as its only fighting formation. In April 1944, the corps' headquarters moved to Dumpu and it later relieved the 7th Division, which had been fighting a campaign through the Markham and Ramu Valleys and into the Finisterre Ranges. Assuming control of the 15th and 18th Infantry Brigades, the division continued the advance towards
Madang Madang (old German name: ''Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen'') is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 (in 2005) on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. History Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai was probably the first Eur ...
, linking with the 5th Division around Bogadjim, before being moved back to Wau in early May 1944, leaving its divisional carrier company at Dumpu and transferring several units to the 5th Division. Headquarters returned to Lae in this time, although the 6th Infantry Brigade was pushed forward to Bulolo in June 1944. Following this, the divisional headquarters was relieved by the 3rd Division in July 1944 and returned to Australia, later to be reconstituted on the
Atherton Tablelands The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau, which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It has very deep, rich basaltic soils and the main industry is agriculture. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the ...
around Kairi, in
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. In August, the division moved to Mapee. The 11th became one of six Australian divisions converted to the Jungle division establishment. The division later fought a brief campaign on
New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...
in the last year of the war, landing at Jacquinot Bay and taking over from the 5th Division in July 1945. On New Britain, the division assumed command of the 4th and 13th Infantry Brigades. These formations pushed towards Wide Bay and Open Bay, as the Australians sought to contain the much larger Japanese garrison on the
Gazelle Peninsula The Gazelle Peninsula is a large peninsula in northeastern East New Britain, Papua New Guinea located on the island of New Britain within the Bismarck Archipelago, situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The Rabaul caldera is located on t ...
, rather than carry out a direct assault on the main Japanese position at
Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...
. In August, the war came to an end and the 11th Division entered Rabaul and oversaw the surrender of the Japanese garrison. Division headquarters remained in Rabaul until late April 1946 during which its constituent units and elements of its staff were repatriated to Australia in individual drafts. On 25 April 1946, its remaining cadre of 20 personnel embarked on SS ''Ormiston'', bound for Sydney. The disbandment of the 11th Division was completed by 1 July 1946, when the last personnel marched out for demobilisation. Some personnel from the division later served in the 67th Infantry Battalion, undertaking occupation duties as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan.


Divisional units

The following units were assigned to the 11th Division during the war: * 7th Infantry Brigade (October 1942 – January 1943, February–July 1943 & July–August 1944) * 18th Infantry Brigade (October 1942 – December 1942 & April–May 1944) * 14th Infantry Brigade (February–March 1943) * 15th Infantry Brigade (February–May 1943 & April 1944) * 30th Infantry Brigade (February–March 1943) * 6th Infantry Brigade (July 1943 – April 1944) * 29th Infantry Brigade (July–April 1943 & March–September 1944) * 4th Infantry Brigade (June–August 1945) * 13th Infantry Brigade (June–August 1945) * 2/6th Armoured Regiment (January–April 1943) * 2/1st Pioneer Battalion (February 1943) * 2/8th Armoured Regiment (April–July 1943) * 15th Battalion (July–August 1943) * 1st New Guinea Infantry Battalion (June–August 1945) * 158th Infantry Regiment (
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
) (February–April 1943)


Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 11th Division: * Major-General Cyril Clowes *
Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
Murray Moten * Major-General Arthur Allen * Major-General Allan Boase * Major-General
Alan Ramsay Major General Sir Alan Hollick Ramsay, (12 March 1895 – 19 September 1973) was an Australian educator and a senior officer in the Australian Army. Having served as an officer in the First World War, he commanded the 5th and 11th Divisions ...
* Major-General Kenneth Eather


See also

* List of Australian divisions in World War II


Notes


References

* * * * {{Australian WW2 Divs Infantry divisions of Australia Australian World War II divisions Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 1946 disestablishments in Australia 1942 establishments in Australia