The 3rd Army Tank Brigade was an armoured brigade of the

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 ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

. The

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

was formed in May 1942 and disbanded in September 1943 without seeing combat.

History

The 3rd Army Tank Brigade was formed on 6 May 1942 to provide armoured support to infantry formations. The brigade headquarters was formed from the previously existing 4th Motor Brigade, although its constituent motor regiments (6th, 7th and 14th) were either disbanded or transferred to the 2nd Motor Brigade. It comprised three regiments which had previously formed part of the 1st Cavalry Division; the 1st Machine Gun Regiment, 2nd Armoured Regiment and 3rd Armoured Regiment. For consistency with similar British units, these regiments were renamed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army Tank Battalions respectively. The brigade was equipped with Matilda II infantry tanks which had previously been issued to the 1st Armoured Brigade. The 3rd Army Tank Brigade was also placed under the overall command of the 1st Armoured Division. Upon formation, the headquarters of the 3rd Army Tank Brigade was located at Greta, New South Wales. The 1st and 2nd Army Tank Battalions were stationed in the nearby towns of Dungog and

Largs Largs () is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town markets itself on its histor ...

, and the 3rd Army Tank Battalion was in the process of moving from

Goulburn, New South Wales Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victor ...

to Greta. By July 1942 the brigade was located at

Singleton, New South Wales Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River (New South Wales), Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 202km (126 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km (43 mi) north-west of Newcastle, New South Wales ...

. As part of a restructure of the Army's armoured units, the 1st Army Tank Battalion was transferred from the 3rd Army Tank Brigade to the newly-formed 4th Armoured Brigade in February 1943. This battalion was not replaced, and the 3rd Army Tank Brigade was reorganised as a two battalion brigade. On 16 July 1943 it was decided to convert the 3rd Army Tank Brigade into two independent battalion groups as part of broad reforms to the structure of the Army, through which units not considered likely to see combat were disbanded to free up manpower and other resources. The brigade was gradually disbanded between 6 August and 26 September 1943. Elements of the 3rd Army Tank Brigade's support units were attached to the 2nd and 3rd Army Tank Battalions to form self-sustaining battalion groups. The 2nd Army Tank Battalion was also re-equipped with

M3 Grant The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two different forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. I ...

medium tanks in September 1943. Both of the tank battalion groups were disbanded in March 1944. The 3rd Army Tank Brigade was commanded by Brigadier J.A. Clarebrough throughout its brief history.

References

Works consulted

* * * {{cite book , last=McKenzie-Smith , first=Graham , year= 2018, title=The Unit Guide: The Australian Army 1939–1945, Volume 2 , publisher=Big Sky Publishing , location=Warriewood, New South Wales , isbn=978-1-925675-146 Armoured brigades of Australia Tank brigades Military units and formations established in 1942 1942 establishments in Australia Military units and formations disestablished in 1943

History

See also

References

Works consulted