Australian II Corps
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II Corps 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 ...
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
, one of three that were raised by the 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 ...
. Formed in mid-1942 as part of defensive measures to protect the eastern coast of Australia from invasion, the corps was initially composed mainly of home defence troops drawn from the
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 ...
. For a brief period in 1942, a US infantry division was also assigned to the corps prior to its dispatch to fight the Japanese 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 ...
. After the threat of invasion passed, the corps took more of an operational role and from late 1943 until the end of the war it commanded a mix of
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 ...
and Militia units in action against the Japanese in New Guinea and on Bougainville. Following the conclusion of hostilities, the corps headquarters was disbanded in September 1945, and its constituent units transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division.


History

II Corps headquarters was established at
Parramatta, New South Wales Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
, in mid-April 1942 from the previously existing Eastern Command (formerly the 2nd Military District) to command Australian Army units deployed to protect the strategically and economically important
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
Port Kembla A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...
region against a potential invasion. Upon establishment, the corps was assigned to the First Army and was commanded by Lieutenant General
John Northcott Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott (24 March 1890 – 4 August 1966) was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occup ...
. It was one of three corps raised by the Army during the war. At the outset, the corps consisted of several
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 ...
formations, including the 1st Infantry Division, Newcastle Covering Force, the 1st Cavalry Division and the 2nd Infantry Division. However, throughout the corps' existence, its composition changed many times. The first change came a couple months after its formation when, in July, the 2nd Infantry Division was transferred to Western Australia, to join
III Corps III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * I ...
, and II Corps headquarters moved north to Queensland. Initially, it had been planned to move to
Gayndah Gayndah () is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. In the , the locality of Gayndah had a population of 1,949 p ...
, but the dispatch of the Australian I Corps and the 7th Infantry Division to
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 ...
resulted in II Corps headquarters being sent to Esk instead. At this time, the corps gained control of the Australian 3rd Infantry Division and the US 32nd Infantry Division, which were positioned astride the state capital of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
. There was a change in command in August–September 1942, when Lieutenant General Edmund Herring took over from Northcott as part of a restructuring of the Army. Further changes occurred over the next few months. As the fighting in New Guinea escalated, the 32nd Infantry Division was deployed to the combat zone and II Corps was reduced to only the Australian 3rd Infantry Division and a large number of support troops, including those that had been left behind by I Corps. The headquarters moved to Mount Mee, Queensland, in December 1942, but this was only short-lived as another move took place the following month, which saw II Corps move to
Barrine, Queensland Barrine is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Barrine had a population of 303 people. History Boar Pocket State School opened in 1909. In 1912, it was renamed Barrine State School. It closed in 1958 wi ...
, 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 ...
. The area had been selected as the location of a large concentration area for Australian troops to rest and prepare for jungle warfare prior to further offensives, and II Corps was given responsibility for the base area and training programs. Throughout the first half of 1943, all three of the remaining
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 ...
infantry divisions moved through the area, with the 7th Infantry Division concentrating around
Ravenshoe Ravenshoe ( ) is a rural town and locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Ravenshoe had a population of 1,332 people. Geography Ravenshoe is on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. It is ...
in February, followed by the 6th and 9th Infantry Division a month later at Wondecla and Kairi respectively. In the second half of 1943, the Army was reorganised just before the operations to secure Lae. The 7th Infantry Division was sent 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 ...
in July and the 9th Infantry Division went 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 ...
. By August 1943, II Corps was under the command of Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, with its headquarters at Barinne, with the 6th Division (consisting of the 16th and 19th Infantry Brigades), and the 2/7th Cavalry Commando Regiment under its control. Two months later, the corps was committed to an operational role in New Guinea. At this time, the corps headquarters was deployed to Dobodura where it took over from I Corps, and given control of a wide area and a number of divisions, including several in combat: the 7th Infantry Division, which was advancing through the Markham and Ramu Valleys, the 9th Infantry Division on the securing the Huon Peninsula, as well as the Militia 5th and 11th Infantry Divisions, which were undertaking garrison duties in Lae and Buna. In November 1943, Lieutenant General
Frank Berryman Lieutenant general (Australia), Lieutenant General Sir Frank Horton Berryman, (11 April 1894 – 28 May 1981) was an Australian Army officer who served as a general during the Second World War. The son of an Railroad engineer, engine drive ...
took over command from Morshead. The politics of this promotion – and the non promotion of the 7th Division's commander, Major General George Vasey, meant that the 7th Division was removed from II Corps and became a direct reporting until under
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 ...
. Meanwhile, advanced elements of II Corps headquarters moved from Finschhafen, leaving a rear detachment behind at Dobodura. After the Sio was secured, the 9th Infantry Division was withdrawn to Australia for rest in February 1944, while the 5th Infantry Division replaced them around Finschhafen. In April, Madang was captured, effectively bringing large scale combat operations to a close temporarily for Australian forces in New Guinea, and allowing a reorganisation. At this time, the 11th Infantry Division moved from Buna via Lae to relieve the 7th Infantry Division in the Markham and Ramu Valleys. The same month, the headquarters staff of II Corps were relieved by those from I Corps, with Lieutenant General
Stanley Savige Lieutenant general (Australia), Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, (26 June 1890 – 15 May 1954) was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in the First World War and Second World War. In March 1915, after the outbr ...
arriving from the Atherton Tablelands to assume command. It was a swap of personnel only, with the deployed corps keeping the designation of II Corps. Nevertheless, in May, II Corps headquarters was redesignated as Headquarters New Guinea force when the previous New Guinea Force was disbanded; based in Lae, the formation' main elements were in Madang (5th Infantry Division), and Lae (11th Infantry Division), and the 3rd Infantry Division in the process of arriving. The final months of 1944 saw the Australians assume responsibility for several rear areas in New Guinea and elsewhere, to relieve US troops and free them up for further offensives in the Philippines. A reorganisation followed as preparations were made for deployments to Bougainville,
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 ...
and western New Guinea. The headquarters of the First Australian Army was established at Lae with a view to assuming control of all Australian forces in New Guinea. Consequently, the 5th Division became a direct command unit of the First Army for its deployment to New Britain, and Headquarters New Guinea force was redesignated as II Corps in September. II Corps subsequently moved to
Torokina Torokina is a coastal village on Bougainville Island, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is administered under Torokina Rural LLG. It is located on the western coast of the island. During World War II ...
, on Bougainville, in November to take over from the US XIV Corps, and to direct the operations of the 3rd Division (consisting of the
7th Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...
, 15th and 29th Infantry Brigades), as well as two other brigades – 11th and 23rd, with the later initially detailed to defend the Outer Islands (
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
,
Emirau Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . Emira is part of what on many maps are charted as the St Matthias Islands, also known as the Mussau Islands, a small group to the northwest of the main islan ...
, and the
Treasury Islands Treasury Islands () are a small group of islands a few kilometres to the south of Bougainville and from the Shortland Islands. They form part of the Western Province of the country of Solomon Islands. The two largest islands in the Treasurie ...
, and Munda, on
New Georgia New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the List of islands by area, 203rd-largest island in the world. Since July 1978, the island has been par ...
). While the US troops had largely remained in the perimeter that had been established around Torokina, the Australians began offensive operations, to advance south towards the main Japanese base in Buin, to secure Numa Numa in the centre of the island, and push north towards Buka. When the fighting came to an end in mid-August 1945, the Australians were just short of their objective in the south and had made gains in the other two sectors. Following the cessation of hostilities, II Corps staff took the surrender of Lieutenant General Masatane Kanda's Seventeenth Army on Bougainville, and implemented the terms of surrender throughout August and September. As preparations were made for the post-war draw down of Australia's military, the 23rd Brigade was chosen to remain on Bougainville as a garrison force. On 23 September, the corps commander, Savige, relinquished command to assume the role of Director of Demobilisation and Repatriation in Melbourne. In his stead, Major General William Bridgeford assumed administrative command. The following day, 24 September, II Corps headquarters closed. The formation's constituent units were then transferred to the direct command of the 3rd Infantry Division. In the post war period, no corps-level formations have been raised by the Australian Army.


Order of battle

Upon establishment, the following formations assigned to II Corps: * 1st Infantry Division * Newcastle Covering Force * 1st Cavalry Division * 2nd Infantry Division In the final stages of the war, the following formations were assigned to II Corps: * 3rd Infantry Division ** 7th Infantry Brigade ** 15th Infantry Brigade ** 29th Infantry Brigade * 11th Infantry Brigade * 23rd Infantry Brigade * 317th Light Aid Detachment (Australia)


Commanders

The following officers commanded II Corps during the war: * Lieutenant General
John Northcott Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott (24 March 1890 – 4 August 1966) was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occup ...
* Lieutenant General Edmund Herring * Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead * Lieutenant General
Frank Berryman Lieutenant general (Australia), Lieutenant General Sir Frank Horton Berryman, (11 April 1894 – 28 May 1981) was an Australian Army officer who served as a general during the Second World War. The son of an Railroad engineer, engine drive ...
* Lieutenant General
Stanley Savige Lieutenant general (Australia), Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, (26 June 1890 – 15 May 1954) was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in the First World War and Second World War. In March 1915, after the outbr ...


Citations


References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:II Corps (Australia) 2 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945