The Australian Tank Corps was gazetted in December 1927 and officially came into existence the following year. It received a small number of tanks in September 1929 and from this, Australia’s first armoured unit – the 1st Tank Section – was formed, as part of 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 ...

. During the early 1930s, amidst the economic austerity of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

a small cadre of Regular tank corps personnel was maintained for instructional purposes, although by the latter part of the decade the economic situation had improved sufficiently to allow the expansion of the 1st Tank Section into the 1st Light Tank Company, which was augmented by the addition of the 2nd Light Tank Company. The outbreak of 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 ...

in 1939 led to a significant expansion of Australia's armoured force, as each of the four divisions of the

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 ...

– except the

8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

– raised cavalry reconnaissance regiments equipped with light tanks and scout carriers. The cavalry regiments of the 2nd AIF divisions operating in Mediterranean theatre against Italian and German forces were initially equipped with the

Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier, a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament, was one of a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Br ...

and unarmoured trucks before being progressively mechanised using

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

equipment. The corps remained in existence throughout the early war years, until the creation of the Australian Armoured Corps (AAC) in July 1941. Between 1941 and 1945, Australia's armoured forces were greatly expanded, with three armoured divisions eventually being formed within the Militia and 2nd AIF, although these were largely used for home defence and only a small number of armoured regiments eventually saw action. These units mainly fought against the Japanese in New Guinea and Borneo in 1943–45. In 1948, the AAC was granted the royal prefix, and became the

Royal Australian Armoured Corps The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is an administrative corps of the Australian Army. It provides the Australian Defence Force's Armour capability, which performs the function of mounted combat. Armour combines firepower, mobility, pr ...

References

; Citations ; Bibliography * * * * * {{refend Defunct Australian Army Corps Military units and formations established in 1928 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941

See also

References