List of Australian Army units
 |
In March 1901, the Australian Army came into existence as the Commonwealth Military Forces through the amalgamation of the former colonies military forces. The existing regiments and battalions of the colonies were reorganised and renumbered due to their absorption into the national army and subsequently formed the first military units of a united Australia. At the outbreak of World War I, in July 1914, the Australian Government committed the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), a fully volunteer force, to the war; all existing units were exempt from serving overseas due the Defence Act of 1903, which stipulated that they could only serve in Australian territory.
In 1921, the Citizens Force's regimental numbering system, used since federation, was replaced by a divisional structure when the Australian Government decided to continue the unit designations of the AIF and to continue the traditions of the units of World War I. This renumbering brought about the end of localised regiments, with battalions taking up their role as community recruitment organisations.
In 1939, following the start of World War II the Australian Government created the Second Australian Imperial Force which would see combat in North Africa and the Pacific.
This list covers individual units, above or equivalent to a battalion, which were created or maintained after 1914, by either being militia units that were amalgamated and/or renumbered or being entirely new entities.
Armies
[edit]The field army has been the largest ever created unit for the Australian Army and has only been utilised in the Second World War.
Corps
[edit]In the history of the Australian Army, only during the world wars were tactical corps units raised.
World War I
[edit]World War II
[edit]Divisions
[edit]Infantry
[edit]Active
[edit]Former
[edit]Light Horse
[edit]Former
[edit]Armoured
[edit]Former
[edit]Brigades
[edit]Infantry
[edit]Active
[edit]Former
[edit]Armoured
[edit]Former
[edit]Regiments
[edit]Infantry
[edit]Administrative
[edit]Functional
[edit]Engineer
[edit]Armoured
[edit]Cavalry
[edit]Light Horse
[edit]- 1st Royal New South Wales Lancers
- 2nd Light Horse Regiment
- 3rd Light Horse Regiment
- 4th Light Horse Regiment
- 5th Light Horse Regiment
- 6th Light Horse Regiment
- 7th Light Horse Regiment
- 8th Light Horse Regiment
- 9th Light Horse Regiment
- 10th Light Horse Regiment
- 11th Light Horse Regiment
- 12th Light Horse Regiment
- 13th Light Horse Regiment
- 14th Light Horse Regiment
- 15th Light Horse Regiment
- 16th Light Horse Regiment
- 17th Light Horse Regiment
- 18th Light Horse Regiment
- 19th Light Horse Regiment
- 20th Light Horse Regiment
- 21st Light Horse Regiment
- 22nd Light Horse Regiment
- 23rd Light Horse Regiment
- 24th Light Horse Regiment
- 25th Light Horse Regiment
Artillery
[edit]Battalions
[edit]Infantry
[edit]Royal Australian Regiment
[edit]Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) were formed in the aftermath of the Second World War, when Australian defence policymakers government decided to exchange the focus on the Militia to a permanent force. The battalions are as follows:
Active
[edit]Former
[edit]First Australian Imperial Force
[edit]Battalions of the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) were initially formed in the First World War as volunteer units for overseas service. The battalions are as follows:
- 1st Battalion[h]
- 2nd Battalion
- 3rd Battalion
- 4th Battalion
- 5th Battalion
- 6th Battalion
- 7th Battalion
- 8th Battalion
- 9th Battalion
- 10th Battalion
- 11th Battalion
- 12th Battalion
- 13th Battalion
- 14th Battalion
- 15th Battalion
- 16th Battalion
- 17th Battalion
- 18th Battalion
- 19th Battalion
- 20th Battalion
- 21st Battalion
- 22nd Battalion
- 23rd Battalion
- 24th Battalion
- 25th Battalion
- 26th Battalion
- 27th Battalion
- 28th Battalion
- 29th Battalion
- 30th Battalion
- 31st Battalion
- 32nd Battalion
- 33rd Battalion
- 34th Battalion
- 35th Battalion
- 36th Battalion
- 37th Battalion
- 38th Battalion
- 39th Battalion
- 40th Battalion
- 41st Battalion
- 42nd Battalion
- 43rd Battalion
- 44th Battalion
- 45th Battalion
- 46th Battalion
- 47th Battalion
- 48th Battalion
- 49th Battalion
- 50th Battalion
- 51st Battalion
- 52nd Battalion
- 53rd Battalion
- 54th Battalion
- 55th Battalion
- 56th Battalion
- 57th Battalion
- 58th Battalion
- 59th Battalion
- 60th Battalion
- 61st Battalion
- 62nd Battalion
- 63rd Battalion
- 64th Battalion
Second Australian Imperial Force
[edit]Battalions of the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) were initially formed in the Second World War as volunteer units for overseas service. The battalions are as follows:
- 2/1st Battalion
- 2/2nd Battalion
- 2/3rd Battalion
- 2/4th Battalion
- 2/5th Battalion
- 2/6th Battalion
- 2/7th Battalion
- 2/8th Battalion
- 2/9th Battalion
- 2/10th Battalion
- 2/11th Battalion
- 2/12th Battalion
- 2/13th Battalion
- 2/14th Battalion
- 2/15th Battalion
- 2/16th Battalion
- 2/17th Battalion
- 2/18th Battalion
- 2/19th Battalion
- 2/20th Battalion
- 2/21st Battalion
- 2/22nd Battalion
- 2/23rd Battalion
- 2/24th Battalion
- 2/25th Battalion
- 2/26th Battalion
- 2/27th Battalion
- 2/28th Battalion
- 2/29th Battalion
- 2/30th Battalion
- 2/31st Battalion
- 2/32nd Battalion
- 2/33rd Battalion
- 2/40th Battalion
- 2/43rd Battalion
- 2/48th Battalion
Machine Gun
[edit]First Australian Imperial Force
[edit]Second Australian Imperial Force
[edit]Pioneer
[edit]First Australian Imperial Force
[edit]Second Australian Imperial Force
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ "Royal Australian Armoured Corps". Australian Army. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Army Order of Battle". Australian Army. January 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Amalgamated with 4th Cavalry Regiment to form 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment (Australia)
- ^ Amalgamated with 3rd Cavalry Regiment to form 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment (Australia)
- ^ Originally the 65th Battalion
- ^ Originally the 66th Battalion
- ^ Originally the 67th Battalion
- ^ Reorganised into the 2nd Commando Regiment
- ^ a b Amalgamated
- ^ Currently amalgamated with the 19th Battalion to form the 1st/19th Battalion