December 27, 1943. Troops of the 2/16th Infantry Battalion watch aircraft bombing Japanese positions prior to their attack on "The Pimple", Shaggy Ridge, New Guinea.

The 7th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF). The 7th Division was raised from regular army units and new, all-volunteer infantry brigades, from April 1940 onwards. It is sometimes known by the nickname "The Silent Seventh", due to a perception that its achievements were and are unrecognised, in comparison to the other 2nd AIF divisions. The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... Combatants Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total... The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) was the name given to the volunteer units of the Australian Army in World War II. The 2nd AIF was formed, from 1939 onwards, to fight overseas: most army units were Militia (reserve) units and under Australian law at the time, Militia troops... The Regular Army is the permanent force of the United States Army that is maintained during peacetime, as opposed to those persons who may be part of a reserve or national guard outfit. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

The 7th Division was one of only a few Allied units to serve with distinction in the Middle East campaign, North African campaign and the South West Pacific Area. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... The Middle East Campaign was a part of the Middle East Theatre of World War II. // Overview This campaign included: The British police actions in Palestine. ... During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ... South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to one of the four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatre of World War II, during 1942-45. ...

January 22, 1944. Members of "B" Company, 2/12th Battalion, who helped silence a Japanese mountain gun during the Battle of Prothero I & II. (Left to right) "Skinny" McQueen, Ron Lord, Eric Willey and Alan F Hackett. (Photographer: Colin Halmarick.)

Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use during mountain combat. ...

History

North Africa & Middle East

The 7th Division left Australia for the Middle East in October 1940. It was then sent to North Africa and the 18th Brigade played a successful defensive role in the Siege of Tobruk, from May 1941. Meanwhile, the rest of the 7th Division formed the backbone of the Allied invasion of Lebanon and Syria; with British, Indian and Free French forces, the 7th defeated Vichy French land forces in the Middle East. Lieutenant Arthur Roden Cutler won the Victoria Cross (VC) for his exploits in late June and early July in the Merdjayoun-Damour area, and was later seriously wounded. Corporal Jim Gordon also won a VC in the campaign. Combatants Australia United Kingdom South Africa Poland Czechoslovakia Germany Italy Commanders Leslie Morshead Erwin Rommel Strength 14,000 35,000? Casualties Britain: 9009 killed 941 captured estimated 12,000 total 8,000 The Siege of Tobruk was a lengthy confrontation between Axis and Allied forces, mostly Australian, in the North... The Syria-Lebanon campaign was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon in 1941, during World War II. The Allied offensive, also known as Operation Exporter, was aimed at preventing Nazi Germany from using Vichy territory as a springboard for attacks on the Allied stronghold of Egypt... The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters who decided to go on fighting against Germany after the Fall of France and German occupation and to fight against Vichy France in World War II. General Charles de Gaulle was a member of the French Cabinet... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later... Arthur Roden Cutler VC Sir Arthur Roden Cutler, VC, AK, KCMG, KCVO, CBE (May 24, 1916 – February 22, 2002) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... James Heather Gordon was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

The Pacific War

In December 1941, as Japanese forces advanced rapidly in South East Asia, it was decided that the 6th and 7th Divisions were needed to defend Australia. Elements of the 7th Division were diverted to Java, and fought bravely alongside Dutch forces there, but were soon overwhelmed. The bulk of the division went straight to New Guinea. The 21st Brigade under Brig. Arnold Potts reinforced the reservists of the 39th Battalion, fighting a rearguard action on the Kokoda Track. Combatants Republic of China U.S.A. (from 1941) U.K. (from 1941) Australia (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) U.S.S.R. (from 1945) Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin (from 1945) Hideki Tojo The Pacific War was... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Brigadier Arnold William Potts DSO MC (16 September 1896 - 1 January 1968) was an Australian grazier, served in World War I, and led 21st Brigade of the Second AIF during its desperate, heroic and ultimately successful defence of the Kokoda Trail duringWorld War II. First World War Second World War... Following the federation of Australia in 1901, the six colonial militias were merged to form a national reserve army. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Combatants Australia Japan Commanders Ralph Honner Selwyn Porter Arnold Potts Arthur Tubby Allen George Vasey Yosuke Yokoyama Tomitaro Horii Strength 2,000 plus reinforcements 10,000 plus reinforcements Casualties 725 killed 1,055 wounded Hundreds sick with disease 6,500 killed including Maj-Gen Horii Hundreds sick with disease The...

Simultaneously, the 18th Brigade, with a Militia brigade, Royal Australian Air Force planes and ground staff, and a US engineer regiment, successfully defended an airbase at the eastern tip of New Guinea from a major assault by Japanese marines - the Battle of Milne Bay was the first outright defeat of Japanese land forces in World War II. Corporal John French who was killed at Milne Bay, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross (VC). The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... The Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF), (海軍陸戦隊 Kaigun Rikusentai) were the marine troops of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and was only part of the IJN Land Forces. ... Combatants Australia, United States (engineering support and minor combat) Japan Commanders Cyril Clowes Shojiro Hayashi, Minoru Yano Strength 9,000 (half non-combat personnel) 2400 Casualties less than 200 dead 600 dead The Battle of Milne Bay was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines... John Alexander French was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ...

Meanwhile, the Kokoda Track campaign had become a vicious, see-sawing battle, featuring fierce fighting around Kokoda itself and at Isurava where Private Bruce Kingsbury won a posthumous VC on August 29. The 25th Brigade relieved the 21st, and Australian forces began to gain ground. Bruce Steel Kingsbury (8 January 1918–29 August 1942) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

The 21st Brigade returned for the Battle of Buna-Gona in late 1942, in which Australian and US forces suffered very high casualties, while capturing the main Japanese beachheads on the north coast of New Guinea. The Division was converted to a Jungle Division in early 1943 and during 1943-44, the whole 7th Division fought extensive and often bloody mopping-up operations against Japanese forces in the north east of New Guinea. The division was flown to the Ramu Valley and Markham Valley. Beginning at Nadzab — where Private Richard Kelliher won a VC — they successfully advanced to Lae and Madang. Another hard campaign, in the Finisterre Ranges campaign, including the intense battles on Shaggy Ridge. Combatants Australia, United States Japan Commanders George Vasey (Australia); Edwin F. Harding/ Robert L. Eichelberger (United States) Ken Yamagata Strength 20,000+ 7,400+ Casualties 3,500 (not counting tropical diseases); 1,300 Australian and 1,000 US personnel killed in action. ... The Jungle Division was an military organisation adopted by the Australian Army during the Second World War. ... I spent two years in New Guinea, as a volunteer worker for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea. ... Photo submitted by Neil Hutton Richard Kelliher was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... The Battle of Lae was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Australian and United States forces assaulted a major Japanese base, in the town of Lae. ...

January 23, 1944. Members of "C" Company, 2/9th Infantry Battalion digging into a newly-occupied part of Shaggy Ridge.

Later in 1944, the 7th Division returned to Australia and retrained in north Queensland, including amphibious assault training. In July 1945, the whole division, with the Militia's 1st Armoured Regiment, was deployed in the Borneo campaign, and undertook the amphibious assault on Balikpapan, in Sarawak. Fighting continued until the war ended in August. The 7th Division, like most of the 2nd AIF, was disbanded during 1946. Amphibious Assault began when 17-year-old, former Kittie guitarist, Fallon Bowman was on a plane from Ontario to New Jersey, skimming through a Tom Clancy novel when she came upon the term amphibious assault. ... The Borneo campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between May 1 and July 21, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. ... The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of the Borneo campaign (1945). ... State motto: United, Industrious, Dedicated (Malay: Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti ) Capital Kuching Governor T.Y.T Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Chief Minister Y.A.B. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud / Pehin Sri Dr. Hj. ...

Structure

Main divisional units (with state of origin, where applicable)

Infantry units

• 18th Australian Infantry Brigade – from 6th Division in 1941.
  • 2/9th Australian Infantry Battalion, Queensland (Qld)
  • 2/10th Australian Infantry Battalion, South Australia(SA)
  • 2/12th Australian Infantry Battalion Qld/Tasmania (Tas.)

• 20th Australian Infantry Brigade – to 9th Division in 1941.
  • 2/13th Australian Infantry Battalion, New South Wales (NSW)
  • 2/15th Australian Infantry Battalion, Qld
  • 2/17th Australian Infantry Battalion, NSW

• 21st Australian Infantry Brigade
  • 2/14th Australian Infantry Battalion, Victoria (Vic.)
  • 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion, Western Australia (WA)
  • 2/27th Australian Infantry Battalion, SA

• 25th Australian Infantry Brigade - from 9th Division, 1941.
  • 2/25th Australian Infantry Battalion, Qld (from 24th Bde, 9th Div., 1940)
  • 2/31st Australian Infantry Battalion, Qld
  • 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion, NSW

• Artillery regiments
  • 2/4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA)
  • 2/5th Field Regiment, RAA
  • 2/6th Field Regiment, RAA
  • 2/2nd Anti-Tank Regiment, RAA

• Other units
  • 2/2nd Australian Machine-Gun Regiment
  • 2/2nd Australian Pioneer Battalion, Vic.
  • 7th Australian Divisional Cavalry
  • Engineer companies
    • 2/4th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers (RAE), NSW
    • 2/5th Field Company, RAE, NSW
    • 2/6th Field Company, RAE, NSW
    • 2/2nd Field Park Company, RAE, WA

Corps level units attached to the division The most well-known 6th Division in the Australian Army was a unit in the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) during World War II. (The 6th Division name was previously used for a short-lived World War I unit, formed from First Australian Imperial Force troops in England, in... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (June Quarter Released Statistics 2006)  - Population  4,053,444 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of March 2005)  - Population  1,540,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ... Capital Hobart Government Const. ... The 9th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). ... Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Capital Melbourne Government Const. ... Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 15  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $100,900 (4th)  - Product per capita  $50,355/person (3rd) Population (December 2006)  - Population  2,050,900 (4th)  - Density  0. ... The 9th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). ... The 2/25th Australian Infantry Battalion was a World War II Australian Army unit. ... A corps (a word that migrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals...

• Corps Troops Artillery
  • 2/9th Army Field Regiment, RAA (originally 8th Division)
  • 2/11th Army Field Regiment, RAA (originally 8th Division)
  • 2/13th Army Field Regiment, RAA (converted from 2/1st Medium Reg. RAA, Oct. 1940.)
  • 2/1st Survey Regiment, RAA
• 1st Australian Anti-Aircraft Brigade
  • 2/1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RAA
  • 2/2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RAA
  • 2/3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RAA

• Corps Troops Engineers
  • General engineer units
    • 2/7th Army Field Company, RAE, Qld
    • 2/8th Army Field Company, RAE, Vic.
    • 2/9th Army Field Company, RAE, Tas./Vic.
    • 2/3rd Corps Field Park Company, RAE, SA
  • Base and Lines of Communications Units
    • HQ Railway Group
    • 1st Railway Construction Company, RAE
    • 2nd Railway Construction Company, RAE
    • 3rd Railway Construction Company, RAE
    • 1st Railway Survey Company, RAE
    • HQ Forestry Group
    • 1st Forestry Companies, RAE
    • 2nd Forestry Companies, RAE
    • 3rd Forestry Companies, RAE

The 8th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, who were in turn, part of the Allies of World War II. The 8th Division was raised from regular army units and new, all-volunteer infantry brigades...

Commanders

Maj. Gen. John Lavarack, February 1940 - October 1942
Maj. Gen. George Vasey, October 1942 - 1944
Maj. Gen. Edward Milford, 1944-46 Major General George Alan Vasey, CB, CBE, DSO (29 March 1895 - 05 March 1945) was an Australian Army Divisional Commander during World War II. Vasey is argued to be the best divisional commander that has ever been produced by Australia. ...