8th Division (Australia)
General description
The 8th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War Two, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force. The 8th Division was raised from regular army units and new, all-volunteer infantry brigades, from July 1940 onwards.
Structure
Infantry units (with state of origin, where applicable)
- 22nd Australian Infantry Brigade, New South Wales, (NSW)
- 2/18th Australian Infantry Battalion
- 2/19th Australian Infantry Battalion
- 2/20th Australian Infantry Battalion
- 23rd Australian Infantry Brigade
- 24th Australian Infantry Brigade – to 9th Division, 1940
- 2/25th Australian Infantry Battalion, Queensland (Qld)
- 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion, Western Australia (WA)
- 2/43rd Australian Infantry Battalion, South Australia (SA)
- 27th Australian Infantry Brigade – from 9th Division, 1941
- 2/26th Australian Infantry Battalion, Qld
- 2/29th Australian Infantry Battalion, Vic.
- 2/30th Australian Infantry Battalion, NSW
- Artillery regiments
- 2/9th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) – to 7th Division, 194?
- 2/10th Field Regiment, RAA
- 2/11th Field Regiment, RAA – to 7th Div., 194?
- 2/14th Field Regiment, RAA
- 2/15th Field Regiment, RAA
- 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment, RAA – to 9th Div., 1940
- 2/4th Anti-Tank Regiment, RAA
- Other units
- 2/4th Australian Machine-Gun Regiment, WA
- 2/3rd Australian Pioneer Battalion
- 8th Australian Divisional Cavalry – to 9th Division, as 9th Div. Cavalry, May 1941.
- Engineer companies
- 2/10th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers, Vic.
- 2/11th Field Company, RAE, Qld
- 2/12th Field Company, RAE, NSW
- 2/4th Field Park Company, RAE, WA – to 9th Div., 194?
Commanders
Major General V.A.H. (Vernon) Sturdee, 1940
Major General Henry Gordon Bennett, September 27 1940 – February 15 1941.
History
The 8th Division was formed to fight Nazi Germany and was trained for the conditions of the Middle East. However, as the possibility of war with Japan loomed, the 22nd Brigade was sent instead to Malaya on February 2, 1941. The 23rd Brigade went to the Northern Territory in April: each of its individual battalions was sent to one of the islands to Australia’s near north. The 2/22nd Battalion was deployed to Rabaul in April; the 2/40th Battalion went to Timor, on December 12 and; the 2/21st Battalion went to Ambon on December 17. In December 1940, the 24th Brigade was sent to North Africa, and became part of the 9th Division. It was replaced in the 8th Division by the 27th Brigade, which joined the 22nd Brigade in Malaya in August 1941.
Malaya
To be completed
Singapur
To be completed
Ambon
To be completed
Timor
To be completed
Rabaul
To be completed
1942-45
Following the loss of its original battalions, the 23rd Brigadeacquired Militia battalions and became a Militia unit for the rest of the war.
To be completed