2/12th Battalion (Australia)

2/12th Battalion
Members of "B" Company, Australian 2/12th Battalion, who helped silence a Japanese mountain gun on one of the hills known as Prothero I & II during the Battle of Shaggy Ridge
Active	13 October 1939 – 1 January 1946
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	800–900 men[Note 1]
Part of	18th Brigade, 7th Division
Garrison/HQ	Rutherford, New South Wales
Engagements	World War II North African campaign Battle of Tobruk Syrian campaign New Guinea campaign Borneo campaign
Commanders
First Commander	Lieutenant Colonel John Field
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 2/12th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which served during World War II. Raised in late 1939 as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force, the battalion's initial recruits were drawn primarily from the states of Queensland and Tasmania. Assigned to the 18th Brigade, the battalion completed basic training in Australia before embarking for overseas in May 1940.

It was originally intended that the battalion would land in the Middle East; however, the strategic situation in Europe at the time resulted in it being diverted to the United Kingdom where it formed part of Australia's contribution to the defence of the island during a period when an invasion seemed likely. When this threat passed, the 2/12th was sent to North Africa, and in 1941 it took part in the defence of Tobruk and then undertook garrison duties in Syria, before returning to Australia in early 1942. In August 1942, the battalion fought in the Battle of Milne Bay, turning back a Japanese invasion force there, before capturing Goodenough Island before returning to Australia in early 1943. The 2/12th returned to New Guinea in August 1943, and subsequently took part in the Finisterre Range campaign into early 1944. Its final campaign came in mid-1945 when it was committed to re-capturing Borneo, landing on Balikpapan in July 1945. It was disbanded in January 1946.

Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).