2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment (Australia)

2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment
M11/39s and an M13/40 of the 6th Australian Division Cavalry Regiment at Tobruk in January 1941
Active1939–1945
DisbandedSeptember 1945
CountryAustralia
BranchAustralian Army
TypeCommando
Size~500 personnel all ranks[1]
Part of6th Division
EngagementsSecond World War
Commanders
First CommanderMaurice Ferguson
Last CommanderEric Hennessy
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War and was later converted into a commando unit. Formed at Ingleburn, New South Wales, in November 1939, it was originally raised as an armoured reconnaissance regiment attached to the 6th Division. In that role, the 2/6th saw action in the North Africa campaign and in the Middle East during 1940–41, where the regiment distinguished itself at Bardia, Tobruk and in Syria. Later, following Japan's entry into the war, the 6th Division was brought back to Australia and following a re-organisation, the regiment was converted into a cavalry commando regiment, incorporating the independent companies that had been formed at the start of the war. In late 1944, the 2/6th Cavalry Commando Regiment was deployed to New Guinea, where it participated in one of the final Australian campaigns of the war in the Aitape–Wewak area.

  1. ^ "Military Organisation and Structure: The Light Horse/Cavalry/Armoured Regiment". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.