Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/May

Units

January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December

Please follow the unit sequence of Navy, Army, Airforce when creating Daily Unit pages

The 2/25th Australian Infantry Battalion was a World War II Australian Army unit. It was raised in Brisbane in July 1940 as part of the 7th Division. It first saw action against Vichy French forces during the Syria–Lebanon Campaign in 1941. The Battalion returned to Australia in March 1942 and was deployed to New Guinea in September where it took part in the Kokoda Track campaign and Battle of Buna–Gona. After a period in Australia the 2/25th Battalion participated in the Salamaua–Lae campaign and Finisterre Range campaigns of 1943-44. The battalion spent over a year training before participating in the Battle of Ballikpapan in July 1945. The 2/25th Battalion was disbanded in Brisbane on 7 March 1946.

No. 44 Wing RAAF is the exclusive provider of air traffic control services to the Australian Defence Force. The Wing was formed in December 1942 in Adelaide River, Northern Territory and operated 24 radar sites throughout the top end, acting as an early warning system for Japanese air raids until it was disbanded in August 1944. No. 44 Wing was reformed in November 2000 with its headquarters at RAAF Base Williamtown. It is the only wing in the RAAF without subordinate units and has 11 detachments located across the country at nine RAAF bases, HMAS Albatross and the Oakey Army Aviation Centre.

The Royal Australian Navy's Clearance Diving Teams are the Navy's commando frogmen. The teams consist of naval personnel who are qualified in diving, demolitions, underwater repairs, and reconnaissance. They also fulfil a Maritime Counter-Terrorist role as part of the waterborne troop of the Tactical Assault Group East. The RAN's Clearance Diving branch was established in 1951 and RAN Clearance Divers have seen combat during the Vietnam War, Gulf War and 2003 invasion of Iraq and have taken part in a number of peacekeeping deployments.

The Royal Australian Survey Corps (RASvy) was a Corps of the Australian Army. The Corps was established on 1 July 1915 and was designated Royal in 1936. The Corps was responsible for the mapping of Australia and countries where the Australian Defence Force was deployed on operations. RASvy was also responsible for producing aeronautical charts for the RAAF and printing hydrographic charts for the RAN. RASvy was disbanded on 1 July 1996 with the roles it filled being transferred to the Royal Australian Engineers.

No. 60 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force general duties squadron of World War II. The Squadron was formed at RAAF Base Wagga on 1 January 1942 as part of Australia's response to the rapid Japanese advance and the threat of invasion. Equipped with CAC Wirraway aircraft the Squadron practiced ground attack and air defence flying before being disbanded at Cootamundra, New South Wales on 3 April 1942. Following its disbandment most of the squadron's personnel were posted to training units.

The second HMAS Kanimbla was a Royal Australian Navy amphibious assault ship and the lead ship of the RAN's Kanimbla class Landing Platform Amphibious. She was originally built for the United States Navy as the USS Saginaw and served with the USN between 1971 and 1994 when she was purchased by the RAN. Kanimbla entered service with the RAN after a lengthy refit and has completed a number of operational deployments to the Persian Gulf and off Timor Leste and Fiji. The vessel was decommissioned in 2011 and sold for scrap in 2013.

The 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) is an Australian Army motorised infantry battalion which is currently based in Brisbane, Queensland and forms part of the 7th Brigade. 6 RAR was formed in June 1965 and made its first deployment to South Vietnam between May 1966 and June 1967. During this deployment the battalion's D Company distinguished itself at the Battle of Long Tan in August 1966. The Battalion later made a second deployment to South Vietnam between May 1969 and May 1970 and was based in Singapore between August 1971 and December 1973. During the 1980s and 1990s 6 RAR trialled a number of organisations which were later adopted by other units.

The Roulettes are the Royal Australian Air Force's aerobatic display team. The Roulettes were formed as part of the RAAF's Central Flying School in 1970 to celebrate the RAAF's 50th anniversary and have been a permanent team ever since. The team flew Macchi MB-326 jet trainers until 1989 when they were reequipped with Pilatus PC-9 trainers. The Roulettes currently provide about 150 flying displays a year in Australia and in friendly countries around the South-east Asian region.

The first HMAS Warramunga (D10/I44) was a Tribal class which was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in November 1942. Warramunga was initially assigned to convoy escort duty between Queensland and New Guinea. She later participated in many South-West Pacific landings during and was present in Tokyo Bay on Victory over Japan Day. Warramunga operated in support of the United Nations Forces during the Korean War. Warramunga paid off to reserve at Sydney in December 1959 and was sold for scrap in 1963.

The First Australian Imperial Force was one of the first military forces to care for soldiers' teeth. 118 Dental Units were raised through World War I. The dental units were the smallest units in the AIF, consisting of only four men: a dentist with the rank of a lieutenant, two dental mechanics (staff sergeants) and an orderly. Dental units were attached to base camps, hospitals and medical units. The first 36 units were formed in Egypt between January to April 1916 from the dental detachments brought from Australia with subsequent units being formed over the course of the war.

The Seaplane Training Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force unit responsible for providing seaplane conversion training to RAAF air and ground crew. The Seaplane Training Flight was established on 1 March 1940 at RAAF Base Rathmines in New South Wales. Initially equipped with two Supermarine Seagull aircraft the Flight received Consolidated Catalina aircraft in the second half of 1940 and a small number of Vought Kingfisher aircraft in early 1942. As part of the expansion of the RAAF's seaplane units the Seaplane Training Flight was expanded to form No. 3 Operational Training Unit on 28 December 1942.

HMAS Ballarat alongside at Fleet Base East — HMAS *Ballarat* alongside at Fleet Base East

HMAS Kuttabul is the Royal Australian Navy's main naval base on the east coast of Australia. The base is located at Garden Island in Sydney and is home to much of the RAN's surface fleet. Garden Island has been host to a naval base since 1856 and was the RAN's only major base from the Navy's establishment until the 1980s when HMAS Stirling in Western Australia was expanded. With the establishment of two main bases, Kuttabul and Garden Island took on the additional designation of Fleet Base East.

A Rover light armoured car in the 2/11th Armoured Car Regiment's markings

The 2/11th Armoured Car Regiment was an Australian Army armoured reconnaissance regiment of World War II. The Regiment was formed as part of the 1st Armoured Division during August 1941 and was gradually brought up to full strength following the outbreak of the Pacific War. The Regiment was equipped with a small number of obsolete Australian-built armoured cars until July 1942 when it received more modern Australian designed vehicles. The Regiment was based in Western Australia from November 1942 and became part of the 2nd Division after the 1st Armoured Division's disbandment in September 1943. The 2/11th Armoured Car Regiment was disbanded in March 1944.

No. 7 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force flying squadron of World War I and World War II. The Squadron was first formed as a flight training squadron in October 1917 and trained aircrew for No. 3 Squadron until it was disbanded in early 1919. The Squadron was reformed as an operational training unit in January 1942 but converted to the bomber-reconnaissance role in August 1942. The Squadron flew patrols over northern Australian waters from October 1942 to October 1944 when it deployed to New Guinea. No. 7 Squadron flew strike missions against Japanese positions until the end of the war and was disbanded in December 1945.

HMAS Tamworth (J181/B250/A124) was a Bathurst-class corvette operated by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Tamworth was built by Walkers Limited at Maryborough, Queensland and commissioned on 8 August 1942. From February 1943 until January 1945, Tamworth was assigned to the British Eastern Fleet. Following this, she was deployed with the British Pacific Fleet. Tamworth returned to Australian operational control in September 1945. After a brief period of service in Australian waters, she paid off in April 1946 and transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, where she was renamed Tidore.

Northern Territory Force was an Australian Army force responsible for protecting the Northern Territory during World War II. Northern Territory Force was established on 25 April 1942 from the headquarters of the 6th Division and 7th Military District. Most units assigned to the Force were based near Darwin and were responsible for defending the important naval and air bases in and around the town against a feared Japanese invasion. Northern Territory Force was disbanded at the end of the war.

No. 113 Air-Sea Rescue Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force unit of World War II. The Flight was formed at Cairns, Queensland in January 1945 and was equipped with PBY Catalinas. The Flight conducted its first operational missions in February, providing support for Allied air strikes and making supply drops. The Flight operated from Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies from March. In the months after the war No. 113 Air-Sea Rescue Flight transported Australian prisoners of war home and supported Australian units in Borneo. The Flight returned to Australia in January 1946 and was disbanded at RAAF Base Rathmines at the end of the month.

The first HMAS Parramatta (D55) was a River class torpedo boat destroyer which was one of the first two ships to be commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in September 1910. Parramatta saw active service during World War I, taking part in operations in New Guinea in 1914 and conducting patrols in the Far East and Mediterranean Sea. Parramatta was paid off to reserve after returning to Australia in 1919 and was used as a training ship between 1924 and 1928 when she was permanently paid off and later sold for scrap.

The 12th Battalion was an Australian Army battalion of World War I. The Battalion was formed in August 1915 from recruits from South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia and formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. The Battalion left Australia in October 1914 and first saw action at the Landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. The 12th Battalion served on the Western Front from March 1916 until the end of the war and took part in a number of major battles. The Battalion returned to Australia in November 1918 for demobilisation and discharge.

The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was the female branch of the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. The WAAAF was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. Approximately 27,000 women enlisted in the WAAAF between March 1941 and August 1945, and these women served in a range of support positions in RAAF units located in Australia. The WAAAF was disbanded in December 1947.

HMAS Vengeance was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier which was operated by the Royal Australian Navy between 1952 and 1955. Vengeance was built for the Royal Navy and was commissioned in January 1945. She was commissioned into the RAN in November 1952 to serve as the Navy's second carrier while HMAS Melbourne was completed. Vengeance's Australian service was uneventful, and the highlights of her service were escorting the royal yacht SS Gothic and returning No. 77 Squadron RAAF's aircraft from Japan. Vengeance was returned to the RN in August 1955 and was later sold to Brazil where she served as NAeL Minas Gerais until 2000.

Overwatch Battle Group (West) was an Australian Army battlegroup which represented Australia's largest contribution to the Multinational force in Iraq. The Battle Group was established in July 2006 and was based at Tallil Airbase in Dhi Qar Governorate. Overwatch Battle Group (West)'s main role was to provide support to Iraqi Security Forces in a crisis if requested by the Iraqi Government and the Multi-National Force - Iraq. The Battle Group's training team also provided basic training to Iraqi Army personnel at the Basic Training Centre in Tallil. The Battle Group was withdrawn in June 2008.

No. 455 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force squadron during World War II. The Squadron was formed in May 1941 and was equipped with Hampden bombers upon arrival in Britain in June. The Squadron served with RAF Coastal Command from April 1942 and made a deployment to the Soviet Union in September. No. 455 Squadron was reequipped with Beaufighters in October 1943 and operated against German shipping off Norway and in the Baltic Sea until the end of the war. No. 455 Squadron was disbanded in May 1945.

HMAS Darwin (FFG 04) is a Royal Australian Navy Adelaide class guided missile frigate and the first warship to be named after the city of Darwin, Northern Territory. Darwin was built at Todd Shipyards in Seattle and was commissioned in July 1984. Darwin has completed five operational deployments to the Persian Gulf, a record for the most Gulf deployments of an Australian ship she shares with her sister ship HMAS Sydney. She has also been deployed to East Timor in 1999 and the Solomon Islands in 2001.

The 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment is an armoured regiment of the Australian Army, and is third in seniority in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. The regiment was formed in 1981 through the amalgamation of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and the 4th Cavalry Regiment. The 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment currently consists of a single squadron, B Squadron. This squadron was based in Townsville and provided armoured transport to the Australian 3rd Brigade until 2017 when it was replaced in this role by the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The squadron was subsequently re-raised at the School of Armour at Puckapunyal in Victoria, in the training and logistics support role and is equipped with Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicles.

RAAF Base Williamtown is a Royal Australian Air Force base located 20km north of Newcastle, New South Wales which shares its runways with Newcastle Airport. RAAF Station Williamtown was established in February 1941 and was home to a number of training units during World War II. Following World War II Williamtown was retained as the RAAF's main fighter base. Williamtown is currently home to two of the RAAF's three F/A-18 Hornet-equipped fighter squadrons, No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit, No. 77 Squadron and number of headquarters and other units.

The first HMAS Dubbo (J251/M251) was a Bathurst-class Australian minesweeper which was built in Sydney and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in July 1942. Dubbo was assigned to anti-submarine duties off the Western Australian coast from 1942 until early-1945. In March 1945 Dubbo sailed to New Guinea and actively supported Australian land forces until the end of the war. The ship's duties included several bombardments of Japanese positions. Following the war Dubbo participated in minesweeping operations in the Solomon Islands and off the Australian coast. Dubbo paid off into reserve in February 1957, and was sold for scrap 11 years later.

The 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion was a battalion of the 6th Australian Division raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for World War II. It was raised at Victoria Barracks, New South Wales in October 1939. During the war the battalion was one of only a handful of Commonwealth units to meet "All the Kings Enemies" in battle. The battalion met the Italians in the Cyrenaican Campaign of 1940–1941, the Germans in Greece and Crete in 1941, the Vichy French in Syria in 1941 and the Japanese and Papua in 1942 and New Guinea in 1944–1945. The 2/3rd Battalion was disbanded in Brisbane in February 1946.

No. 22 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force reserve squadron that provides support for the Permanent Air Force in the Sydney region. The squadron was formed in April 1936 and saw action during World War II as a bomber squadron equipped with A-20 Boston bombers. The Squadron conducted operations throughout the South West Pacific Area until the end of the war. Although No. 22 Squadron was disbanded in mid-1946, it was reformed as a non-flying reserve unit in 1948 and has been located at RAAF Base Richmond since 1953.

The second HMAS Ballarat is an Anzac class frigate which currently forms part of the Royal Australian Navy. The ship was laid down by Tenix Defence Systems at Williamstown in Victoria on 4 August 2000, launched on 25 May 2002 and commissioned on 26 June 2004. HMAS Ballarat is based at Fleet Base East and conducted her first operational deployment to the Persian Gulf between March and July 2006.

The 2/12th Field Ambulance was a unit of the Second Australian Imperial Force and suffered the greatest number of casualties for a non-combatant unit in Australian history. The 2/12th was formed in Sydney in November 1940 and was attached to the 23rd Infantry Brigade, 8th Division. Following the beginning of the Pacific War elements of the 2/12th were deployed to Ambon and Timor where they were captured by the Japanese. The 2/12th was rebuilt and was deployed to New Guinea in May 1943 on hospital ship Centaur. However, only 14 members of the unit survived the ship's sinking on 14 May. After being rebuilt for a second time the 2/12th served in Borneo and was disbanded in 1946.