Formation and training in Australia The 2/10th Battalion was established at the
Wayville Showgrounds, in
Adelaide, on 13 October 1939, the 2/10th was the first 2nd AIF unit raised from the state of
South Australia during the war, and was colloquially known as "The Adelaide Rifles". The colours chosen for the battalion's
unit colour patch (UCP) were the same as those of the
10th Battalion, a unit which had served during
World War I before being raised as a Militia formation in 1921. These colours were purple over light blue, in a horizontal rectangular shape, although a border of gray was added to the UCP to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart and the original World War I battalion. Along with the
2/9th,
2/11th and
2/12th Battalions, the 2/10th was subordinate to the
18th Brigade, which was recruited from the less populous states of
Queensland,
Western Australia, South Australia and
Tasmania, and was initially allocated to the
6th Division, the first of the 2nd AIF's four infantry divisions. He assumed command on 13 October 1939. After the battalion's recruits had concentrated at Wayville, the 2/10th moved to
Woodside Camp, in the Adelaide Hills to city's east in early November, where they carried out initial training. In mid-December, they moved by train to
New South Wales on the east coast of Australia where the battalion joined the other units of the 18th Brigade, and further training was completed at
Greta Camp and then
Ingleburn. In early May 1940, the battalion was ready to deploy overseas, and embarked on the transport ship , which departed Sydney on 5 May 1940, bound for the Middle East.
Garrison duties in the United Kingdom On 10 May 1940, after the 2/10th had departed Australia, the
Germans launched a
lightning assault across France and the Low Countries, which rapidly led to the capitulation of France and the evacuation of the
British Expeditionary Force. As a result of
Italy's entry into the war, Amidst the backdrop of the
Battle of Britain, while stationed on Salisbury Plain the battalion carried out garrison duties and undertook training to enable them to rapidly respond in the event that an invasion took place. They received a large amount of new equipment during this time to improve their mobility, including new
Universal carriers, weapons and lightweight personal load-carrying equipment. They also experienced German air attacks for the first time, and on 8 July 1940, the battalion incurred its first casualty when one of its members was wounded in an air raid. The battalion's stay there was short-lived, though, for the following month, after the threat of invasion had passed, the order arrived for the Australians to embark for the Middle East. The 2/10th subsequently entrained at Colchester in mid-November and moved north to Scotland where, on 17 November, they boarded the .
Fighting in the Middle East Sailing via
South Africa, shore leave was taken in
Durban, which was reached on 12 December. The convoy remained there until late December when it continued on to
Egypt via the
Red Sea due to the threat of attack that was present in the
Mediterranean; the battalion reached
Port Tewfik just before the new year. The 18th Brigade was again reassigned in February 1941, this time to the
7th Division, with whom they would see out the remainder of the war; at the same time, the brigade was converted from a four-battalion structure to three, and the 2/11th was transferred to help form the
19th Brigade. On 21 March 1941, the battalion undertook its first action of the war, when one of its companies – 'D' Company – supported the 2/9th Battalion in their
attack on the Italian held fort at Giarabub. Meanwhile, the remainder of the battalion began preparations for deployment to
Greece where an invasion was expected. These plans were interrupted when the 7th Division was committed to the fighting in North Africa in response to German gains in
Cyrenaica. At this time, the 18th Brigade was sent to garrison the vital port of
Tobruk as the 9th Division withdrew from Cyrenaica. It was at Tobruk that the battalion fought its first major action as a complete unit in April 1941, when it undertook defensive actions during the
Siege of Tobruk. During the
Battle of the Salient, fought in early May, the 2/10th took over a position on the northern
flank of the perimeter, relieving the
2/48th Battalion, coming under heavy air attack during the handover. After the initial German and Italian assault, on the evening of 3/4 May the 18th Brigade
counter-attacked to retake positions lost; the 2/10th was given a supporting role, tasked with carrying out raids deep into the opposing forces' territory while the 2/9th and 2/12th Battalions attacked the northern and south-eastern flanks of the
salient. In the fighting that followed, the 2/10th's casualties were six missing and fifteen wounded, but they inflicted heavy casualties upon their enemy before withdrawing back to the "Blue Line", about behind the main defensive line where the counter-attacking reserve forces were positioned to respond to a deep penetration. After the fighting in early May, the 2/10th was withdrawn to Pilastrino for a brief respite and placed in reserve, but by the middle of May, they had returned to the salient, and on 16 May advanced the line over . The 2/10th carried out further raids in "
no man's land" as the siege continued, but in August the battalion was withdrawn to
Palestine for training. In September 1941, the 2/10th were sent to Syria where they were assigned to the
Allied garrison that had occupied the country following the conclusion of the
Syria–Lebanon campaign and the defeat of the
Vichy French forces there.
New Guinea campaigns The 2/10th remained in Syria until January 1942 when, after having endured a freezing cold winter that included snow, it was transported back to Palestine in preparation for a return to Australia. The 2/10th subsequently embarked on the Dutch passenger ship , bound for Australia in early February 1942. Stopping over in
Bombay, the battalion was transferred to the transport
Nevassa on which they continued the journey to Adelaide where they arrived in late March. A period of re-organisation and training followed around
Kilcoy in Queensland. Following Japanese landings on the north coast of New Guinea in July, Australian forces in the area became involved in a series desperate defensive actions, as they were pushed inexorably back towards
Port Moresby. By early August 1942, the situation for the Australians was critical, and at this time the battalion was committed to the
New Guinea campaign. On 5 August, the 2/10th embarked on the Dutch transport
Both, departing from Brisbane. A week later, on 12 August, the 2/10th, along with the other two infantry battalions of the 18th Brigade, landed at
Milne Bay, in the
Territory of Papua where they reinforced the Militia units from the
7th Brigade who were defending the area. A fortnight later the Japanese landed a force at Milne Bay in an attempt to secure the airfields that the Australians had built there. In the ensuing
Battle of Milne Bay, the Australians eventually won a significant victory. After the initial landing was held by the
61st Battalion, the 2/10th relieved them before taking part in heavy fighting around a
mission station known as the KB Mission. The 2/10th suffered heavily, losing 43 killed and 26 wounded, and after passing through the lines held by the
25th Brigade, was placed in reserve around No. 3 Strip. One of the battalion's companies – 'C' Company – was detached to
Normanby Island in September, where they captured several Japanese soldiers who had become isolated there. Heavily engaged around the disused Buna airstrip where the Japanese had constructed several bunkers, in a fortnight of fighting the battalion suffered over 300 casualties, including 112 killed. Another attack was made around
Sanananda in mid-January 1943, before the 2/10th was withdrawn from the fighting, flying to Port Moresby in February. On 10 March, the battalion embarked upon the transport
Willis Van Devander to return to Australia, After establishing itself around
Ravenshoe, Queensland, the next three months was a period of flux for the battalion, with many men taking leave or being discharged due to tropical diseases or injuries from the previous campaign. The battalion was brought up to strength with a large draft of volunteers from the
11th Motor Regiment, a motorised Militia light horse unit consisting largely of Queenslanders and New South Welshmen. A period of rest and re-organisation followed during which the units of the 2nd AIF were converted to the
Jungle Division establishment. After this, large-scale divisional manoeuvres took place in mid-July, after which the battalion received orders to sail for overseas again. Embarking upon the transport
Canberra from Townsville, they arrived in Port Moresby in early August. After a period in which the 18th Brigade was held back in reserve at Port Moresby to defend the approaches to
Lae, in December 1943 the 2/10th was sent into the
Finisterre Mountains, where they joined the rest of the 7th Division whose
campaign through the Markham and Ramu Valleys had culminated in heavy fighting around Shaggy Ridge during the first months of 1944. During this period, several British Army officers were attached to the battalion as observers, arriving from Burma. The
Battle of Shaggy Ridge proved to be the most significant action for the 2/10th during the fighting in Ramu Valley. The battalion commenced its advance from Cam's Saddle on 20 January, with one company forward, and another in support. Amidst heavy rain that turned the ground to thick mud and flooded the Faria River, over the course of several days, they undertook several attacks around the ridges, and patrols along the river to link up with the neighbouring 2/12th Battalion. The battalion then pushed a company forward at a time against the last Japanese resistance around the 4,100 feature, which was strongly fortified with barbed wire and defended with machine guns. Heavy artillery, mortars and air support helped reduce the Japanese position, which was eventually secured by 1 February. The battalion's losses during this period amounted to 16 men killed in action, or died of wounds, and 27 wounded. After Shaggy Ridge was taken the battalion advanced to the Kankiryo Saddle, where the 18th Brigade was relieved by the
15th Brigade. The 2/10th was moved into reserve along with the rest of the 18th Brigade around the Mene River, and in early May 1944 it were flown to Lae and withdrawn to Australia, being transported home on the
Duntroon.
Borneo and disbandment After disembarking in Townsville on 8 May 1944, a period of leave followed, after which the battalion reconstituted in July 1944 and went into camp at
Samsonvale, near Brisbane. In August, they took part in a march through Brisbane, before travelling north to Cairns in September, from where they moved to
Kairi, near
Tolga. A large number of reinforcements arrived at this time, as the battalion was severely undermanned due to transfers or discharges from injuries or illnesses, and a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel
Thomas Daly, was appointed. After this, the 2/10th began a long period of training. As a result of indecision about the employment of Australian troops in the latter part of the war, they spent over a year waiting for their final campaign. This came in the final months of the war when they were committed to the
fighting on Borneo. After landing they fought to wrest control of the high ground to the west of the
beachhead – dubbed "Parramatta Ridge" by the Australians. During the fighting for Parramatta Ridge, the battalion pressed home its attack despite having no reserves left, and lacking direct fire support after the supporting tanks became bogged. In the days the followed, the battalion's attention turned to fighting around the town of Balikpapan itself and its port. several of these were caused when supporting US aircraft accidentally attacked the battalion's lines around Hill 87. The battalion's last commanding officer, Daly, would remain in the service, eventually becoming
Chief of the General Staff in 1966–1971. The battalion was finally disbanded on 29 December 1945 while still at Balikpapan; upon disbandment there were only 42 members of the battalion left for the 2/10th's final parade. During this ceremony, the battalion flag was entrusted to the Militia 10th Battalion, which had served briefly in a garrison role in Australia during the war and which was subsequently re-raised in South Australia after the war. Throughout the course of the war, a total of 3,008 men served with the 2/10th Battalion of whom 315 were killed or died on active service, and 525 wounded. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: two
Distinguished Service Orders, one
Member of the Order of the British Empire, seven
Military Crosses, six
Distinguished Conduct Medals, 14
Military Medals and 51
Mentions in Despatches. ==Battle honours==