Formation The 2/15th Battalion was raised at
Victoria Barracks in
Brisbane on 26 April 1940 from
Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) volunteers. It was one of three infantry battalions assigned to the
20th Brigade that were initially part of the
7th Division, the other two being the
2/13th and
2/17th Battalions. The battalion had an authorised strength of around 900 personnel like other Australian infantry battalions of the time, and was organised into four rifle
companies – designated 'A' through to 'D' – each consisting of three
platoons; these were supported by a battalion headquarters and a headquarters company with six specialist platoons: signals,
pioneer, anti-aircraft, transport, administrative and
mortars. Upon formation, the 2/15th was placed under the command of
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Marlan, an
Australian Staff Corps officer of the Permanent Military Forces who arrived on promotion from
major, having previously served in World War I with the
20th Battalion. The colours initially chosen for the battalion's
unit colour patch (UCP) were the same as those of the
15th Battalion, a unit that had served during World War I before being raised as a
Militia formation in 1921. These colours were initially purple and red in a diamond shape, but after representations from World War I veterans the colour patch was changed to brown over dark blue, in a rectangle shape. The patch was placed inside a grey diamond border added to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart; this would change following the unit's involvement in the fighting at
Tobruk, when it adopted a T-shaped UCP consisting of blue and green. Following the battalion's establishment, Marlan set about choosing a cadre of senior commissioned and non-commissioned personnel around which to build the battalion. These personnel included the battalion second-in-command, the
quartermaster and
adjutant, as well as senior enlisted soldiers to undertake administrative and instructional work. These were recruited from several of the existing Queensland-based Militia battalions including the
25th,
42nd and
47th Battalions. One member recruited at the time had served with the 15th Battalion that had been raised as part of the
First Australian Imperial Force, during World War I. After the first groups of personnel began arriving at
Redbank, in south-east
Queensland, in the middle of May, the battalion's headquarters moved to the camp and basic training commenced in June under instructors from the
Australian Instructional Corps. Tasked with defending the port and its surrounds, the battalion was based around Vestey's meatworks near
Mindil Beach, and in the months that followed was occupied with vital asset protection and area defence in between individual and collective training exercises. Personnel were joined by the majority of their vehicles, including 14 tracked
Bren carriers in August, as well as a group of reinforcements. In October, elements of the battalion were used as stevedores during a wharf labourers' strike. In the absence of the Darwin personnel, the battalion's rear details shifted from Redbank to
Grovely where route marches were carried out in the
Samford Valley. In late October, the rear details personnel returned to Redbank at the end of the month where more equipment was received. The main body of the battalion remained in Darwin, forming part of the town's defensive garrison. They were relieved by the
2/25th Battalion in late October 1940, and embarked again on the
Zealandia. Sailing via
Bowen where shore leave was granted, the 2/15th reached Hamilton, in Brisbane, in early November to marry up with the rear details at Redbank. Further training was undertaken at Redbank at this time before the whole battalion entrained for Brisbane on Christmas Day, embarking aboard the
Queen Mary bound for Sydney. There, the ship joined up with a larger convoy that was bound for the
Middle East theatre.
Middle East Sailing via
Colombo, the battalion disembarked in
Bombay, transferring to the
Rohna for the remainder of the journey. Transitting the
Suez Canal, it disembarked at
El Kantara, in Egypt, in February 1941. En route to the Middle East, the 20th Brigade was reassigned to the
9th Division, in Palestine as the 9th Division attempted to make good its equipment and training deficiencies. The battalion's war equipment, including vehicles, arrived in mid-February and throughout the month the troops were introduced to the
Bren light machine gun, firing it for the first time at the Jaffa Range and practicing constructing defensive systems in preparation for desert warfare. Individual training undertaken at this time was aimed at identifying those who would be unfit for the coming battle, and many were subsequently transferred to the divisional guard battalion. In early March 1941, the 2/15th entrained at Gaza and moved to
Mersa Matruh, Amphibious training was carried out at Trinity Beach, near
Cairns, with the US
532nd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment in July 1943. Following training, the battalion was deployed to
New Guinea, arriving in
Milne Bay in early August 1943. It saw action in the final stages of the
Salamaua–Lae campaign in September 1943. The 2/15 took part in the
landing at Lae, the first amphibious operation undertaken by Australian forces since the failed
Gallipoli campaign in 1915. During the operation, the 2/15th was initially assigned the task of securing the beachhead following the 20th Brigade's landing. After being relieved it joined the advance west towards the town, slowed by heavy rains that turned the many creeks in the area into raging torrents, which were invariably covered by heavy Japanese fire from the opposite bank. Later in September, after Lae had fallen to troops of the 7th Division advancing from
Nadzab, the 20th Brigade undertook a follow-up operation further east, an opposed
amphibious landing at Scarlet Beach, as part of Allied efforts to
secure the Huon Peninsula. During the landing, the 2/15th formed the 20th Brigade's reserve force, coming ashore around Katika due to a navigational error; here it fought to dislodge strongly entrenched Japanese forces as the Australians established a beachhead. This was followed by the
capture of Finschhafen, during which the 2/15th advanced alongside the 2/17th Battalion. The battalion's main effort was focused around securing a crossing over the Bumi River northwest of
Finschhafen. After the town had been captured, it was tasked with expanding the Australian beachhead further west towards Kumawa as part of the drive on Sattelberg. For his actions during the battalion's attack around Kumawa on 13 October 1944, Corporal William Woods – who had destroyed two machine gun positions singlehandedly after most of his section had been wiped out – was recommended for the
Victoria Cross, the only member of the battalion to be nominated for the award. It was subsequently downgraded to a Distinguished Conduct Medal. After a short period of rest while Sattelberg was captured by the 26th Brigade, in late November the 2/15th joined the
advance to Wareo, capturing Nongora village, crossing the Song River, and then undertaking patrols through the Christmas Hills until relieved by elements of the
4th Brigade, which pushed the Australian advance along the coast, forcing the Japanese north towards
Sio as the Australians sought to secure the Huon Peninsula. During its service a total of 2,758 men served with the 2/15th Battalion, of whom 191 were killed or died of wounds, another 25 died on active service, 501 were wounded, and 212 were captured. Members of the 2/15th received three
Distinguished Service Orders, 10
Military Crosses, seven Distinguished Conduct Medals, 18
Military Medals, one
British Empire Medal, 47
Mentions in Despatches and nine Commander-In-Chief Commendation Cards. In addition, four were appointed
Members of the Order of the British Empire. ==Battle honours==