Formation The decision to form the 1st Armoured Division was inspired by the success of mass
tank tactics in
Europe during the early stages of
World War II. The
Australian War Cabinet approved the formation of an armoured division in July 1940, and 1st Armoured Division was established on 1 July 1941, under the command of Major General
John Northcott. The
Australian Armoured Corps was established at the same time, with the corps being formally gazetted on 9 July 1941. The Division was established with two armoured
brigades,
1st and
2nd, each of three armoured
regiments. These were supported by various corps troops including an
armoured car regiment, a motor regiment (converted from a
light horse formation), engineers, a field artillery regiment, an anti-tank battery, and a logistics support group. On paper, each armoured regiment was to be equipped with 10 scout cars, 46 cruiser tanks, and six support tanks; while the motor regiment was to be established with 14 scout cars and 44
Universal Carriers, and the armoured car regiment 12 scout cars and 58 armoured cars. During its early existence, the division faced several key challenges. The formation of an armoured division involved a massive expansion of Australia's armoured forces, so the great majority of the division's officers and soldiers had to be trained from scratch in newly established armoured warfare schools. This process was greatly complicated by the limited number of tanks available to the division, with the entire division having only eight
light and 10
cruiser tanks by December, and having to utilise 30 Universal Carriers for training. While the number of tanks available to the division slowly increased, it did not receive its full allocation until May 1942.
Defence of Australia Prior to the commencement of
hostilities with Japan the 1st Armoured Division had been scheduled to deploy to the Middle East where it would be fully equipped and complete its training: the
1st Armoured Brigade was to embark for the Middle East in December 1941, with
2nd Armoured Brigade embarking in March 1942. These plans were, however, dropped in early December 1941 when it was decided to retain the division in Australia to defend against the feared
Japanese landings on the Australian mainland. As an emergency measure the division's armoured regiments were equipped with Bren Carriers until sufficient tanks arrived. , June 1942 Major General
Horace Robertson replaced Northcott in April 1942 when Northcott was promoted to command the newly established
II Corps. The 1st Armoured Division's armoured regiments were equipped with
M3 Grant medium tanks and
M3 Stuart light tanks in April and May 1942. Following this, the division was concentrated in northern
New South Wales where it completed its training with a series of large exercises around
Narrabri. In January 1943, the division was moved to the area between
Perth and
Geraldton, Western Australia, where it formed part of
III Corps to counter the perceived threat of a Japanese invasion of Western Australia.
Disbandment Due to the end of the Japanese threat to Australia and the unsuitability of large armoured formations in
jungle warfare the 1st Armoured Division no longer had any real role by 1943. By this time, there was a manpower shortage in the Australian Army, which required a re-allocation of personnel and the gradual reduction of Australia's armoured units. While the division was disbanded in September 1943, its 1st Armoured Brigade and other units was retained as the independent 1st Armoured Brigade Group. This brigade group remained part of III Corps in Western Australia until its disbandment in September 1944. The
4th Armoured Brigade, which was established in March 1943 and included several regiments which had previously formed part of the 1st Armoured Division, provided all the Australian armoured units which saw action from 1943 until the end of the war.
Former elements in action While 1st Armoured Division never saw action as a complete formation, three
regiments which were part of the division saw action in the
South West Pacific Area, either while assigned to the division, or later. In September 1942, the 2/6th Armoured Regiment, equipped with
M3 Stuart light tanks, was deployed to
New Guinea, and subsequently saw action during the
Battle of Buna–Gona. During 1944–1945, the 2/4th Armoured Regiment contributed squadron-sized elements to both the
Bougainville campaign and
Aitape–Wewak campaigns, equipped with
Matilda tanks. The 2/9th Armoured Regiment, also using Matildas, served in the
Borneo campaign, including the Australian amphibious landings at
Tarakan,
Sarawak,
Brunei,
Labuan and
British Borneo in 1945. Other armoured units, such as the
1st Armoured Regiment, which also took part in the Borneo campaign, were
Militia units which had not formed part of the 1st Armoured Division. ==Order of battle==