Gallipoli, 1915 The Australian 2nd Division was formed from reinforcements training in
Egypt on 26 July 1915 as part of the
Australian Imperial Force, which has been raised to fight in World War I. The division was formed from three brigades – the
5th,
6th and
7th During this period, the division took part in the
operations on the Ancre, participating in the capture of Thilloys. The 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 5th Division; however, by late February (during the
German withdrawal to the prepared fortifications in the
Hindenburg Line), elements of the 2nd Division were active in engaging the German rearguard as it fell back to the first fortified reserve position known to the British as the
Loupart-Le Transloy Line, or the
R.I. Stellung by the Germans. The Germans had decided to temporarily hold the R.I. position, which was centred on the village of Bapaume, so on 25 February, the 5th and 6th Brigades mounted an unsuccessful attack on the "Malt" trench – an outpost in front of the R.I. position. Continual small attacks were conducted on the Malt Trench through 26 and 27 February, with a larger attack attempted on the 27th and 28th by the 7th Brigade. However, as the wire defences were undamaged, little headway could be made. It was not until 2 March, when a combined attack was put in with the 5th and 7th Brigades, and after sustained artillery fire had cut paths through the wire, that the 7th Brigade captured portions of Malt trench. This brought the 2nd Division close enough to be able to attack the R.I. position. As the 2nd Division was preparing to attack the R.I. position in front of Loupart Wood (the attack was planned to commence on 13 March), it was discovered on 12 March, that the Germans had already withdrawn to the second reserve position
R.II. Stellung centred on the crest of the ridge beyond Bapaume. R.II. was evacuated by the Germans on 17 March, as they withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. Starting on 17 March 1917, the 2nd Division was reorganised to pursue the German withdrawal, with the 6th Brigade chosen to lead the pursuit. On 20 March, the 6th Brigade attempted a hasty attack on the fortified village of
Noreuil, which was beaten back with over 300 casualties. However, the next attack on the fortified village of
Lagnicourt on 26 March was successful, with the German counter-attack on the same day defeated by the Australians. Soon after, the 2nd Division was relieved by Australian 4th Division. This formation conducted a second attack on the fortified village of Noreuil, which was captured on 2 April. With the capture of Noreuil (Louverval and
Doignies were also taken by the
Australian 5th Division on 2 April), the I Anzac Corps was within striking distance of the main Hindenburg defences.
Hindenburg Line, 1917 The 2nd Division was in support during the
First Battle of Bullecourt, which was the Fifth Army's main contribution to the
Arras offensive. Once the first attempt on Bullecourt had failed, the 2nd Division relieved the Australian 4th Division from in front of Bullecourt (a front of approximately on 13 April. As such, when the Germans launched a counter-stroke on 15 April in front of the village of Lagnicourt (the
Battle of Lagnicourt), part of it fell on the
17th Battalion (which was holding the right flank of the 2nd Division), with the remainder falling on the 1st Division. The attack was strongest along the divisional boundary between the 1st and 2nd Divisions, and as a result the Germans managed to penetrate between the 17th Battalion and the neighbouring
12th Battalion and capture the village of Lagnicourt. Counterattacks by the 5th Brigade (2nd Division) and 3rd Brigade (1st Division) managed to drive off the attacking Germans, and re-establish the original front line. During this battle, the 2nd Division experienced 305 casualties (of the 1,010 casualties experienced by the I Anzac Corps). On 3 May, the
Second Battle of Bullecourt commenced with the 2nd Division – committing the 5th and 6th Brigades – attacking the two trench lines east of Bullecourt. The 5th Brigade made little progress, but the 6th Brigade seized parts of both trench lines. Heavy counterattacks then fell against the 6th Brigade. To secure the 6th Brigade's left flank, the 7th Brigade, as the divisional reserve attacked. The 6th Brigade held its position against numerous counterattacks, until relieved by elements of the 1st Division on 4 May. As they were withdrawn, a fourth counter-attack fell on the area, at which point the 6th rejoined the battle, helping to blunt this assault before finally departing. Further attacks were conducted on 4 May and 6 May by brigades of the Australian 1st Division that were attached to the 2nd Division, supported by elements of the 2nd Division, resulted in the capture of most of the first line of trenches. After repulsing a total of six German counterattacks, the 5th Division arrived on 8/9 May, continuing the fighting until 17 May. For its part, the fighting around Bullecourt had cost the 2nd Division 3,898 casualties.
Third Battle of Ypres, 1917 The 2nd Division was then sent to rest areas in the Somme region for reorganisation and training. The 2nd Division's artillery was in action from the start of the
Third Battle of Ypres on 22 July 1917, supporting the British 24th Division, but the infantry were not called upon until the second phase of the battle commenced on 20 September with the
Battle of Menin Road. Attacking along an front with ten other divisions, including the Australian 1st Division on their right and the
9th (Scottish) Division on their left, the 2nd Division advanced an average of , with the 5th Brigade on the left, and the 7th on the right. The division sustained 2,259 casualties, and was relieved on 22 September by the Australian 4th Division, which then continued the offensive in the next the
Battle of Polygon Wood. Relieving the
British 3rd Infantry Division between 29 September and 1 October, the 2nd Division's task in the
Battle of Broodseinde was to advance , and to capture one of the ridgelines which dominated the
Ypres Salient. On 4 October, as the division was forming up for its attack, a heavy German bombardment fell on their assembly area, causing heavy casualties. A German attack then started at almost the same time as the Australian attack, resulting in the two attacking forces engaging each other in no-man's land. After gaining the upper hand, the 2nd Division captured all of its objectives, sustaining 2,174 casualties. This battle marked the peak of British success during 3rd Ypres, and with rain starting to fall on 3 October, was the last successful action of the battle. With the rain becoming heavier, the conditions on the ground deteriorated. When the next attack (the
Battle of Poelcappelle) started on 9 October the ground became difficult to traverse, resulting in difficulty bringing artillery and ammunition forward, and the troops becoming exhausted moving up to their starting positions prior to the start of the attack The 2nd Division's role was for the left brigade to advance to protect the flank of the
66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division. With the 6th and 7th Brigades heavily understrength (just 600 and 800 men each), and supported by a weak artillery barrage, the advance quickly stalled, and resulted in only small gains at a cost of 1,253 casualties. As a result of the exhaustion of the troops, the 2nd Division was relieved for the final effort around Passchendaele on 12 October. The 2nd Division relieved the Australian 5th Division on 27 October, and continued to hold the line along the Broodseinde Ridge, conducting patrols into no man's land, until all of the Australian divisions (grouped into an all
Australian Corps from November 1917) were transferred south to Flanders, centred on the town of
Messines, where they spent the winter. During this period, the 2nd Division occupied the front around Ploegsteert, in the southern part of the Australian line, during December 1917 – January 1918, and then again in March – April 1918. On 3 April, the division was relieved by the British 25th Division.
German Spring Offensive, 1918 On 21 March, the Germans launched their
Spring Offensive, focused on the Somme. As the offensive, began to threaten the vital rail hub of
Amiens, the Australians were hurriedly brought south to help restore the British line in the Somme. Upon reaching the Somme on 4 April, the leading brigade (the 5th) was detached to relieve the troops around
Villers-Bretonneux, while the rest of the division (under the command of the
British Third Army) relieved the Australian 4th Division, which had just fought the
First and
Second Battles of Dernancourt. The detached 5th Brigade (under the command of the
British Fourth Army) was initially put into a reserve line (the "Aubigny Line") under the
14th Division, before it was sent to support (and later relieve) the
18th Division south of Villers-Bretonneux. After the 5th Brigade had relieved the 18th Division on 5 April, it was decided that the 5th would recapture the lost parts of Hangard wood, and so reduce a salient that threatened the southern flank of the Australian forces at Villers-Bretonneux. The attack by two battalions – the 19th and 20th – was conducted on 7 April, and while it succeeded in clearing Hangard Wood (at a cost of 151 casualties), the position that the attacking troops were expected to fortify was poorly sited, and as a result the attacking troops retreated to their starting positions. Another attack was planned, this time in conjunction with the
French First Army, with the objective of eliminating the entire salient south of Villers-Bretonneux. However, when the next stage of German offensive (the
Battle of Lys) started on 9 April, it drew off the British forces required to mount the attack. In addition, German attacks on 7 and 12 April had captured of the village of Hangard, and led to the abandonment of the Allied attack. However, it was decided that a small local attack would be mounted on 15 April, with the intention of capturing the cemetery and a copse north of Hangard village. One battalion – the 18th – from the 5th Brigade was to capture the copse, while the French secured the cemetery. In the end, the failure of the French attack ultimately undermined the Australian position in the copse, which eventually fell to German counterattacks (with a total of 84 casualties). The 5th Brigade returned to the Australian Corps on 19 April.
Peaceful penetration operations, 1918 As the Spring Offensive ground to a halt, the 2nd Division was relieved by the
47th Division on 2 May, and became the reserve division for the Australian Corps. After resting, the division relieved the Australian 3rd Division opposite
Morlancourt on 11 May, and continued the
peaceful penetration operations that had been started by the 3rd Division during the
Second Battle of Morlancourt. On 19 May, elements of the division (mostly from 6th Brigade) attacked the Germans on either side of the village of
Ville-sur-Ancre (an advance of approximately ). Despite coming up against fresh troops who were anticipating the attack, the Australians succeeded in capturing the village, albeit at cost of 418 casualties. Against this, the Germans suffered 800 casualties, as well as 330 prisoners and 45 machine guns. On 22 May, Major General
Charles Rosenthal, who had previously commanded the
9th Brigade, replaced Smyth as the 2nd Division commander. On 10 June, the 7th Brigade conducted an attack over a frontage between Morlancourt and
Sailly-Laurette during the
Third Battle of Morlancourt, and succeeded in advancing an average depth of , with approximately 350 casualties and the capture of 325 Germans, 30 machineguns and six trench mortars. This attack revealed the ease in which a well-planned attack could be conducted, and also revealed that there was no major offensive planned on the Amiens front. As a result of the advances by the Australian Corps in front of Morlancourt, the southern flank was exposed to artillery fire from near the village of
Hamel. In response to this and to provide support for a French attack south of Villers-Bretonneux, it was decided to attack the German salient and capture the village of Hamel as well as the Hamel and Vaire Woods. In preparation, the 2nd Division relieved the Australian 3rd Division on 28/29 June. The Australian divisions were heavily depleted, so it was decided that the upcoming
Battle of Hamel would involve units from three Australian divisions (the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Australian Divisions), with the 2nd Division temporarily placing its left brigade (the 6th) under the command of the 4th Division for the attack. The 25th Battalion, detached from the 7th Brigade, also assisted. The attack at Hamel, conducted on 4 July, was a complete success, with the battle completed in only 93 minutes. The 2nd Division troops temporarily attached to the Australian 4th Division suffered only 246 casualties (out of a total of 1,380 Australian and American casualties). The total German casualties for the battle were approximately 2,000, of which approximately 1,600 were captured), and included 177 machineguns and 32 trench mortars. The division continued peaceful penetration operations on its front and by 11 July had advanced its front line by approximately . This aided a planned offensive whose objective was to capture more of the Villers-Bretonneux plateau. The continued peaceful penetrations on the northern flank of the salient below Villers-Bretonneux caused the Germans to withdraw by , leaving only outposts and sentries behind to deceive the Allies that the front was still being held. This withdrawal meant that the Australians were able to capture Monument Farm and parts of Monument Wood. The 26th Battalion also secured a German tank (
"Mephisto"), which had been disabled on 24 April. The withdrawal also meant that the planned offensive was now superseded, as peaceful penetration had already achieved the objectives. Further patrols were conducted; this time with the objective of advancing the Australian 7th Brigade's front by , and capturing the remainder of Monument Wood and "The Mound" (spoil from a nearby railway cutting). However, this would then expose the southern flank of the division. To counter this, Rosenthal approached the French commanders with a deal: the Australians would capture the ground, which would then be defended by French units. As the Germans were now starting to dig stronger fortifications, peaceful penetration was becoming more difficult to conduct. As a result, a small-scale attack was carried out on 17 July by only two battalions – the 25th and 26th – advancing the line by with 129 casualties, and inflicting at least 303 German casualties. Due to their vulnerable southern flank, no further advances were possible until the French forces south of the 2nd Division advanced. French patrols on 18 July advanced their line, but it remained a mile behind the neighbouring 2nd Division. The peaceful penetration conducted over the previous two weeks had pushed the line forward by an average of over a frontage of , at a cost of 437 casualties, and had achieved all of the objectives set down for the offensive that was to occur after the Battle of Hamel. Between 26 July and 5 August, elements of the US 65th Infantry Brigade (from the
33rd Division) were assigned to the Australian Corps. Of these troops, two battalions of the US
129th Infantry Regiment were assigned to the 2nd Division, joining it around Villers-Bretonneux. One US company was allocated to each Australian battalion, and as some of the battalions were extremely under strength (for example, the front line strength of the 24th Battalion was only 193 men), it meant that there were equal numbers of Australians and Americans in the front line.
Hundred Days, 1918 In August, the Allies launched their own (the start of the
offensive, which ultimately ended the war. On 8 August, the 2nd Division commenced the
Battle of Amiens, attacking (with the Australian 3rd Division) from its position near Villers-Bretonneux. The 2nd Division reached its objective (the "Green Line") between 6:25 and 7 am, and started to dig in. The second wave of Australian troops (the Australian 4th and 5th Divisions) moved through the 2nd and 3rd Divisions at 8:20 am, and continued on to the "Red Line". The soldiers of the 2nd Division held their positions (one brigade in the original front line, the other two brigades on the "Green Line"), digging in until released at 11:15 to rejoin the attack. On 9–11 August, as part of the advance from Harbonnieres towards Lihons, the division continued its attack. Relieving the 5th Division, which had carried the first phase, the 5th and 7th Brigades, reinforced by the 2nd Brigade (from the 1st Division), carried the advance in the second phase. Over the course of several days,
Vauvillers,
Framerville and Rainecourt were captured at a cost of 1,295 casualties or the division. The attacks post 9 August were hastily planned, with limited knowledge of the tactical situation, and lacked co-ordination between neighbouring units and supporting artillery. While supporting tanks made up for some of this, their use was hampered by opposing artillery, resulting in a subsequent increase in casualties. Between 16 and 18 August, another peaceful penetration operation was carried out by the 6th Brigade (then the only unit of the 2nd Division on the front line) around
Herleville, culminating in an attack on 18 August to the edge of Herleville itself. By this stage the 6th Brigade had been heavily depleted – particularly from gas shelling around Villers-Bretonneux – to the extent that the 22nd Battalion's four companies were each at platoon strength; nevertheless, it attacked over a large frontage of , losing a further 117 men. The 2nd Division was relieved on 19 August by the
32nd British Division. After a short rest, the 2nd Division relieved the 1st Division on 26 August. As the
Battle of Arras was to be the main effort of the
British Expeditionary Force, General
Henry Rawlinson (4th Army commander) ordered the Australians to maintain contact with the Germans while not being too aggressive. Nevertheless, the 2nd Division kept advancing along the south bank of the
Somme River capturing various villages such as
Herbécourt,
Flaucourt,
Barleux and – despite a stiff defence –
Biaches. With German morale declining, the division was ordered to advance towards
Péronne and
Mont St. Quentin, with the intention of capturing Mont St. Quentin. The latter dominated the surrounding terrain, and was heavily fortified. (1920) The initial plan for the
Battle of Mont St. Quentin was for the 2nd Division, along with the Australian 3rd and the British 32nd Divisions, to attack to the east, and cross the Somme River near Péronne, before the 2nd Division continued on to take Mont St. Quentin. However, it was discovered that the defences along the river were too strong, and so the 2nd Division's front was taken over by the Australian 5th Division. The 2nd Division then moved north behind the Australian 3rd Division (which was to take
Cléry and continue east to protect the 2nd Division's flank), approaching Mont St. Quentin on the northern side of the Somme River, before attacking Mont St. Quentin from the west. The offensive succeeded, with the Australian 5th Brigade (consisting of 1,340 men, supported by five brigades of field artillery, and four brigades of heavy artillery) securing Mont St. Quentin on the morning of 31 August, and capturing over 700 German prisoners. The 5th Brigade was then subjected to several counterattacks. Eventually, in the afternoon of the 31st one of these succeeded in recapturing the crest, although the Australians managed to hold on to a position just below the summit. The effort to take the Mont was later described by Rawlinson as "a magnificent performance...". Mont St. Quentin was attacked a second time in the morning of 1 September, this time by the Australian 6th Brigade, with its right flank protected by the Australian 14th Brigade (5th Division) capturing part of Péronne. Attacking against troops of the
German 38th Division), the 6th Brigade succeeded in capturing Mont St. Quentin. The attack continued on 2 September, with the 7th Brigade attacking east from Mont St. Quentin, extending the Allied lines beyond the high ground while elements of the 5th Division took the remaining part of Péronne. By 4 September, the 2nd Division was relieved by the 3rd Division for the pursuit beyond Peronne. It subsequently began a rest period that lasted until late September. On 23 September, the 19th, 21st and 25th Battalions were ordered to disband to make up the strength of the other battalions in their brigades, as the division moved towards the nine battalion structure used by the British. The decision proved unpopular with the troops, who wished to maintain their battalion identities, and the soldiers refused to obey the order to disband. As a result, the units remained in existence until October, after the Australians had fought their final battles of the war. By early October, Allied forces had succeeded in capturing the main Hindenburg defences in the first part of the
Battle of St. Quentin Canal, and the supporting defences; however, this left the third line of defences, the "Beaurevoir Line". Relieving the Australian 5th Division on 1 October, the 2nd Division's was to attack, along with the Australian 1st Division and the American
27th and
30th Divisions, and breach the Beaurevoir Line, opening a gap for the cavalry to exploit. The 2nd Division attacked the Beaurevoir Line on 3 October, with two brigades (the 5th and 7th) totalling 2,500 men on an frontage of . Starting out from Estrees, the objectives called for a advance. Attacking before sunrise, the soldiers managed to capture the fortified positions at the la Motte Farm and Mushroom Quarry (at a cost of 989 casualties), but were stopped short of their final objective: the village of
Beaurevoir. Continuing the attack on 4 October, the 2nd Division approached the village of Beaurevoir, and conducted further attacks the next day to capture
Montbrehain. After much hard fighting by two battalions of the 6th Brigade (reinforced by the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, which attacked as infantry) (against the German
241st (Saxon),
24th and the
34th Divisions), the village was captured, along with nearly 400 German prisoners. This drove a mile long salient into the German lines, and was described by Charles Bean as "one of the most brilliant actions of Australian infantry in the First World War". However, this action cost the Australians an additional 430 casualties. The 2nd Division was relieved by the US 30th Division on the evening of 5 October, with the intention of allowing it to rest until the start of the campaigning season in 1919; however, as the Armistice was signed in November 1918, the 2nd Division was the last Australian division to see combat in World War I. With the end of the war, Australian forces were not involved in occupation duties, and were quickly disbanded, and the soldiers transported back to Australia. As a result, the 2nd Division merged with the Australian 5th Division in March 1919 (as a single division of four brigades). Throughout the war, the division lost over 12,000 killed in action or died of wounds or other causes, and nearly 38,000 wounded, while 13 members of the division received the Victoria Cross. ==Inter-war years and World War II==