2nd Division (Australia)


The 2nd Division is a Reserve division that is headquartered in Randwick Barracks, Sydney. The primary role of the Division is homeland defence. Its formations are geographically dispersed across Australia and include the 4th Brigade in Victoria and Tasmania, the 5th Brigade in New South Wales, the 9th Brigade in South Australia, the 11th Brigade in Queensland and the 13th Brigade in Western Australia. The Division also commands the Regional Force Surveillance Group that provides remote-area, land and littoral surveillance and reconnaissance capability in Australia’s North and North-West.
The division was first formed in Egypt in July 1915 during World War I as part of the First Australian Imperial Force. The division took part in the Gallipoli campaign, arriving in the latter stages and then traversed to the Western Front in France and Belgium where it had the distinction of taking part in the final ground action fought by Australian troops in the war. After the war ended and the AIF was demobilised, the 2nd Division name was revived and assigned to a Citizens Military Forces unit in 1921.
During the inter-war years, the division was based in New South Wales with its headquarters Parramatta. During World War II, the 2nd Division undertook defensive duties on the east coast until mid-1942 when it was sent to Western Australia. In May 1944, the division was disbanded as the war situation no longer required large numbers of garrison troops to be held back in Australia. Post war, the division was re-raised in 1948, and except for a period from 1960 to 1965, the division has existed in one form or another since then.

World War I

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 - that had been raised independently in Australia, and sent to Egypt for further training. Initially, it was intended that the division's commander would be James McCay, but he was wounded on 11 July, and repatriated back to Australia after the death of both his wife and father. As a result, the command of the division went to Lieutenant-General Gordon Legge.
Due to the pressing need for more soldiers for the Gallipoli campaign, parts of the 2nd Division was sent to Anzac Cove in mid-August 1915, despite the fact that the division was only partially trained. There, they reinforced the 1st Division and the New Zealand and Australian Division. The rest of the division arrived by early September. The 2nd Division held a quiet stretch of the original line, and only a part of the division saw serious fighting during around Hill 60 on 22 August. The 2nd Division was evacuated from the peninsula in December, returning to Egypt, where it completed its training and formation while the 1st Division was split and used to raise two new divisions as the AIF was expanded prior to its departure to Europe to fight on the Western Front. A pioneer battalion, designated the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, was added to the division at this time.

Somme, 1916

The 2nd Division started to arrive in France in March 1916. In April, it was sent to a quiet sector south of Armentières to acclimatise to the Western Front conditions. In mid-July, with the British offensive on the Somme dragging on, I Anzac Corps was sent to join the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough who intended to use the Australian divisions to take the village of Pozières. Due to the casualties sustained by the Australian 1st Division's attack at Pozières on 23 July, it was replaced by the 2nd Division on 27 July. Continuing the effort started by the 1st Division, the 2nd Division attacked on 29 July. However, due to the hurried preparation, the troops forming up for the attack were detected and the supporting artillery proved inadequate, leaving large segments of wire in front of the German position intact. The division sustained approximately 3,500 casualties for little gain.
After several days of disrupted preparations, the 2nd Division attacked again in the evening of 4 August, capturing the OG2 trench line and part of the crest. Alarmed by the loss of the defences, the Germans initiated a counter-attack the following day, which the Australians repulsed. This was followed by a severe, sustained artillery bombardment that inflicted heavy casualties. The position of the Australian salient meant that the soldiers received artillery fire from the front, flank and rear – including from German batteries near Thiepval. After 12 days on the front line and sustaining 6,846 casualties, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 4th Division on 6 August.
After a brief rest, the 2nd Division again relieved the Australian 1st Division from its position beyond Pozières on 22 August. Attacking on 26 August, the 2nd Division succeeded in penetrating past the fortifications at Mouquet Farm only to be attacked from the rear as troops from the German Guards Reserve Corps emerged from the fortified underground positions at Mouquet Farm. These counterattacks succeeded in forcing the 2nd Division back from Mouquet Farm. After sustaining another 1,268 casualties, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 4th Division on 26 August.
On 5 September, I Anzac was withdrawn from the Somme and sent to Ypres for rest. The division anticipated spending winter in Flanders. Throughout early October, the division undertook a number of minor raids in the sector, but in the middle of the month it was relieved by the British 21st Division and was recalled to the Somme for the final stages of the British offensive. This time they joined the British Fourth Army, holding a sector south of Pozières near the village of Flers. Despite heavy mud, the Australians were required to mount a number of attacks around Gueudecourt, with a brigade from the 2nd Division and a brigade from the 1st Division. On 5 November, the 7th Brigade attacking the German series of trenches called "The Maze". While part of the German trenches were captured and held, the exhausted soldiers were ejected from their gains a few days later. Two battalions of the 7th Brigade, along with two battalions from the 5th, attacked again on 14 November, but they were only partially successful in capturing parts of the "Gird" and "Gird Support" trenches immediately to the north of "The Maze". However, a German counterattack on 16 November succeeded in recapturing all of the trenches captured by the 2nd Division, which had sustained 1,720 casualties in the two attacks.

German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, 1917

In January 1917, Legge fell ill and was replaced by Major-General Nevill Maskelyne Smyth VC who had formerly commanded the Australian 1st Brigade since during the Gallipoli campaign. Legge returned to Australia to take up the post of Inspector General. However, until Smyth was available, the division was temporarily commanded by the 6th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General John Gellibrand. 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, 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, 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, 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, part of it fell on the 17th Battalion, 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 and 3rd Brigade managed to drive off the attacking Germans, and re-establish the original front line. During this battle, the 2nd Division experienced 305 casualties.
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.