Royal Australian Regiment


The Royal Australian Regiment is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a three battalion regiment; however, since then its size has fluctuated as battalions have been raised, amalgamated or disbanded in accordance with the Australian government's strategic requirements. Currently, the regiment consists of seven battalions and has fulfilled various roles including those of light, parachute, motorised and mechanised infantry. Throughout its existence, units of the Royal Australian Regiment have deployed on operations in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Somalia, Rwanda, Cambodia, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Organisation

The Royal Australian Regiment is part of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, along with the six state-based infantry regiments of the Australian Army Reserve. It is the most senior of the corps' regiments in the order of precedence, and currently consists of seven Regular Army infantry battalions:
The battalions of the regiment are capable of providing seven of the ten regular battlegroups that the Australian Army has available for deployment. The current order of battle sees 5/7 RAR as part of the 1st Brigade based in Darwin; 1 and 3 RAR as part of the 3rd Brigade in Townsville, and 6 and 8/9 RAR as part of the 7th Brigade in Brisbane. 2 RAR in Townsville reports directly to 1st Division Headquarters.

Former battalions

Formation, 1948

The origins of the Royal Australian Regiment lie in the decision made by the Australian government to raise a force for occupation duties in Japan at the end of the Second World War. The 34th Australian Infantry Brigade was raised in October 1945 from Second Australian Imperial Force personnel then serving in the South West Pacific Area, with the three battalions of the brigade designated as the 65th, 66th and 67th Australian Infantry Battalions of the AIF. The 65th Battalion was formed from volunteers from the 7th Division and the 2/40th Battalion. The 66th Battalion received volunteers from the 9th Division and 1st Australian Corps troops. The 67th Battalion was formed from the 3rd, 6th, and 11th Divisions. After concentrating on the island of Morotai, the 34th Brigade moved to Japan and joined the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in February 1946.
The 34th Brigade became the basis of the post-war Regular Army in 1947, and when the decision was taken in 1948 to withdraw two of the battalions to Australia, attention turned to the status and designation of these units. Brigadier Ronald Hopkins, commander of the brigade, was concerned that despite the unit prestige and regimental spirit developed since October 1945, it would be undesirable to have the regular units the highest numbered, without battle honours or colours, and with precedence after Militia units. Consideration was given to whether the battalions might be designated as separate regiments. For example, the 65th Battalion might have become the 1st Infantry Battalion, City of Sydney's Own Regiment under one proposal or the 1st Battalion, King George VI's Australian Rifle Regiment under another. Instead, the decision was taken to number the units sequentially as part of one large regiment and so on 23 November 1948 the 65th, 66th and 67th Battalions became the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Australian Regiment. An application was made for a royal title, which was granted on 10 March 1949. The Royal Australian Regiment thus came into being as Australia's first regiment of regular infantry. Since formation the battalions of the regiment have competed against each other in an annual military skills competition known as the Gloucester Cup.

Early years: Japan and Australia, 1948–1950

The formation of the regiment following the end of the Second World War was fundamentally important to the post-war Australian Army, forming a key component of the first "permanent, professional army, available in peace and war for any task the government might direct". Prior to this time the Australian Army had been substantially a part-time militia with a permanent cadre. A major influence in the raising of the regiment was Australia's desire to secure a prominent role in the occupation of Japan and the eventual peace settlement. After some delays the 65th, 66th and 67th Battalions arrived in Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture in February 1946. Subsequent employment "involved activities designed to reinforce upon the Japanese the lesson of their defeat", in addition to guard duty, patrolling and training. In December 1948 the Australian component of the BCOF was reduced from a brigade to one understrength battalion, with the 1st and 2nd Battalions returning to Australia, while the 3rd Battalion remained in Japan.
On return to Australia the 34th Brigade became the 1st Brigade. The 1st Battalion was subsequently based in Ingleburn, New South Wales, and the 2nd Battalion at Puckapunyal, Victoria. Both units were significantly understrength as many men discharged on returning to Australia, while others elected to remain in Japan with the 3rd Battalion. Alan Morrison, a former member of the regiment, later recalled that for the two battalions that returned to Australia "...the first eighteen months of the regiment's existence were harrowing times". Many men discharged due to frustration and discontent, while the battalions were not strong enough to undertake meaningful training activities and their barracks were in a state of disrepair. Yet from this experience came the core "...of dedicated soldiers destined to be the non-commissioned officers of the regiment in the Korean War and the outstanding warrant officers and sergeants of the battalions that served in Malaya and in the early part of the Vietnam campaign".
The regiment has provided units and individuals for virtually all Australian Army deployments and operations since its formation. The first period of sustained operational service began with the regiment's first deployment in Korea in 1950 and continued until the withdrawal of combat units from Vietnam in 1972. These 22 years were arguably the most significant for the regiment with between one and three battalions involved in combat operations in South-East Asia at any one time. A second lengthy period of operational service commenced with the intervention in East Timor in 1999, which became the first of many commitments for the regiment that have continued to the present day. Approximately 85,000 personnel have served in the RAR during this time, with casualties sustained by the regiment on operations including 693 killed and over 3,000 wounded.

Korean War, 1950–1953

The Korean War was the first major test of the regiment. Following preparations in Japan, 3 RAR arrived in Pusan on 28 September 1950 and was attached to the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade. The initial invasion of South Korea by the North Korean People's Army had been broken by General Douglas MacArthur's amphibious landing at Inchon, and so, in what was a complicated war of manoeuvre, 3 RAR was involved in the pursuit of the NKPA back across the 38th parallel. On 21 October 1950, 3 RAR took part in the Battle of Yongyu in an apple orchard north of Pyongyang, the first large-scale engagement fought by a battalion of the regiment. The farthest north 3 RAR would advance into North Korea was the Pakchon–Chongju area following the Battle of Chongju, and it was near here that Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Green, the battalion's commanding officer, was mortally wounded on 30 October 1950. By November 1950, following the Chinese intervention, 3 RAR was withdrawing south along with the rest of the allied Eighth Army, fighting the Battle of Pakchon. However, following a UN counteroffensive a defensive line was established about north of Seoul and it was here in April 1951 that 3 RAR, along with the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and supporting UN forces, fought a successful defensive action at the Battle of Kapyong. This battle proved to be the climactic point of the regiment's first year in Korea.
By June 1951, 3 RAR moved to a position on the Imjin River under the command of the US I Corps and it was here that the battalion would spend the next two years of the war. The major action fought by the regiment in the second half of 1951 was the Battle of Maryang San, where 3 RAR, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Hassett, assaulted Hill 317 on 5 October 1951. Known as Operation Commando, Hill 317 was captured after five days of hard fighting. Following this action the war was defined by fixed defences of trenches, bunkers and wire, constant patrolling, and numerous clashes. In April 1952, 3 RAR was joined by 1 RAR and command of the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade, of which they were now a part, passed to an Australian officer as a result. Meanwhile, the expansion of the commitment in Korea to two battalions resulted in the establishment of a regimental depot at Ingleburn in 1952 to train and hold infantrymen for service in Korea. In April 1953, 1 RAR was replaced by 2 RAR on a system of unit rotation. During this changeover a parade was held to mark the first occasion that all battalions of the regiment had been on parade together. 1 RAR served a year in Korea, 2 RAR for four months before the armistice, while 3 RAR served throughout the war, earning itself the nickname of "Old Faithful". The last major action of the war for the regiment was the Battle of the Samichon River fought by 2 RAR over 24–26 July 1953, repulsing a number of major Chinese assaults just hours before the Armistice Agreement was signed.
Following the armistice both sides withdrew and a demilitarised zone was created. The period that followed proved uneventful, yet the UN forces were required to maintain combat readiness and the ability to react quickly in case the North Koreans violated the ceasefire. In April 1954, 2 RAR returned to Australia and was replaced by 1 RAR which remained in South Korea until March 1956. 3 RAR finally returned to Australia in September 1954 after four years of continuous service in Korea and five years before that in Japan. Total Army casualties in Korea included 293 killed, 1,210 wounded and 23 captured, the majority being infantrymen of the Royal Australian Regiment. The fighting in Korea provided the regiment with valuable combat experience, establishing a foundation for its further development and marking the emergence of the Australian Regular Army. The Korean War remains the only large-scale, conventional war that the regiment has fought. During this time the Army developed the capability to maintain two battalions on major operations at the same time.