2/7th Battalion (Australia)

2/7th Battalion
Members of the 2/7th Battalion with a Bren Carrier in October 1940
Active	25 October 1939 – February 1946
Country	Australia
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~800–900 officers and men[Note 1]
Part of	17th Brigade, 6th Division
Colours	Brown over Red
Engagements	World War II North African campaign Greece Crete Syrian campaign New Guinea campaign Aitape–Wewak campaign
Insignia
Unit Colour Patch

The 2/7th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army raised for service during the Second World War. Formed shortly after the outbreak of the war as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force, the 2/7th Battalion's initial personnel were recruited primarily from the state of Victoria, although later reinforcements were drawn from most other Australian states. After basic training was completed in Australia, the battalion embarked for the Middle East where it later went into action against the Italians in January 1941, successfully capturing Bardia and Tobruk before being committed to the disastrous Battles of Greece and Crete where the battalion was essentially destroyed after the majority of its personnel were captured. Rebuilt, the 2/7th undertook garrison duties in Syria and then Ceylon before taking part in the fighting against the Japanese in the Salamaua–Lae campaign in 1943. The battalion's final campaign was fought in the Aitape–Wewak area of New Guinea in 1944–45 during which they were used mainly in a mopping-up role. The battalion was disbanded in Australia in early 1946.

History

Formation and training

The 2/7th Battalion^{[Note 2]} was raised on 25 October 1939 at Puckapunyal, Victoria, as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force that was raised for service during the Second World War. Consisting of four rifle companies – designated 'A' to 'D' – under a headquarters company and a battalion headquarters, like other 2nd AIF infantry battalions raised at the time, the battalion had an authorised strength of around 900 personnel.^[1] The colours chosen for the battalion's Unit Colour Patch (UCP) were the same as those of the 7th Battalion, which had been raised for service during World War I as part of the First Australian Imperial Force, and had subsequently been re-raised as Militia battalion. These colours were brown over red, in a horizontal rectangular shape, although a border of grey was added to the UCP to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart.^[3] Attached to the 17th Brigade, the second brigade of the 6th Division, recruits were drawn from several areas in Victoria including rural areas around Mildura, Robinvale, Sale, and Maffra, and metropolitan Melbourne.^{[Note 3]} These included a mix of former Militia soldiers and those who had no previous military experience.^[5] After concentrating, the battalion undertook training at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and Puckapunyal before departing for the Middle East in mid-April 1940,^[6] aboard the troopship Strathallan. The battalion's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Walker, a former Militia officer who had previously commanded the 24th/39th Battalion.^[7][8]

Service in the Middle East, Greece and Crete

Troops from the 2/7th march to the rifle range at Puckapunyal, February 1940

Reaching their destination in May 1940, the battalion joined the 17th Brigade's two other infantry battalions – the 2/5th and 2/6th – at Beit Jirja, in the Julius–Gaza area.^[9] From there, they engaged in further training in Palestine and Egypt until the Australians went into battle for the first time in early January 1941 as the British went on the offensive against the Italians in North Africa. The Victorians subsequently saw action at Bardia, where it formed the divisional reserve in the initial phase before attacking south through the gap established by the 2/5th towards the railway switchline,^[10] and Tobruk, where they attacked the eastern sector.^[11] Later, they undertook garrison duties in Libya, establishing themselves around Marsa Brega.^[6]

Following this, the battalion was committed to the fighting in Greece in early April. Landing at Athens, and moving to Larisa by train, the battalion established themselves around Thessaly, but their involvement in the fighting was short lived as the Germans advanced quickly against the hastily established Allied defensive positions, forcing the British and Commonwealth troops to hastily withdraw. Embarking from Kalamata upon the transport Costa Rica on 26 April, the battalion endured heavy air attack as the Germans heavily attacked the ship, subsequently forcing it to be abandoned.^[12] The men from the 2/7th were taken off the stricken ship and transferred to several Royal Navy destroyers, and hastily landed on the island of Crete, where an Axis invasion was expected imminently.^[6] Missing most of their equipment, which had been lost on the Costa Rica, the battalion was re-armed with weapons re-allocated from two Australian artillery regiments.^[13]

Following the German airborne assault on 20 May, the 2/7th became heavily engaged fighting German parachute troops around Canea. It then undertook a local counter-attack at 42nd Street during which the 2/7th launched a ferocious bayonet charge in concert with the New Zealand Maori Battalion that resulted in heavy German casualties.^[14] The 2/7th later covered the withdrawal to Sphakia where the Royal Navy attempted to evacuate the garrison by the sea. As Allied naval losses mounted the operation was called off before the 2/7th could embark.^[15][16] Around 430 personnel from the battalion were subsequently taken prisoner. In addition, 27 men were killed and 60 were wounded.^[17][6] Several 2/7th soldiers later escaped captivity, with one – John Peck – becoming part of a Special Operations Executive team responsible for helping Allied prisoners of war escape.^[18] The battalion's commanding officer, Walker, was one of those captured, giving up his position on one of the last evacuation ships when it became apparent that the rest of the battalion would not have time to get clear.^[8]

Troops from the 2/7th Battalion, including then Sergeant Reg Saunders, who was later the first Australian Aboriginal commissioned into the Australian Army,^[19] at Innisfail, waiting for the south-bound leave train to depart, October 1943.

Rather than disband the unit, though, the decision was made to rebuilt it from a small cadre of personnel who had not been sent to Crete – about 50 men^[20] – along with a large number of reinforcements, and the 16 personnel who had escaped Crete.^[21] This was subsequently undertaken in Palestine under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Guinn,^[22] before the 2/7th was sent to Syria to undertake occupation duties as part of the garrison that had been established there following the conclusion of the Syria–Lebanon campaign.^[6]

Fighting in New Guinea

In early 1942, the Australian government requested the return of the 6th Division following Japan's entry into the war and the battalion embarked for Australia aboard the troopship HMT Westernland.^[23] En route they were diverted to Ceylon where they undertook defensive duties as part of an Australian force made up of the 16th and 17th Brigades to defend against the threat of a Japanese invasion.^[6] Returning to Australia in August 1942 on board MV Athlone Castle,^[24] the 2/7th spent a period of time preparing to fight the Japanese in New Guinea before being committed to the fighting around Wau in January 1943 as the Australians began limited offensive operations in New Guinea following the Japanese defeat in the Kokoda Track campaign and around Buna–Gona.^[25] They subsequently took part in a series of battles as the Australians advanced on Salamaua, with significant actions being fought around Mubo and Bobdubi.^[26]

They returned to Australia in early October 1943 and concentrated on the Atherton Tablelands during which time the units of the 6th Division were converted to the jungle divisional establishment.^[27] A long period of training followed during which the battalion was reorganised to conform to the new divisional establishment, with an authorised strength of around 800 personnel; however, for much of late 1943 and early 1944 the 2/7th was well below this due to recurring diseases, such as malaria amongst personnel who had returned from New Guinea.^[28] Nevertheless, the battalion was rebuilt over time and subsequently did not see further action until late in the war when the 6th Division was committed to the Aitape–Wewak campaign. At the start of the new campaign, Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Parbury took command of the battalion, which deployed aboard the US transport ship Mexico.^[29]

Essentially a mopping up operation, the Aitape–Wewak campaign saw the Australians take over from US troops that had sought to maintain a base around Tadji airfield at Aitape, in order to release these troops for operations in the Philippines. After establishing themselves, the Australians advanced through the Torricelli and Prince Alexander Ranges, engaging in a series of small unit actions against the Japanese who were occupying the hinterland. During these operations the battalion was involved in capturing Maprik after the 17th Brigade was relieved from defensive duties around Tadji.^[6][30] Later, they continued the advance east towards Yamil before being withdrawn back to Aitape in early June 1945 following an attack around a position dubbed "Lone Tree Hill".^[31] In mid-July, the battalion resumed operations, advancing towards the airfield at Kairivu^[32] and by the end of the campaign in mid-August, the battalion's battle casualties totalled 129 battle casualties.^[33]

The troops of the 2/7th gave themselves the nickname "Mud over Blood",^[34] in reference to the brown over red of their insignia. After the end of the war, the battalion embarked to return to Australia on 18 December 1945 and disbanded at Puckapunyal in February 1946.^[6] For most of the war, the battalion's commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Henry Guinn,^[35] who led the 2/7th from its escape from Greece to the Pacific theatre. During the war the battalion suffered 699 casualties, of which 226 were killed.^[6] Members of the battalion received the following decorations: six Distinguished Service Orders, 11 Military Crosses, five Distinguished Conduct Medals, 26 Military Medals, and 60 Mentions in Dispatches. In addition, two personnel were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire.^[6]

Battle honours

The 2/7th Battalion received the following battle honours:^[6]

• North Africa, Bardia 1941, Capture of Tobruk, Greece 1941, Middle East 1941–1944, Crete, Canea, 42nd Street, Withdrawal to Sphakia, South-West Pacific 1942–1945, Wau, Mubo I, Bobdubi II, Komiatum, Liberation of Australian New Guinea, Maprik, Yamil–Ulupu, Kaboibus–Kiarivu.

In 1961–62, these battle honours were entrusted to the 7th Battalion, and through this link are maintained by the 8th/7th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment.^[36]

Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 2/7th Battalion:^[35]

• Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Gordon Walker (1939–41);
• Lieutenant Colonel Henry George Guinn (1941–44); and
• Lieutenant Colonel Philip Kingsmill Parbury (1944–45).

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

• Bolger, W.P.; Littlewood, J. G. (1983). The Fiery Phoenix: The Story of the 2/7 Australian Infantry Battalion 1939–1946. Parkdale, Victoria: 2/7th Battalion Association. ISBN 0-959-33570-6. 
• Bradley, Phillip (2008). The Battle for Wau: New Guinea's Frontline 1942–1943. Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89681-8. 
• Clark, Alan (2000) [1962]. The Fall of Crete. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35226-8. 
• Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1998). The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles. Sydney, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-611-2. 
• Dexter, David (1961). The New Guinea Offensives. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. VI. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 2028994. 
• Festberg, Alfred (1972). The Lineage of the Australian Army. Melbourne, Victoria: Allara Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85887-024-6. 
• Johnston, Mark (2008). The Proud 6th: An Illustrated History of the 6th Australian Division 1939–1945. Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-51411-8. 
• Keogh, Eustace (1965). South West Pacific 1941–45. Melbourne, Victoria: Grayflower Publications. OCLC 7185705. 
• Long, Gavin (1952). To Benghazi. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. I (1st ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 18400892. 
• Long, Gavin (1953). Greece, Crete and Syria. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. II. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. ISBN 0-00-217489-8. 
• Long, Gavin (1963). The Final Campaigns. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. VII. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 1297619. 
• Moorehead, Alan (2009) [1944]. The Desert War: The North Africa Campaign 1940–43. Camberwell, Victoria: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-301197-2. 
• O'Brien, Michael (2002). "Walker, Theodore Gordon (1900–1971)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 16. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 5 March 2016. 
• Palazzo, Albert (2004). "Organising for Jungle Warfare". In Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey. The Foundations of Victory: The Pacific War 1943–1944. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Army History Unit. pp. 86–101. ISBN 978-0-646-43590-9. 
• Thompson, Peter (2010). Anzac Fury: The Bloody Battle of Crete 1941. North Sydney, New South Wales: William Heinemann. ISBN 978-1-86471-131-8.