12th Brigade (Australia)

Formation of the Australian Army 12th Infantry Brigade Battle of the hindenburg line.jpg 250 Members of the 45th Battalion at the Battle of the Hindenburg Line 1912–19191921–1945 Australia 23px Australian Army Infantry Brigade 4th Division Northern Territory Force First World War Western Front Second World War Brigadier Eric VowlesBrigadier Robert Winninghttp://www.ordersofbattle.com/Units/UnitAppointments?UniX=6233 12 Infantry Brigade appointments Order of Battle 2 February 2014 75px Unit colour patch The 12th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army. Formed in 1912 as a Militia formation, it was later re-raised in 1916 as part of the all volunteer First Australian Imperial Force that was raised for overseas service during the First World War. The brigade was part of the 4th Division and fought on the Western Front until the end of the war in November 1918. During the inter-war years, the brigade was re-formed in Australia as a part-time unit; during the Second World War, it was mobilised for full-time service, but did not serve overseas, undertaking garrison duties in Australia until 1945 when it was used to raise Timor Force. History The 12th Brigade traces its origins to 1912, when it was formed as a Militia brigade as part of the introduction of the compulsory training scheme, assigned to the 3rd Military District. At this time, the brigade's constituent units were located at various locations throughout Victoria, including Oakleigh, Sale, Caulfield, Balaclava, Brighton, Toorak, Armadale, Auburn and Camberwell.Australian Military Forces 1912 22 During World War I, the 12th Brigade was re-raised in early 1916 as part of the expansion of the all volunteer First Australian Imperial Force. The brigade was formed in Egypt from a cadre of experienced personnel who had served during the Gallipoli Campaign as part of the 4th Brigade.Bean 1941 42 Attached to the 4th Division and consisting of four infantry battalions—the 45th, 46th, 47th and 48th Battalionshttp://www.awm.gov.au/units/ww1.asp Australian Military Units: First World War Australian War Memorial 19 June 2010—it served in the trenches of the Western Front from June 1916 onwards. During this time, the brigade fought in several significant battles including the Battle of Pozières, the First Battle of Bullecourt, the Battle of Messines, the Battle of Passchendaele, and the German spring offensive. http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11232.asp 45th Battalion First World War, 1914–1918 units Australian War Memorial 30 January 2011 During the German spring offensive, the brigade fought a defensive action around Dernancourt.Bean 1937 153–174 In May 1918, the brigade was one of three that was selected to disband one of its battalions in order to provide reinforcements to other units in the Australian Corps and it was at this time that the 47th Battalion was disbanded.Grey 2008 111http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11234.asp 47th Battalion Australian War Memorial 12 June 2010 The 12th Brigade's remaining battalions continued to fight after this, taking part in the final Allied offensive of the war, the Hundred Days Offensive, which was launched around Amiens in August and followed by a series of advances as the Allies broke through the Hindenburg Line. Following the end of hostilities, the brigade was disbanded in early 1919 as part of the demobilisation of the AIF. In 1921, the Australian government decided to reorganise the nation's part-time military forces in order to replicate the numerical designations and structure of the AIF.Grey 2008 125 As a result, the 12th Brigade was re-raised at this time as part of the 6th Military District in Tasmania as a unit of the Citizens Force. Headquartered Hobart, the brigade consisted of the 12th, 40th, 51st, and 52nd Infantry Battalions, and the 22nd Light Horse Regiment. In 1924, the 12th Brigade was reorganised as the 12th Mixed Brigade,http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/infantry.htm Australian Infantry Unit Colour Patches 1921–1949 Digger History 2 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20070712164357/http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/infantry.htm 12 July 2007 consisting of several infantry, artillery, engineer and light horse units. However, by 1928, the brigade consisted of only two infantry battalions: the 12th and 40th.Palazzo 2001 102 Initially, the Citizens Forces units were maintained by a mixture of voluntary and compulsory service, but in 1929, the compulsory training scheme was suspended and the Citizens Force was re-formed as the "Militia", staffed on an all volunteer basis.Palazzo 2001 110 Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the brigade was stationed in Tasmania, where it served in a garrison role. At this time it consisted of two infantry battalions, an artillery regiment, an engineer field company and a light horse regiment. The brigade was mobilised for full time defensive service in December 1941, and was initially assigned to the defence of Hobart. By early 1943, the threat of invasion in the area had passed and the brigade was transferred to Yorkforce around Townsville, Queensland.McKenzie-Smith 2018 2074 The brigade was assigned to the 4th Division between April and June 1943, and then assigned to the Northern Territory Force, where it replaced the 23rd Brigade and served in a defensive capacity around Darwin.McKenzie-Smith 2018 2040Order of Battle 30 October 2009 12 Infantry Brigade http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=6233&Tab=Sup https://web.archive.org/web/20120225215922/http://www.ordersofbattle.com/Units/UnitData?UniX=6233&Tab=Sup 25 February 2012 During this time the brigade's establishment was reduced from four battalions to three; however, the brigade's establishment changed a number of times. The following units were attached to the brigade at various times during the war: 22nd Light Horse, 40th Battalion, 12th/50th Battalion, 22nd Motor Regiment, 36th Battalion, 55th/53rd Battalion, 38th Battalion, 10th/48th Battalion, 12th/40th Battalion.Order of Battle 30 October 2009 12 Infantry Brigade units http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=6233&Tab=Sub https://web.archive.org/web/20120225215923/http://www.ordersofbattle.com/Units/UnitData?UniX=6233&Tab=Sub 25 February 2012 As the war progressed, the size of the Darwin garrison was greatly reduced as other formations were disbanded or transferred to take part in combat operations in the Pacific. At war's end in August 1945, the 12th Brigade was used to form Timor Force, accepting the Japanese surrender.McKenzie-Smith 2018 2040 See also List of Australian Army brigades Notes 2 References 1912 The Military Forces List of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1 January 1912 Government Printer Melbourne, Victoria 221429471 CITEREFAustralian_Military_Forces1912 Bean Charles Charles Bean The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916 Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 III 12th 1941 Australian War Memorial Canberra, Australian Capital Territory https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1069752/ 220623454 Bean Charles The Australian Imperial Force in France, during the Main German Offensive, 1918 1937 Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 V 1st Sydney, New South Wales Angus & Robertson 17648469 Grey Jeffrey Jeffrey Grey A Military History of Australia 3rd Cambridge University Press Melbourne 2008 978-0-521-69791-0 McKenzie-Smith Graham Graham McKenzie-Smith 2018 The Unit Guide: The Australian Army 1939–1945, Volume 2 Big Sky Publishing Warriewood, New South Wales 978-1-925675-146 Palazzo Albert The Australian Army: A History of its Organisation 1901–2001 Oxford University Press Melbourne 2001 978-0-19-551506-0 June 2017 Category:Brigades of Australia Category:Military units and formations established in 1912 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Category:1945 disestablishments in Australia Category:1912 establishments in Australia Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Category:Military units and formations established in 1921