Australian Army War Establishments

[Force Development]

I am trying to find information on World War Two Australian War Establishments for a research paper. I already have the Australian Infantry Battalion War Establishments (well Tropical anyway) from Gary Kennedy's excellent site, but I am still looking for War Establishments late 1944 or 1945 (the later the better), as follows:

- Organization of an Australian Infantry Brigade- Tropical and Standard;
- Australian Infantry Brigade HQ- Tropical and Standard;
- Australian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon- Tropical and Standard;
- Australian Infantry Battalion- Standard;
- Are there any other permanent elements of the Australian Infantry Brigade I have not mentioned?
- Australian Infantry HQ- Tropical and Standard.

The above information seems to be very difficult to find- short of flying to Australia and visiting the Australian War Memorial (a great trip I am sure)!

If anyone is looking for info on Cdn World War Two War Establishments, I will be visiting the Directorate of Heritage and History (DHH- part of the Department of National Defence) in Ottawa next week (26 and 27 Feb), let me know and I will try and get the info for you. Thanking you in advance for any help. Cheers!


Scott

[Leo Niehorster]

Hi,
Always interested in WWII organizations, especially ones seldom seen like the Canadian ones. So, if you stumble across anything, think of me.

Cheers
Leo

[Gary Kennedy]

I am trying to find information on World War Two Australian War Establishments for a research paper. I already have the Australian Infantry Battalion War Establishments (well Tropical anyway) from Gary Kennedy's excellent site, but I am still looking for War Establishments late 1944 or 1945 (the later the better), as follows:

- Organization of an Australian Infantry Brigade- Tropical and Standard;
- Australian Infantry Brigade HQ- Tropical and Standard;
- Australian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon- Tropical and Standard;
- Australian Infantry Battalion- Standard;
- Are there any other permanent elements of the Australian Infantry Brigade I have not mentioned?
- Australian Infantry HQ- Tropical and Standard.

The above information seems to be very difficult to find- short of flying to Australia and visiting the Australian War Memorial (a great trip I am sure)!

If anyone is looking for info on Cdn World War Two War Establishments, I will be visiting the Directorate of Heritage and History (DHH- part of the Department of National Defence) in Ottawa next week (26 and 27 Feb), let me know and I will try and get the info for you. Thanking you in advance for any help. Cheers!


Scott

That's quite a shopping list, looks like one of mine!

All my Aus/NZEF was donated by kind souls in the Southern Hemisphere, and I was never able to find track anything down myself. The AWM (Australian War Memorial) has WEs, but I don't know how they're stored or indexed. The units you've listed look like the main components based on the usual Br/CW approach. There would be a Bde Sec from Div Sigs and a Field Ambulance, and possibly an LAD for maintenance, on the usual scales.

May be try dropping Tony Chadwick a line over at www.warestablishments.net who is in Aus and found loads of stuff that evaded me. He doesn't have any of the items you were after other than the Inf Bn (Trop), but that might just mean he never got round to putting them up. Also have a look at the AWM site, I think they have bit more detail on the Trop Div.

Gary

[Force Development]

Thanks for your replies. I have looked at Chadwick's site, but did not consider the posibility that he may have info that is not posted. I have also visited the AWM site. Their info is, of course, not digitized, so one has to order hard copies through the mail, which I understand can take 3-4 months! If Chadwicck does not have anything, then that is the way I may have to go.

Gary- I found your books on British War Establishments very useful by the way. I have three or four of your volumes on the way through the mail from the UK as we speak! Unfortunately Volume 1 on the Infantry Division is no longer in print, although I did manage to find a copy through inter-library loan. Cheers.

Scott