The Australian Infantry Battalion, 1942
The below organisation was notified in December 1941, and was based on the Higher Establishment table issued by the British Army earlier that year, which is detailed on The British Infantry Battalion 1941 to 1942 page.
The Infantry Battalion, circa 1942
Battalion Headquarters (6 Officers, 52 men)
Headquarter Company (9 Officers, 277 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 14 men)
Signal Platoon (1 Officer, 33 men)
Anti-aircraft Platoon (1 Officer, 16 men)
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 41 men)
Carrier Platoon (2 Officers, 60 men)
Pioneer Platoon (1 Officer, 21 men)
Administrative Platoon (2 Officers, 92 men)
Four Rifle Companies (5 Officers, 124 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 10 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 5 men)
Three Sections, each comprised of 11 men
Total strength of 860 all ranks (35 Officers and 825 men)
Points of note
The Australian Infantry Battalion on this higher establishment was larger than its British counterpart, but in firepower terms it had the same numbers of Bren guns, anti-tank rifles and mortars.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters - the Battalion was commanded by a Lieutenant-colonel, with a Major as second-in-command. The Australian Army Medical Corps provided not only the usual Medical Officer, but also a Sergeant, two orderlies and even a chiropodist. The Chaplain and batman-driver usually carried on the strength of Brigade Headquarters were included in the Battalion HQ.
Signal Platoon - maintained radio, wire and telephone communications between the Battalion and higher and parallel formations.
Anti-aircraft Platoon - had six 15-cwt trucks, four of which were each armed with twin Bren light machine guns and an anti-tank rifle. The remaining two vehicles carried spare crews.
Mortar Platoon - the Platoon served six 3-inch weapons, each transported on a modified Universal carrier. The mortars were paired into three Section, each with its own 15-cwt truck for ammunition. Platoon HQ added a seventh carrier for the commander, and a further 15-cwt truck, plus motorcycles.
Carrier Platoon - the Carrier Platoon contained four Sections, each of three carriers, plus one at Platoon HQ for a total of thirteen. Each Carrier was crewed by three men, an NCO, a driver-mechanic and a rifleman, with each carrier mounting a Bren gun, and each Section having both a 2-inch mortar and a Boys anti-tank rifle.
Additional to the carriers was a Motorcycle Section of twenty men, with eight solo machines and four combinations, the latter each carrying three men. It seems likely this element was only deployed by units serving at home, as was the case in the British version.
Pioneer Platoon - included 10 pioneers, plus tradesmen such as a blacksmith, bricklayer and carpenters. A 3-ton lorry was provided to transport stores.
Administrative Platoon - provided the bulk of the Battalion motor pool. The Australians also continued the somewhat confusing pre-war British practice of counting all the drivers of the trucks and lorries allocated to the other subunits of the Battalion within the Admin Platoon total. The armourer, shoemaker and fitters of the Australian Army Ordnance Corps were included in the total for Company HQ of Headquarter Company, along with a Sergeant from the Pay Corps.
The Rifle Company – each of the four Rifle Companies in the Battalion included a small HQ element commanding three Rifle Platoons.
The Australian Rifle Section was eleven men strong, made up of a Corporal and ten men, one of whom would normally be a Lance-corporal. The Corporal carried a Thompson submachine gun, each of his men a Lee Enfield bolt action rifle, and the Section had a single Bren light machine gun. As with the British, it seems likely the Bren gunner normally left his allocated rifle in the Platoon truck, rather than attempting to juggle both weapons.
The Section would have been divided into a rifle group and a gun group, the latter serving the Bren, both elements directed by the Corporal. It seems likely the rifle group would have been six men strong, and the gun group four men, including the Lance-corporal. Each Platoon was commanded by a 1st or 2nd Lieutenant, with a Platoon Sergeant, batman, orderly and two man crew for the 2-inch mortar. The officer carried a pistol, the remainder each a rifle. The Platoon also had a Boys anti-tank rifle and a 15-cwt truck to carry its weapons and ammunition, the driver found from the ranks of the Admin Platoon.
The Company was commanded by a Major or Captain, with a Captain as his second-in-command, and included two 15-cwt trucks.
North African variations during 1942
The above War Establishment was issued at the end of 1941, and was the standard organisation for an Infantry Battalion. As with the British however, Australian units in North Africa found it necessary to adapt their organisation to meet the needs of the theatre.
Unfortunately, a precise War Establishment for Australian Infantry Battalions in the Middle East is not available for me to add here. James Daniels though has done some digging on the subject and noted the following.
As with the British, the Australians authorised an Anti-tank Platoon for their Infantry Battalions, initially with four 2-pdr guns, during July and August 1942. This was subsequently increased to eight guns by the time of El Alamein in October 1942. The Australian Infantry Battalions also added a Machine Gun Platoon with six Vickers, authorised in mid 1942. Captured German and Italian machine guns and non-standard Brownings and Besas are also mentioned as having been acquired to increase firepower.
It is uncertain where the manpower to serve these extra weapons was found from. Additional personnel may have been provided, but given the critical situation for allied forces in North Africa in 1942, my instinct is the crews were found by taking men from other areas. The British found the gunners for their Infantry Battalion Anti-tank Platoons by reducing the strength of the Rifle Platoons, and it may well be that the Australians opted for a similar solution.
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