Peter Beale - Fallen Sentinel - Australian Tanks in World War II

engineer assistance 224–5

equipment and personnel 228–31

formations 161, 186, 196–7, 232–3, 244–53

officer and NCO selection 121–7

operations 129–32, 166–72

tank importations 143, 270–4

training with infantry 46–7, 221, 261–2

Australian Army 13, 151

1st Army 161

1st Cavalry Division 151

1st Corps 38, 74, 79

1st Division 190

1st Infantry Brigade 54

1st Infantry Division 151

1st Regiment 58

2nd Army 161

2/8th Commando Squadron 235

2/9th Battalion 131, 247

2/12th Infantry Battalion 170

2/10th Infantry Battalion 169

2/23rd Infantry Battalion 213, 216

2/24th Infantry Battalion 213, 238

2/46th Infantry Battalion 218

2/48th Infantry Battalion 213–14, 216

2nd Cavalry Division 151

2nd Infantry Division 151, 196

3rd Brigade 190

3rd Division 190, 231

3rd Infantry Division 151, 237

4th Anti-tank Regiment 113

4th Infantry Brigade 190, 217, 218

4th Infantry Division 38, 40, 41, 44, 151

5th Division 187, 190, 231, 232

6th Division 130, 158, 160, 187, 190, 231–3, 266, 273

6th Cavalry Regiment 129 , 130, 130 1, 132, 166, 203

A Squadron 130–1, 218, 219

6th Infantry Brigade 48

6th Infantry Division 54, 93, 151

7th Company/2nd Australian Machine Gun Brigade 51

7th Division 158, 160, 162, 187, 190, 211, 232, 240

7th Infantry Division 151

8th Division 155, 156, 250

9th Division 132, 190, 211, 232, 233, 240, 251

9th Infantry Battalion 169, 235

9th Infantry Division 151, 219

11th Division 190

12th Division 190

13th Australian Infantry Battalion 48

15th Brigade 190

17th Brigade 190

18th Infantry Brigade 131, 241

20th Infantry Brigade 211–12, 218

25th Infantry Battalion 237–8

26th Infantry Brigade 213, 214

27th Infantry Battalion 238

29th Infantry Brigade 190

42nd Infantry Battalion 48

44th Battalion 49

AIF 119, 139, 151, 154–7, 162

Armoured Corps/Division 32–6, 34, 35, 75–6, 78–86, 90, 105, 110, 125, 155, 162

Army Instructional Corps (AIC) 120

cooperation between tank and infantry 222–4, 250, 261–2, 269

distrust of tanks 41–2, 45–6, 51

Field Artillery Regiment 126

human resources 63–4, 76, 86–8

Land Headquarters (LHQ) 161

Light Horse units 126

manpower allocation 86–8, 127–9, 152–3, 160, 163–6, 198–203

Military Districts 151, 161

peacetime planning 58, 269

reorganisation 190–4, 200

School of Mechanisation 68–9

Sudan Contingent 13

tank force see Australian tank force

training 46–7, 221, 261–2

war material, review of 72

Australian cruiser (AC) series tanks (Sentinel) 72, 96, 103, 107, 108 , 109, 178–9, 253–8, 274

AC1 96, 103, 107, 108 , 109–10, 111, 114, 114 , 116, 137, 139, 141, 143, 146, 149, 175, 181–2, 185, 254, 254 , 256, 257, 274

AC2 107, 109, 110, 111, 114, 115, 116, 146, 254, 277

AC3 (Thunderbolt) 143, 144, 145, 148, 148 , 181, 185, 254, 257, 258 , 277, 278

AC4 178, 178 , 181, 185

Australian government

Advisory War Council 91, 96, 127, 128, 137, 141, 143, 144, 145, 146, 153, 158, 166, 276, 277

civilian role 154, 163, 165

defence policy 12, 77–8, 152–60, 162, 269

Department of War Organisation of Industry 129

Directorate of AFVs (DAFV) 111–12, 115, 119

Directorate of Manpower 129, 163–4

Manpower Committee 164–5, 199

Manpower Priorities Board 129, 163

War Commitments Committee 201–2

war effort 194–5

Australian Navy 13, 159, 263

human resources 63–4, 76

Australian Tank Corps 58, 59 see also Australian

Armoured Corps

1st Tank Battalion 209, 212, 214 , 218

1st Tank Section 59

Australian tank force 13–14, 58, 66–9, 74 see also

Australian tank production

armoured division, formation of 75–6, 78–86, 90, 105, 151–62

armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), production 72–5, 85, 111–12, 117–18, 269

creation and training 117–21, 124 , 124–7, 160

local production see Australian tank production

manpower 86–8, 121

Australian tank production 70–2, 73–4, 81–2, 86–7, 90, 92–108, 138, 139, 141, 143, 146–50, 180–3, 244, 253–5, 268–9, 274

Carriers, machine-gun tanks 85, 92, 127

cessation 181–4, 206

chronology 275–8

contractors 98

costs 105

cruiser tanks 81–2, 85–6, 92–3, 95, 97, 145, 148, 150

delays 105, 141

delivery of first tank 95, 96

design 92–3, 96, 98, 99, 104, 106, 112, 114

evaluation of program 184–8

mechanical components 98

Victorian Barracks meeting 1941, minutes 99–102

B

Balikpapan 232, 240–2, 241 , 245, 247

Bardia 54, 93–4, 93 , 130, 131, 188, 266, 273

Bataan 134

Bean, Charles 39, 41, 51

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914 to 1918 39, 251

Beasley, Mr Jack 128, 156

Belgium 13, 64, 72, 81

Bennett, Major-General H. Gordon 251, 266

Berlin 40

Bermicourt 18, 19

BHP 99

Bingham, Lieutenant Colonel John 48

Blamey, General Sir Thomas 43, 44–5, 65, 84, 86, 118 , 141, 143, 144, 145, 146, 157, 159 , 161, 181, 182, 188 , 190, 193, 200, 231, 235–6, 254–5, 266, 277, 288

Blue Flash 35

Boer War 13

Bonga 216, 217, 219

Borneo 206, 232, 233, 240–2, 242 , 247, 252, 273

Bougainville 206, 232, 233, 234–8, 239 , 245

bridge construction 225, 225

bridge-laying tanks 189, 240, 266

Bridgeford, Major General William 59 , 237

Brisbane Line 158

Britain 13, 117

tank supplies to Australia 109, 110, 115, 138, 139, 140–1, 272–3, 275

War Office 20, 21–22, 23, 33, 42, 81–2, 110–11, 155

British Army

British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 66–7

British Field Force 29

British Fourth Army 43

11th Armoured (Charging Bull) Division 35

5th Tank Brigade 17, 44, 44, 46, 50, 56

50th Infantry Division 31

1st Armoured Division 29, 30, 31, 67 , 249

1st Army Tank Brigade 31

First British Army 39

4th Royal Tank Regiment 35

Fifth British Army 39, 40, 42

mechanical force, establishment of 22–3

mobile division 29

7th Armoured Division 33

79th Armoured Division 266–7

144th Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) 35

7th Infantry Brigade 23, 27, 251

Tank Board 68

Tank Corps see Royal Tank Corps (RTC)

tank doctrine 14–15, 18–20, 20–9, 30–6

Third British Army 39

22nd Armoured Brigade 272

World War II tank force 67–8, 78

British-Indian force 136

British Ministry of Supply 124

British Navy 12

HMS Prince of Wales 134

HMS Repulse 134

Broad, Charles 22, 24–5, 25

Mechanised and Armoured Formations (‘Purple Primer’) 24–6

Modern Formations 26

Brooke, Field Marshal Lord Alan 29

Brooke-Popham, Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert 113, 127

Bruce, First Viscount Stanley 60 , 61–2

Bruce, High Commissioner Stanley 110, 139, 151

Brunei Bay 232, 233, 240–1

Buin 234, 237, 238

Bullecourt, First Battle of 38, 39–42, 51, 57–8, 248, 265

Buna 145, 169–72, 174, 178, 187, 192, 197, 203, 207, 245

Burma 134, 136, 251