2/33rd Battalion (Australia)
The 2/33rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army during the Second World War. It was formed as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force in the United Kingdom in June 1940 as the "72nd Battalion" to create the 25th Brigade, which eventually became part of the 7th Division. After the threat of invasion had passed, the battalion was transferred to the Middle East in early 1941, and after a period of garrison duty in the Western Desert, the battalion fought against the Vichy French in the invasion of Syria and Lebanon.
Burnt out vehicles at Jackson's Airfield, where the 2/33rd suffered one third of its wartime casualties
Troops from the 2/33rd attack Fort Khiam, June 1941
2/33rd soldiers in New Guinea, 1942
The 25th Brigade was a brigade-sized infantry unit of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War. Raised in July 1940 and consisting of three infantry battalions, the 25th Brigade initially served in the United Kingdom, where it formed part of the garrison tasked with defending against a possible German invasion. In 1941, the brigade was redeployed to the Middle East where it took part in the Syria–Lebanon campaign fighting several actions around Merdjayoun and Jezzine.
Men from the 2/25th Battalion cross the Brown River during a patrol in October 1942
Men from the 2/31st Battalion dig a section defence post in Syria, 1941
Troops from the 2/32nd Battalion on Borneo, July 1945