1.
Australian Army
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The Australian Army is Australias military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy, while the Chief of the Defence Force commands the ADF, the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army. The CA is therefore subordinate to the CDF, but is directly responsible to the Minister for Defence. Although Australian soldiers have been involved in a number of minor and major conflicts throughout its history, Australias largest peacekeeping deployment began in 1999 in East Timor, while other ongoing operations include peacekeeping on Bougainville, in the Sinai, and in the Solomon Islands. Humanitarian relief after 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in Aceh Province, Indonesia, Operation Sumatra Assist, the 1st Division comprises a deployable headquarters, while 2nd Division under the command of Forces Command is the main home-defence formation, containing Army Reserve units. 2nd Divisions headquarters only performs administrative functions, the Australian Army has not deployed a divisional-sized formation since 1945 and does not expect to do so in the future. 1st Division carries out training activities and deploys to command large-scale ground operations. It does not have any combat units permanently assigned, Forces Command controls for administrative purposes all non-special-forces assets of the Australian Army. It is neither an operational nor a deployable command,1 Brigade – Multi-role Combat Brigade based in Darwin and Adelaide. 3 Brigade – Multi-role Combat Brigade based in Townsville,6 Brigade – Mixed brigade based in Sydney. 7 Brigade – Multi-role Combat Brigade based in Brisbane,16 Aviation Brigade – Army Aviation brigade based in Enoggera, Brisbane. 17 Combat Service Support Brigade – Logistic brigade based in Sydney, 2nd Division administers the reserve forces from its headquarters located in Sydney. 4 Brigade – based in Victoria,5 Brigade – based in New South Wales. 8 Brigade – based in New South Wales,9 Brigade – based in South Australia and Tasmania. 11 Brigade – based in Queensland,13 Brigade – based in Western Australia. Special Operations Command comprises a command formation of equal status to the commands in the ADF. It includes all of Armys special forces assets, the force will be known as the Amphibious Ready Element and will be embarked on the Navys new Canberra-class amphibious assault ships. Infantry, and some combat units of the Australian Army carry flags called the Queens Colour
2.
Royal Australian Artillery
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Australia’s first guns were landed from HMS Sirius and a small earthen redoubt built, near the present day Macquarie Place, to command the approaches to Sydney Cove. The deployment of these represents the origins of artillery in Australia. These and subsequent defences, as well as guns, were operated by marines. The First World War saw the raising of 60 field,20 howitzer, the Regiment today consists of Regular and Reserve units. Unlike their British and Canadian relations, there are no regiments of artillery in the order of battle of the Royal Australian Artillery. The Australian Regular Army came into being in 1947, while prior to this artillery units were predominantly militia based, the present School of Artillery is located in Puckapunyal in central Victoria and maintains modern training facilities. The School of Artillery is co-located with the Australian Armys Headquarters Combined Arms Training Centre, 53rd Battery, Royal Australian Artillery supports courses run by the School of Artillery. Major units of the Royal Australian Artillery include, 1st Regiment and its batteries are equipped with the RBS-70 Surface to Air missile, the Giraffe Agile Multi Beam radar and the AN/TPQ-48 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar. It is attached to the 6th Brigade, 6th/13th Light Battery, Royal Australian Artillery – This battery is attached to 9th Brigade, and is based at Launceston in Tasmania and Keswick in South Australia. It is equipped with the F2 81mm Mortar,28 Troop Dee Why 113 Troop Adamstown 23 Light Battery, Royal Australian Artillery – This is a single battery attached to 5th Brigade at Kogarah in New South Wales. It is equipped with the F2 81mm mortar, 5/11th Light Battery, Royal Australian Artillery – This a single battery attached to the 11th Brigade. Equipped with the F2 81mm mortar, the RAA applies the latest technologies to maximise the effectiveness of the extant fleet of towed guns. The RAA is further studying options to upgrade and update ammunition and fuzes to be used with the present, phase 1A has seen the selection of the towed gun replacement, the US M777155 mm Lightweight Medium Howitzer, over the Singaporean Pegasus alternative. Phase 1C was cancelled in May 2012 after down-selection to two self-propelled gun candidates, the German PzH2000, and South Korean K9 Thunder, land 17 does not allow for the purchase of new guns in sufficient quantity to re-equip the Army Reserve. Army Reserve Artillery Batteries have been re-equipped with 81mm Mortars, ground Based Air Defence has recently been equipped with additional RBS-70 systems and a significant upgrade of radar and monitoring systems. This project is forecast to meet the Armys needs until 2015 where future forecast planning calls for a significant upgrade of the longer ranging air defence capability from 2018. Recently, a new regiment,20 Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, has raised for the operation of UAVs to be used in both the reconnaissance and attack roles. The new regiment incorporates the former independent 131 Surveillance and Target Acquisition Battery, the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery is the only Regiment of Artillery of the nations of the British Commonwealth to have been presented with The Banner of Queen Elizabeth II
3.
1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery
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The 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery is a close support regiment attached to the 7th Brigade at Enoggera Barracks in Queensland. The unit was formed in 1914 under the name 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade, part of 1st Division Artillery during World War I and later served in World War II and it is currently re-equipping with M777A2 lightweight towed howitzers. The 1st Field Regiment was formed in 1914 following the outbreak of World War I, the Brigade saw action both on the Gallipoli Peninsula and in France. On cessation of hostilities in 1918, the 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade returned to Australia where it was disbanded in 1919, the Regiment saw action in North Africa supporting the 6th Australian Division between 21 December 1940 and 23 March 1941. The Regiment served with distinction in the battles for Bardia, Tobruk, on 5 February 1941, the Regiment captured the town of Barce using only the accurate and timely application of Artillery fire. The 1st Field Regiments barracks located at Enoggera is named Barce Lines to commemorate this victory, the Regiment served two tours in New Guinea. The first was 15 September 1942 to 13 August 1943, where the Regiment expanded existing doctrine for the deployment of artillery by deploying guns into forward areas by air. The Regiment returned to New Guinea on 4 January 1945 to support operations in the Wewak areas and was in occupation of areas when the war ended on 15 August 1945. The last of the Regiment returned to Australia in January 1946 and was disbanded several weeks later as part of the post war demobilisation, 1st Field Regiment was raised on 25 May 1949 at North Head, Sydney. At that time it was the regular artillery regiment. On the eve of the Vietnam War the Regiment consisted of 101st Field Battery and 105th Field Battery, in April 1965 the decision was taken to deploy the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment to Vietnam. This resulted in an expansion of artillery regiments by the addition of a field battery. 1st Field Regiments order of battle for deployment to Vietnam was 101st Field Battery, 105th Field Battery, 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery and Headquarters Battery. 1 RAR deployed to Vietnam in May 1965 with fire support provided by 161 RNZA, however. In addition, six 155 mm M109 self-propelled howitzers from A Battery, in September 1966, 105th Field Battery was replaced by 101st Field Battery and returned to Australia. In May 1967, the Regiment completed its first tour of duty in Vietnam and was replaced by 4th Field Regiment, the Regiment, rejoined by 105th Field Battery, relocated to Sanananda Barracks, Wacol. The 103rd Field Battery was re-roled as a battery and moved to 12th Medium Regiment. In February 1969, 105th Field Battery returned to Vietnam for a tour of duty to be followed by the remainder of the Regiment a month later
4.
Egypt
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Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the Red Sea to the east and south, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan, and across from the Sinai Peninsula lies Saudi Arabia, although Jordan and it is the worlds only contiguous Afrasian nation. Egypt has among the longest histories of any country, emerging as one of the worlds first nation states in the tenth millennium BC. Considered a cradle of civilisation, Ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organised religion and central government. One of the earliest centres of Christianity, Egypt was Islamised in the century and remains a predominantly Muslim country. With over 92 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa and the Arab world, the third-most populous in Africa, and the fifteenth-most populous in the world. The great majority of its people live near the banks of the Nile River, an area of about 40,000 square kilometres, the large regions of the Sahara desert, which constitute most of Egypts territory, are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypts residents live in areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria. Modern Egypt is considered to be a regional and middle power, with significant cultural, political, and military influence in North Africa, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Egypts economy is one of the largest and most diversified in the Middle East, Egypt is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Arab League, African Union, and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Miṣr is the Classical Quranic Arabic and modern name of Egypt. The name is of Semitic origin, directly cognate with other Semitic words for Egypt such as the Hebrew מִצְרַיִם, the oldest attestation of this name for Egypt is the Akkadian
5.
First Australian Imperial Force
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The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed on 15 August 1914, following Britains declaration of war on Germany, initially with a strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. The infantry division fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, being reinforced by a second division which was later raised. After being evacuated to Egypt the AIF was expanded to five infantry divisions, a sixth infantry division was partially raised in 1917 in the United Kingdom, but was broken up and used as reinforcements following heavy casualties on the Western Front. Meanwhile, two mounted divisions remained in the Middle East to fight against Turkish forces in the Sinai and Palestine. An all volunteer force, by the end of the war the AIF had gained a reputation as being a well-trained and highly effective military force, however, this reputation came at a heavy cost with a casualty rate among the highest of any belligerent for the war. After the war, the AFC evolved into the Royal Australian Air Force, after the war the achievements of the AIF and its soldiers, known colloquially as Diggers, became central to the national mythology of the Anzac legend. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is referred to as the 1st AIF to it distinguish from the Second Australian Imperial Force raised during World War II. At the start of the war, Australias military forces were focused upon the part-time Militia, the small number of regular personnel were mostly artillerymen or engineers, and were generally assigned to the task of coastal defence. The Australian government pledged to supply 20,000 men organised as one division and one light horse brigade plus supporting units. Officially coming into being on 15 August 1914, the word imperial was chosen to reflect the duty of Australians to both nation and empire, the AIF was initially intended for service in Europe. Meanwhile, a separate 2, 000-man force—known as the Australian Naval, in addition, small military forces were maintained in Australia to defend the country from attack. Upon formation, the AIF consisted of one infantry division, the 1st Division. The 1st Light Horse Brigade was commanded by Colonel Harry Chauvel, the initial response for recruits was so good that in September 1914 the decision was made to raise the 4th Infantry Brigade and 2nd and 3rd Light Horse Brigades. The 4th Infantry Brigade was commanded by Colonel John Monash, a prominent Melbourne civil engineer, the AIF continued to grow through the war, eventually numbering five infantry divisions, two mounted divisions and a mixture of other units. As the AIF operated within the British war effort, its units were organised along the same lines as comparable British Army formations. However, there were small differences between the structures of British and Australian units, especially in regards to the AIF infantry divisions support units. Hastily deployed, the first contingent of AIF was essentially untrained and suffered from widespread equipment shortages, in early 1915 the AIF was largely an inexperienced force, with only a small percentage of its members having previous combat experience
6.
QF 4.5-inch howitzer
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The Ordnance QF4. 5-inch howitzer was the standard British Empire field howitzer of the First World War era. It replaced the BL 5-inch howitzer and equipped some 25% of the field artillery and it entered service in 1910 and remained in service through the interwar period and was last used in the field by British forces in early 1942. It was generally horse drawn until mechanisation in the 1930s, the QF4. 5-inch howitzer was used by British and Commonwealth forces in most theatres, by Russia and by British troops in Russia in 1919. Its calibre and hence shell weight were greater than those of the equivalent German field howitzer, in the Second World War it equipped some units of the BEF and British, Australian, New Zealand and South African batteries in East Africa and the Middle and Far East. During the Second Boer War the British government realised its field artillery was being overtaken by the more modern quick firing guns, the Krupp field howitzers used by the Boers had particularly impressed the British. The usefulness of field howitzers and the need for them to part of an infantry division’s artillery were reinforced by reports from the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. The committee was chaired by General Sir George Marshall, who had been commander in South Africa. It formed in January 1901 with wide ranging terms of reference concerning artillery equipment from guns and howitzers to harness design, the committee swiftly established requirements and invited proposals from British gun makers. None were satisfactory, and all compared poorly with a captured Krupp 12 cm howitzer, a purchase of Krupp howitzers was discussed, including visits to Essen. However, by 1905, the committee was sufficiently satisfied to recommend the production of trial equipments from ordnance factories, Armstrong, Vickers, testing in 1906 showed the Coventry design was by far the most satisfactory and a battery’s worth were ordered for trials. In 1908, after trials, the 4. 5-inch howitzer was recommended for service, the 4. 5-inch howitzer was used on most fronts during the First World War. On the Western Front its normal scale was one battery to three batteries of 18-pounders. Initially 4. 5-inch howitzers equipped a howitzer brigade of the Royal Field Artillery in each infantry division, in the original British Expeditionary Force in 1914 this brigade had three batteries each with six howitzers. Subsequent batteries had four howitzers. This organisation continued between the wars, the weapon remained in service during the inter-war period and was used in various campaigns. Apart from changes to ammunition the howitzer itself remained unchanged except for modifications to enable mechanisation. They were used in the Middle and Far East theatres as well as for training and were replaced by the 25-pounder. QF stands for quick firing, a British term for ordnance that fires ammunition with a cartridge case containing the propellant charge
7.
Royal Field Artillery
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The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as an entity from the Royal Artillery on 1 July 1899. The Royal Field Artillery was the largest arm of the artillery and it was responsible for the medium calibre guns and howitzers deployed close to the front line and was reasonably mobile. It was organised into brigades, attached to divisions or higher formations, ernest Wright Alexander, Victoria Cross recipient. Colin Gubbins, prime mover of the Special Operations Executive, arthur G. Hobbs, driver, Distinguished Conduct Medal recipient. Donald McLeod, represented Scotland at football Cecil Patteson Nickalls, D. S. O. was a polo player who took his own life with a gun on April 7,1925. Herbert George Robinson, was a Bombardier, Distinguished Conduct Medal recipient, alfred William Saunders, World War I flying ace. Garth Neville Walford, Victoria Cross recipient, francis Wallington, first recipient of the Military Cross four times. Norman Manley, first Premier of Jamaica, serving from 14 August 1959 to 29 April 1962 Carman, British Artillery 1914–19 Field Army Artillery. Volume 94 of New Vanguard Series, a List of the formation, attachments and history of each Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery
8.
Battle of the Somme
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The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the reaches of the River Somme in France. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies and was the largest battle of the First World War on the Western Front, more than one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history. The French and British had committed themselves to an offensive on the Somme during Allied discussions at Chantilly, Oise, in December 1915. Initial plans called for the French army to undertake the main part of the Somme offensive, the first day on the Somme was, in terms of casualties, also the worst day in the history of the British army, which suffered 57,470 casualties. These occurred mainly on the front between the Albert–Bapaume road and Gommecourt, where the attack was defeated and few British troops reached the German front line, the battle is notable for the importance of air power and the first use of the tank. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated 10 km into German-occupied territory, the Anglo-French armies failed to capture Péronne and halted 5 km from Bapaume, where the German armies maintained their positions over the winter. Debate continues over the necessity, significance and effect of the battle, David Frum opined that a century later, the Somme remains the most harrowing place-name in the history of the British Empire. Allied war strategy for 1916 was decided at the Chantilly Conference from 6–8 December 1915, in December 1915, General Sir Douglas Haig replaced Field Marshal Sir John French as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF. Haig favoured a British offensive in Flanders close to BEF supply routes, to drive the Germans from the Belgian coast, Haig was not formally subordinate to Marshal Joseph Joffre but the British played a lesser role on the Western Front and complied with French strategy. A week later the Germans began an offensive against the French at Verdun, by 31 May, the ambitious Franco-British plan for a decisive victory, had been reduced to a limited offensive to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun with a battle of attrition on the Somme. The Chief of the German General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, intended to end the war by splitting the Anglo-French Entente in 1916, Falkenhayn chose to attack towards Verdun to take the Meuse heights and make Verdun untenable. The British would then have to begin a hasty relief offensive, Falkenhayn expected the relief offensive to fall south of Arras against the Sixth Army and be destroyed. If such Franco-British defeats were not enough, Germany would attack the remnants of armies and end the western alliance for good. Eloi, south of Ypres and reduced the German counter-offensive strategy north of the Somme, to one of passive, the Battle of Verdun began a week after Joffre and Haig agreed to mount an offensive on the Somme. The battle changed the nature of the offensive on the Somme, as French divisions were diverted to Verdun, German overestimation of the cost of Verdun to the French contributed to the concentration of German infantry and guns on the north bank of the Somme. The German offensive at Verdun was suspended in July, and troops, guns, the Brusilov Offensive, absorbed the extra forces that had been requested on 2 June by Fritz von Below, commanding the German Second Army, for a spoiling attack on the Somme. During the offensive the Russians inflicted c. 1,500,000 losses including c. 407,000 prisoners, three divisions were ordered from France to the Eastern Front on 9 June and the spoiling attack on the Somme was abandoned
