2/3rd Australian Anti-Tank Regiment

Sep 1941 Gunners from the Australian 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment at Tobruk. AWM 020760

Brief History

Formed in July 1940 at Warwick Farm in New South Wales as the 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment, it was initially assigned to the 8th Division, but later reassigned to the 9th Division. They embarked for the Middle East in November 1941 and on arrival moved to Julis in Palestine to complete their training. Deployed to the west of Tobruk they were caught up in the retreat enforced by Rommel's Africa Corps, losing most of their HQ element and personnel of the 2/11th Anti-Tank Battery.

Re-equipped and strengthened with new troops they were sent to Tobruk where they played an important role in hte defence of its perimeter. They also were involved in the First and Second Battles of El Alamein over a period of five months in 1942. Following the 8th Army's breakthrough, like all other Australian units they were withdrawn and made preparations to return to Australia.

They gathered at Narellan in New SOuth Wales before moving north to Kairi on the Atherton Tablelands where they converted to a Jungle format. After returning to Australia in early 1943, the regiment had became a corps-assigned unit. Its individual batteries served in New Guinea during 1943 and 1944, and then in Borneo against the Japanese in 1945. he 2/11th Anti-Tank Battery were to play a beach head defensive role at Lae, and at Finshhafen where they used their guns to defend the coatline before returning to Queensland in May 1944. In August hey were at Wongabel.

During the proposed landings in Borneo little use of their guns was likely, so they trained with 4.2 inch mortars. In April 1945 they moved to Morotai where they were used to provide labour on the docks. In late June they moved to Labuan whre they acted as infantry, moping up until the end of the war when they formed Natuna Force and were sent to the Natuna Islands to supervise the surrender of Japanese forces there.

Unit Personnel

• Ashley Claude George Moseley Cordy 16 Oct 1941 - 8 May 1944

Notes

Some content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, pages 3.093 & 3.094 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018