2/4th Australian Light Anti Aircraft Regiment

13 Nov 1944 2/11th LAA Battery loading & unloading a 40mm Bofors at Unity Beach

Brief History

The Regiment was raised in Jirja Palestine in January 1942 from existing ant-aircraft and anti-tank units, and comprised the 2/10th LAA Battery, 2/11th LAA Battery and the 2/12the LAA Battery. Following training at Beirut, Acre and Haifa, they were operational at Mughazi in APril and Gaza in May IN June they moved withthe 9th AUstralian Infantry Division to Egypt and participated in the confused fighting in July/August 1942 and then at El Alamein during the breakout battles. They then returned to Palestine in December and left for Australia in January 1943. Following leave the HQ and 2 of the 3 Batteried assembled at Kairi in north Queensland.

Batteries were assigned to each division, with 2/10 to the 6th Division, 2/11th to the 7th Division, and 2/12th to the 9th Division. As such units participated in the landings at Lae, Red and Yellow Beaches and in September at Scarlet Beach. The unit then congregated at Finschhafen for a time before again being dispersed to protect HQ Units and bases. They congregated again in February 1944 and were relieved, travelling to North Queensland in May 1944.

Following a period of leave they assembled at Mapee in July and moved to Wongabel and then Kaiti where they waited for a further role, but remained there until hostilities had finished.

Unit Personnel

• John Hartley Craddon 26 Jan 1942 - 12 Sep 1944

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.225 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018