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{{Other uses|16th Battalion (Australia)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= 2/16th Battalion
|image=Kaiapit fly in 057499.jpg
|caption=Troops from the 2/16th fly in to Kaiapit, September 1943
|dates=April 1940 – February 1946
|country=Australia
|allegiance=
|branch=[[Australian Army]]
|type=[[Infantry]]
|role=
|size=~ 800–900 personnel all ranks<ref>The establishment of a standard Australian infantry battalion was 35 officers and 875 other ranks at the start of the Second World War. Under the jungle organisation each battalion was reduced by one officer and 106 other ranks. See Kuring 2004, p. 47 and Palazzo 2004, p.94.</ref>
|command_structure= [[21st Brigade (Australia)|21st Brigade]], [[7th Division (Australia)|7th Division]]
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=White over blue
|colors_label=Colours
|march=
|mascot=
|battles= [[World War II]]
*[[Syria–Lebanon campaign]]
*[[New Guinea campaign]]
|anniversaries=

|commander1=
|commander1_label=
|commander2=
|commander2_label=
|commander3=
|commander3_label=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=[[File:2 16th Battalion AIF Unit Colour Patch.png|90px]]
|identification_symbol_label=[[Unit colour patch]]
}}

The '''2/16th Battalion''' was an [[infantry]] [[battalion]] of the [[Australian Army]], serving during [[World War II]]. Attached to the [[21st Brigade (Australia)|21st Brigade]] that was assigned to the [[7th Division (Australia)|7th Division]], the 2/16th was raised in 1940 as part of the [[Second Australian Imperial Force]] from volunteers drawn mainly from the state of [[Western Australia]]. After training in Australia, the battalion was deployed to the Middle East where it undertook defensive duties along the Egyptian–Libyan border in early 1941 before taking part in the [[Syria–Lebanon campaign]], fighting against [[Vichy French]] forces in June and July. At the conclusion of the campaign, the 2/16th remained in Lebanon, contributing to the Allied occupation force there, before returning to Australia in early 1942 following Japan's entry into the war. In August 1942, they were committed to the fighting along the [[Kokoda Track campaign|Kokoda Track]] and then later fought around [[Battle of Buna–Gona|Buna and Gona]]. After a period of rest and reorganisation in Australia, the battalion fought around [[Lae]] and then took part in the [[Finisterre Range campaign]] in 1943–44. Its final campaign of the war came in [[Borneo Campaign (1945)|Borneo]] in July 1945. At the end of the war, the 2/16th were disbanded in January 1946.

==History==

===Formation and service in the Middle East===
The 2/16th Battalion was recruited in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], in the state of [[Western Australia]] in early 1940, with its first war diary entry being made on 20 April 1940.<ref name=AWM>{{cite web|url=http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11267.asp|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315135009/http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11267.asp|title=2/16th Battalion |work=Second World War, 1939–1945 units |publisher=Australian War Memorial|accessdate=15 November 2009|archivedate=15 March 2011}}</ref> Raised from volunteers from the [[Second Australian Imperial Force]] (2nd AIF), which was established for overseas service at the start of the war,<ref>Grey 2008, p. 146.</ref> many of the battalion's early recruits were from the goldfields of Western Australia. After the concentration and training of the battalion's initial cadre in Perth, the battalion was moved to [[Northam, Western Australia|Northam]] where on 30 April the first draft of recruits arrived and the process of forming the battalion's subunits began.<ref name=AWM/> With an authorised strength of around 900 personnel,<ref>Palazzo 2004, p. 94.</ref> like other Australian infantry battalions of the time, the battalion was formed around a nucleus of four rifle [[Company (military unit)|companies]] – designated 'A' through to 'D' – each consisting of three [[platoon]]s.<ref>Long 1952, p. 52.</ref>

The unit conducted its own basic training, which was only partially completed prior to its embarkation for Egypt in October 1940. The battalion's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel [[Alfred Baxter-Cox]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1024302/?image=3#display-image |title=AWM52 8/3/16/1: April – July 1940 |work=Unit War Diaries |publisher=Australian War Memorial |accessdate=28 September 2014}}</ref> and, along with the [[2/14th Battalion (Australia)|2/14th]] and [[2/27th Battalion (Australia)|2/27th Battalions]], it was assigned to the [[21st Brigade (Australia)|21st Brigade]], which formed part of the [[7th Division (Australia)|7th Division]].<ref name=AWM/> The colours chosen for the battalion's [[unit colour patch]] (UCP) were the same as those of the [[16th Battalion (Australia)|16th Battalion]], a unit which had served during World War I before being raised as a Militia formation in 1921. These colours were white over dark blue, in a horizontal rectangular shape, although a border of gray in the shape of a diamond was added to the UCP to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart.<ref>Long 1952, pp. 321–323.</ref>

Sailing via India, the 21st Brigade briefly landed at [[Bombay]] and constituted for the first time at [[Deolali]], before continuing on to the Middle East.<ref>Burns 1960, p. 23.</ref> After their arrival in Egypt in late November 1940, the 2/16th moved to Palestine where it continued its training.<ref name=AWM/> In February 1941, the 2/16th received a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel [[Alex Bath MacDonald]], a Permanent Military Force member.<ref name=Pratten325/> Shortly after this, the battalion was allocated to defend the Egypt–Libya border against a possible German attack, and occupied defensive positions.<ref name=AWM/>

===Syria-Lebanon Campaign===
In April 1941, the battalion was transported back to Palestine to take part in Operation Exporter, which was the Allied codename for the [[Syria-Lebanon Campaign]].<ref name=AWM/> Commencing in early June 1941, the battalion began offensive actions against [[Vichy France|Vichy French]] troops and over the course of the next six weeks fought major actions at the [[Battle of the Litani River|Litani River]], [[Battle of Sidon (1941)|Sidon]] and [[Battle of Damour|Damour]].<ref name=16rwar/><ref>James 2017, p. 165.</ref> The 2/16th Battalion suffered heavily during the campaign, having 264 casualties; according to the Australian War Memorial, this was the most of any Australian unit that took part in the campaign.<ref name=AWM/> In August, Lieutenant Colonel [[Arnold Potts]] took over command of the battalion.<ref name=Pratten325/> The unit remained in the Middle East until January 1942, being stationed in Lebanon and forming part of the Allied occupation force that was established following the armistice in mid-July 1941.<ref name=AWM/>

===New Guinea Campaigns===
By early 1942, the Japanese had entered the war, and the Australian government decided to bring some of its troops from the Middle East back to Australia to bolster its defences. The 2/16th embarked at the end of January 1942, and returned to Australia, landing at [[Adelaide, South Australia|Adelaide]] in March 1942 after a brief stopover in [[Fremantle, Western Australia|Fremantle]].<ref name=AWM/> A period of reorganisation followed as they were prepared for the hardships of jungle warfare, during which time Potts handed over command of the battalion to Lieutenant Colonel Albert Caro;<ref name=Pratten325/> however, the situation in the Pacific at the time was desperate for the Australians, following Japanese victories in [[Malayan Campaign|Malaya]], [[Fall of Singapore|Singapore]], [[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|Rabaul]] and [[Battle of Ambon|Ambon]],<ref>Keogh 1965, pp. 127–132.</ref> and fighting on the [[Kokoda Track campaign|Kokoda Track]], and so the 2nd AIF troops returning from the Middle East had very little time to prepare for their next campaign. The 2/16th arrived in New Guinea, landing in [[Port Moresby]] in mid-August 1942.<ref name=AWM/> Later that month it was committed to the battle, and joined the fighting retreat down the Kokoda Track, being rushed into the line around Alola to fill a gap after the [[53rd Battalion (Australia)|53rd Battalion]] fell back from [[Battle of Isurava|Isurava]].<ref>Brune 2004, p. 143.</ref> At the [[Battle of Mission Ridge – Brigade Hill|Battle of Mission Ridge]] in early September it suffered heavy casualties after being encircled by the Japanese and conducting a fighting withdrawal to Imita Ridge. Following its relief in the middle of September, the battalion's surviving members were joined with those from the 2/14th Battalion to form a composite unit temporarily, as the battalion suffered so many casualties in the retreat that it was down to an effective strength of about 200 men; the 2/14th had also suffered heavily.<ref name=AWM/><ref>Brune 2004, p. 236.</ref>

[[File:AWM 062320 2-16 Shaggy.jpg|right|thumb|Troops of the 2/16th Infantry Battalion watch aircraft bombing Japanese positions prior to their [[Battle of The Pimple|attack on "The Pimple"]], [[Shaggy Ridge]], [[New Guinea]].]]

As the tide of the campaign along the Kokoda Track turned towards the Australians, the Japanese withdrew north towards their beachheads around Buna and Gona, with the Australians in pursuit. A brief period of rest and reorganisation followed for the 2/16th during this time, as they were re-constituted before being committed to the [[Battle of Buna–Gona]] in November 1942. Despite the arrival of reinforcements, the battalion could only provide two or its four rifle companies to the fighting, and by early January it was withdrawn, with a strength of only 56 men.<ref name=AWM/>

The battalion was subsequently rebuilt on the [[Atherton Tablelands]]. During this time, the battalion received over 600 reinforcements from the 16th Motor Regiment;<ref>Bradley 2004a, p. 148.</ref> it also received a new commanding officer in Lieutenant Colonel Frank Sublet, who would subsequently command the battalion for the remainder of the war.<ref name=Pratten325/> In August 1943, the battalion deployed to New Guinea again for its second campaign against the Japanese. Staging out of Port Moresby, in early September the 7th Division was flown into Nadzab, and the 2/16th supported operations to capture [[Lae]]. After this, it was air transported to [[Kaiapit]], where from late September it took part in the advance up the [[Markham Valley]] towards [[Dumpu]]. As the division pushed through the [[Ramu Valley]] and then moved into the [[Finisterre Range]], the 2/16th undertook a series of patrols and advances, but experienced only minor actions. These culminated in a significant action around [[Battle of Shaggy Ridge|Shaggy Ridge]] on 27–28 December, when it conducted an assault on a position dubbed [[Battle of The Pimple|"The Pimple"]].<ref>Bradley 2004b, pp. 22–27.</ref> In January 1944, at the conclusion of the campaign, the battalion was withdrawn to Port Moresby, and returned to Australia in late March.<ref name=AWM/>

===Borneo and disbandment===
After returning to Australia, the battalion spent over a year training for its final campaign – the [[Borneo Campaign (1945)|Borneo campaign]] – which came in the final months of the war. After staging out of [[Morotai Island]], on 1 July the battalion took part in the amphibious landing at [[Battle of Balikpapan (1945)|Balikpapan]]. Its most significant actions of the Borneo campaign were fought on the first day of this operation, as the 21st Brigade landed on Green Beach, on the right of the lodgement and then advanced east along the coast, tasked with capturing Sepinggang and the airfield at Manggar.<ref>Keogh 1965, pp. 457–460.</ref> Nevertheless, after the initial fighting the battalion continued aggressive patrolling until the end of hostilities in mid-August 1945. Following the war's end the 2/16th Battalion occupied the [[Celebes]] before being repatriated to Australia for demobilisation in early 1946. The 2/16th Battalion was disbanded in February 1946 while camped in [[Brisbane]], Queensland.<ref name=AWM/>

Throughout its service a total of 3,275 men served with the battalion<ref>Johnston 2005, p. 248.</ref> which suffered 671 casualties, of which 223 were killed or died from wounds, accident or disease.<ref name=AWM/> Members of the battalion received the following decorations: three [[Distinguished Service Order]]s, six [[Military Cross]]es with two [[Medal bar|Bars]], five [[Distinguished Conduct Medal]]s, 20 [[Military Medal]]s with one Bar and 63 [[Mentioned in Despatches|Mentions in Despatches]]; in addition, one member of the battalion was appointed as a [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|Member of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref name=AWM/>

==Battle honours==
The 2/16th Battalion received 21 [[battle honour|battle]] and [[theatre honour]]s:

* North Africa, Syria 1941, Syrian Frontier, The Litani, Wadi Zeini, Damour, South-West Pacific 1942–1945, Kokoda Trail, Isurava, Eora Creek–Templeton's Crossing I, Efogi–Menari, Ioribaiwa, Buna–Gona, Gona, Amboga River, Lae–Nadzab, Liberation of Australian New Guinea, Ramu Valley, Shaggy Ridge, Borneo 1945, Balikpapan.<ref name=AWM/>

These honours were subsequently entrusted to the [[16th Battalion (Australia)|16th Battalion]] in 1961,<ref>Festberg 1972, p. 77.</ref> and through this link are maintained by the [[Royal Western Australia Regiment]].<ref>Festberg 1972, p. 32.</ref> These honours are carried on by the 16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment.<ref name=16rwar>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/army/16rwar/history.html|title=16th Battalion, Royal West Australian Regiment|publisher=Department of Defence| accessdate= 9 November 2008 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080929013036/http://www.defence.gov.au/army/16rwar/history.html| archivedate= 29 September 2008| url-status= live}}</ref>

==Commanding officers==
The following officers served as commanding officer of the 2/16th Battalion:<ref name=Pratten325>Pratten 2009, p. 325.</ref><ref>Johnston 2005, p. xiv.</ref>

* Lieutenant Colonel [[Alfred Baxter-Cox|Alfred Richard Baxter-Cox]] (1940–41)
* Lieutenant Colonel [[Alex Bath MacDonald]] (1941)
* Lieutenant Colonel [[Arnold Potts]] (1941–42)
* Lieutenant Colonel Albert Edward Caro (1942)
* Lieutenant Colonel Frank Henry Sublet (1943–45).

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book|last=Bradley|first=Phillip|authorlink=Phillip Bradley|title=On Shaggy Ridge—The Australian Seventh Division in the Ramu Valley: From Kaiapit to the Finisterres|year=2004a|publisher=Oxford University Press| location=South Melbourne|isbn=0-19-555100-1}}
*{{cite journal |last=Bradley |first=Phillip |title=Assault on the Pimple |journal=Wartime |issue= 28 (October) |year=2004b |publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra, Australian War Memorial |pages=22–27|issn=1328-2727}}
*{{cite book | last = Brune | first = Peter | title = A Bastard of a Place: The Australians in Papua – Kokoda, Milne Bay, Gona, Buna, Sanananda | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = Crows Nest, New South Wales | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-1-74114-403-1 }}
*{{Cite book|last=Burns|first=John|title=The Brown and Blue Diamond at War: The Story of the 2/27th Battalion A.I.F|year=1960|publisher=2/27th Battalion Ex-servicemen's Association|location=Adelaide, South Australia|oclc=2104460}}
* {{cite book|last=Festberg |first=Alfred |title=The Lineage of the Australian Army |year=1972 |publisher=Allara Publishing |location= Melbourne, Victoria |isbn= 978-0-85887-024-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Grey |first=Jeffrey |authorlink=Jeffrey Grey |title=A Military History of Australia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Port Melbourne, Victoria |year=2008 |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-521-69791-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=James|first=Richard|title=Australia's War with France: The Campaign in Syria and Lebanon, 1941|year=2017|publisher=Big Sky Publishing|location=Newport, New South Wales|isbn=978-1-925520-92-7 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Johnston|first=Mark|authorlink=Mark Johnston (historian)|title=The Silent 7th: An Illustrated History of the 7th Australian Division 1940–46|year=2005|publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Crows Nest, New South Wales |isbn=1-74114-191-5}}
*{{cite book | last = Keogh | first = Eustace | authorlink = Eustace Graham Keogh|title = South West Pacific 1941–45 | year = 1965 | publisher = Grayflower Publications | location = Melbourne | oclc = 7185705 }}
* {{cite book|last=Kuring|first=Ian|title=Redcoats to Cams: A History of Australian Infantry 1788–2001|year=2004|publisher=Australian Military History Publications|location=Loftus, New South Wales |isbn=1-876439-99-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Long|first=Gavin|authorlink=Gavin Long|title=To Benghazi|year=1952|series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army|volume= I|edition=1st|publisher=Australian War Memorial|location=Canberra, Australian Capital Territory|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070200/|oclc=18400892}}
* {{cite book|last=Palazzo |first=Albert |chapter=Organising for Jungle Warfare |title=The Foundations of Victory: The Pacific War 1943–1944 |year=2004 |editor=Dennis, Peter |editor2=Grey, Jeffrey |publisher=Army History Unit |location=Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |url=http://www.army.gov.au/Our-history/Army-History-Unit/Chief-of-Army-History-Conference/Previous-Conference-Proceedings/~/media/Files/Our%20history/AAHU/Conference%20Papers%20and%20Images/2003/2003-The_Pacific_War_1943-1944_Part_1.ashx |isbn=978-0-646-43590-9 |pages=86–102 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309213301/http://army.gov.au/our-history/army-history-unit/chief-of-army-history-conference/previous-conference-proceedings/~/media/files/our%20history/aahu/conference%20papers%20and%20images/2003/2003-the_pacific_war_1943-1944_part_1.ashx |archivedate=9 March 2016 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Pratten|first1=Garth|authorlink=Garth Pratten|title=Australian Battalion Commanders in the Second World War|date=2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Port Melbourne, Victoria|isbn=978-0-521-76345-5}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Uren|first=Malcolm|authorlink=Malcolm Uren|title=A Thousand Men At War: The Story of the 2/16th Battalion, A.I.F.|year=1959|publisher=Heinemann|location=London|oclc=6213478}}

==External links==
* [http://www.2nd16thassoc.com.au/ 2/16th Battalion (AIF) Association website]

{{Infantry formations of the Second Australian Imperial Force |state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2 16th Battalion (Australia)}}
[[Category:Australian World War II battalions|16]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1940|16]]
[[Category:1940 establishments in Australia|16]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1946|16]]
[[Category:1946 disestablishments in Australia|16]]

2/16th Battalion (Australia) - Revision history

imported>Citation bot: Alter: isbn. Upgrade ISBN10 to 13. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Whoop whoop pull up | #UCB_webform 2511/3825