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16th Brigade
AWM 027052 16th Brigade Owen Stanleys Oct 1942
Troops from the 16th Brigade cross the Owen Stanleys, October 1942
Active 1917
1939–1946
Country Flag of Australia Australia
Branch Army
Type Infantry
Size Brigade
Part of 6th Division

The 16th Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Australian Army. First raised during World War I, when it existed only briefly in 1917 and did not participate in the fighting. Raised again in 1939 for service during World War II, during which it saw action in Libya, Greece and New Guinea before being disbanded in 1946 after the conflict had ended. Today, its name is perpetuated by the 16th Aviation Brigade which was raised on 2 April 2002.

History

World War I

The 16th Infantry Brigade was formed in England, on the Salisbury Plain, as part of the 6th Division on 17 March 1917. The unit it did not see any action and was disbanded on 19 October 1917 due to manpower shortages in the AIF.

Subunits

  • 61st Battalion (19 March 1917 – 19 October 1917)
  • 65th Battalion (19 March 1917 – 16 May 1917)
  • 69th Battalion (19 March 1917 – 19 October 1917)
  • 70th Battalion (19 March 1917 – 16 May 1917)
  • 62nd Battalion (17 May 1917 – 16 September 1917)
  • 63rd Battalion (17 May 1917 – 19 October 1917)
  • 16th Machine Gun Company (7 June 1917 – 16 August 1917)
  • 16th Light Trench Mortar Battery (5 June 1917 – 26 September 1917)

Commanders

World War II

The 16th Infantry Brigade was reformed on 13 October 1939, again as part of the 6th Division. The 16th Brigade fought in the Western Desert Campaign in Libya, the Battle of Greece, the Kokoda Track campaign and the Battle of Buna–Gona in Papua, and in the Aitape–Wewak campaign in New Guinea.[1]

Subunits

Commanders

References

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 16th Brigade (Australia) and the edit history here.
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