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Although many use the term ANZAC in a generic sense for all Australian and New Zealand collaboration, the term originally had a much more specific meaning relating to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in the First World War. But did you know that it was not just the First World War that had formally established ANZAC units? In this article we will go over the history of the use of ANZAC as a name for Australian and New Zealand units as well as explore some of the surprising ANZAC units who fought in more recent conflicts.

A recruitment poster honouring the ANZAC's.
AWM PUBS002/006/001/003/003

First World War
The first iteration of the ANZAC's was during the Great War when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was originally a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in December 1914. It was originally intended to name the corps the Australasian Army Corps, this title being used in the unit diary in line with the common practice of the time, which often saw New Zealanders and Australians compete together as Australasia in sporting events. However, complaints from New Zealand recruits led to the adoption of the name Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.[1]

At the beginning, the corps comprised of two divisions; the Australian Division, composed of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Infantry Brigades and the New Zealand and Australian Division, composed of the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade and 4th Australian Infantry Brigade. The 2nd and 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigades were assigned as corps level troops, belonging to neither division.[2]

Following the Gallipoli evacuation, the Corps was reorganised into I ANZAC Corps and II ANZAC Corps which continued fighting the war in France on the Western Front.[3]

In addition to the main ANZAC Corps, their were also smaller ANZAC units such as the ANZAC Mounted Division, ANZAC Cycling Corps and the 4th (ANZAC) Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps.[4]

In November 1917, the original ANZAC Corps ceased to exist. The Australian infantry divisions in France were grouped together as the Australian Corps and the New Zealand Division, then part of II ANZAC Corps, was allocated to a British corps.[5] From this date, although there was no longer a formal ANZAC force, the spirit of the ANZACS lived on, especially through the sacrifices they had made in Gallipoli and in France, which would go on to be commemorated at the annual ANZAC Day dawn services, a sacred tradition in both nations.

Second World War
One lesser-known official use of the ANZAC name was during the Second World War, when the Australian I Corps HQ moved to Greece in March 1941 as part of the doomed defence against Nazi invasion. As the corps also contained the New Zealand 2nd Division, it was officially renamed the ANZAC Corps on 12 April. The Battle of Greece was over a few weeks later and the corps HQ evacuated mainland Greece on 23–24 April, with the name ANZAC Corps no longer being used.[6] These soldiers have been dubbed the "Forgotten ANZACS".

Members of the ANZAC Corps in Greece, 1941.
Australian War Memorial Image AWM 007647

Members of the Maori Battalion performing a Haka in Egypt, 1941.
National Library of NZ id: DA-01229-F

Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, two companies from the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment were integrated into Royal Australian Regiment battalions. These integrated battalions had the suffix (ANZAC) added to their name (for example, 4 RAR became the 4 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion). An ANZAC battalion served as one of the infantry battalions of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) from early March 1968 until its withdrawal in December 1971. There were a total of 3 combined battalions of this period: 2 RAR/NZ Anzac Battalion, 4 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion and 6 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion.[7]

Also during the Vietnam War, the Australian and New Zealand Special Air Service Regiments (SASR) operated together, with a troop of the New Zealand SASR being attached to each Australian squadron from late 1968.[8]

In a six-year period the Australian and New Zealand SASR in Vietnam conducted nearly 1,200 patrols and inflicted heavy casualties on the Viet Cong, including 492 killed, 106 possibly killed, 47 wounded, 10 possibly wounded and 11 prisoners captured. Their own losses totalled one killed in action, one died of wounds, three accidentally killed, one missing and one death from illness. Twenty-eight men were wounded.[9]

Apart from the First World War, this was the strongest period of formal collaboration between Australian and New Zealand soldiers, and these ANZAC's deserve to be honoured alongside their forbearers.

Soldiers of 6RAR/NZ (ANZAC) (The ANZAC Battalion comprising 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment and a component from the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment) aboard armoured personnel carriers (APCs), move back to Long Tan to set up a memorial cross and a commemorative service at the battle site.
AWM EKN/69/0076/VN

Timor Leste
The latest iteration of the ANZACs as a fighting force was the ANZAC Battle Group, the official designation of Australian and New Zealand units deployed to Timor Leste as part of Operation Astute. The battle group was established in September 2006 and was tasked with protecting Timor Leste's security. The ANZAC Battle Group continued operating in Timor Leste until the operation was concluded in 2013 following successful Presidential and Parliamentary elections.[10]

Australian troops landing on Timor beach, 2006
Creative Commons: Australian Civil-Military Centre,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISF_troops_landing_on_Timor_beach.jpg

In conclusion, the history of units using the ANZAC name is long and is a testament to the strong and enduring alliance between the people and nations of Australia and New Zealand. From the original ANZAC Corps in the Great war, through to their brief appearance in the Second World War, a more substantial collaboration in the Vietnam War and in Timor Leste, Australians and New Zealanders have stood and fought together.

References

[1] Davidson, Leon (2005). Scarecrow Army: The Anzacs at Gallipoli. Black Dog Books. p. 24.
[2] Davidson, Leon (2005). Scarecrow Army: The Anzacs at Gallipoli. Black Dog Books. p. 25.
[3] Grey, Jeffrey (2008). A Military History of Australia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 100–102.
[4]Kearney, Robert and Cleary, Sharon (2018), Valour and Violets - South Australia in the Great War. Wakefield Press pp 379-380.
[5] Edmonds, J.E. (1937). Military Operations France and Belgium, 1918; March–April: Continuation of the German Offensives (IWM-Battery Press 1995 ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 30.
[6] Ewer, Peter (2008). Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, ISBN 1921215291.
[7] McGibbon, Ian (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: A History of Combat, Commitment and Controversy. Exisle. p. 550.
[8] Crosby, Ron (2009). NZSAS: The First Fifty Years. Auckland: Viking. p. 195.
[9] Walters, Patrick (6 October 2006). "Unfinished Business". The Australian. Canberra: News Limited. p. 11.
[10] ANZAC Battle Group | Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability. (2011, December 19). Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability | We Hold That It Is Possible to Build Peace, Create Security, and Restore Sustainability for All People in Our Time. https://nautilus.org/publications/books/australian...