Homeland Defence - Protecting Home Hearth and Heritage
When WW 2 broke out, the main effort of the Australian nation was to create the 2nd AIF for service overseas as part of the British Commonwealth war effort, in parallel with the Empire Air Training Scheme.
However, in Australia, there was a pressing need for garrison troops to manage the 'Home Front', and a range of measures were put in place.
Conscription for Homeland Defence was enacted quickly, with all 'Eligible Males' being subject to call up for training. Draftees were initially assigned to the Militia, however numbers in the queue ovrwhelmed capacity so call up was deferred As the war progressed, many draftees chose to enlist in either the AIF, RAAF or RAN.
When Japan started the Pacific War, Homeland Defence took on a much more dramatic profile. A succession of disasters threw into focus the possibility of invasion of the Australian mainland.
Just how was a nation of 7 million, spread across an area nearly the size of the USA, with most of the northern half virtually empty, to defend itself?
In the Army, four distinct branches emerged:
The 2nd AIF was raised for Active Service outside Australia, in a manner very similar to that seen in WW1, albeit on a reduced scale. Four Divisions were eventually raised with three (6th, 7th and 9th) despatched to the Middle East, although woefully underequippend and reliant on the British for a lot of heavy equipment, particularly artillery. The 8th DIvision meanwhile was desaptched for Garrison Duties in SE Asia.
The Militia / Citizens' Military Forces had an established territorial base, and strong antecedent links with their WW1 predecessor units and personnel. The WW1 AIF structures were re-created and populated albeit composed differently.
It has been siad that Australia 'over-mobilised', with well over a million people in uniform from a population of barely seven million. Fit and able veterans of WW1 rejoined in large numbers for the defence of the Homeland. The Army in particular expanded rapidly and helped meet the burgeoning training demand of new recruits. Equipping it was another issue.
Garrison Battalions were raised from the outset, to man PoW Camps, protect Vital Points and to man fixed Defences.
The Volunteer Defence Corps was initially raised by the Returned and Services League (RSL), along similar lines to the British Home Guard. The government took over control of the VDC in May 1941, and gave the organisation the role of training for guerrilla warfare, collecting local intelligence and providing static defence of each unit's home area. General Harry Chauvel, who had retired in 1930, was recalled to duty in 1940 and appointed Inspector-General of the VDC. Chauvel held this position until his death in March 1945.
Increasingly, the VDC took over or were 'shadow posted' to augment Anti-Aircraft defences and Coastal Artillery fixed defences , including searchlight batteries and the like They were also complemented by large numbers of women serving in an array of organisations inclduing the Australian Womens' Army Service (AWAS) and other services equivalents.
Large numbers of veterans of WW1 attempted to enlist and while many became part of the 2nd AIF, the bulk of them were enlisted into the Militia, VDC and Garrison Battalions. Indeed 'Class B' WW1 veterans formed the backbone of both organisation for much of the rest of the war.
Work in progress..........................
