About This Unit
9 Infantry Battalion AMF (7 Infantry Brigade, 3 Division, AMF) - WW2
redacted from McKenizie Smith "The Unit Guide" 2018 Big Sky Publishing ISBN: 978-1-925675-14-6 Vol 2 pp 2.200
9 Infantry Battalion, (AMF) was raised in 1921, in Brisbane, taking its designation from its antecedent unit, the 9th Infantry Battalion of the First AIF. In the 1930s, miitia units were running down in strength and many were amalgamated, in this case, 9 and 49 Battalions were linked. When WW2 broke out they were initially used for Vulnerable Point (VP) protection before splitting and returning to part time training. On the entry of Japan into the war in December 1941, conscription of elgible males for 'Home Defence' duties was extended by reducing the age to 19yo, and Militia unit numbers swelled.
9 Battalion was intially tasked as part of the HQ Brisbane Covering Force, before being relocated to Townsville and the 'Outer Defence Line'.
9 Battalion as part of 7 Brigade was in due course, despatched to Milne Bay in Papua, in July 1942, where they were joined by the veteran 18th Bridgade of the 7th Division in August, recently returned from the Middle East. Augmented by various US Army mainly Engineer and Artillery elements, and two squadrons of RAAF P-40 Kittywawk fighters, the collective was placed under command of HQ Milne Force, under the command of Major General Cyril Clowes.
'Milne Force' inflicted the first Allied defeat of Japanese Land Forces in WW2, in August, when a Japanese Marine landing force advanced along the north shore of Milne Bay with the aim of capturing the Airfield. The Allies held and counter attacked supported by Nos 75 and 76 Squadrons and their P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, and the 18th Brigade reinforced by two companies from 9 Battalion, cleared the remnants of the invading Force.
4 Infantry Brigade relieved the 7 Brigade group in March and the latter relocated to Port Moresby, before leaving for Australia in September 1943, to the Atherton Tablelands which became a massive hub for units being reinforced and retrained for subsequent deployment. 7 Brigade returned to New Guinea in July 1944 to join 5 Infantry Division near Madang on the north coast.
They relocated to Bougainville in late 1944 and served out the remainder of the war moving betwen the Southern and Central sectors of the island.