Australian Army during World War I



The Australian Army was the largest service in the Australian military during World War I. The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the main expeditionary force. Formed from 15 August 1914 with an initial strength of 20,000 men, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Meanwhile, the hastily raised 2,000-man Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF), landed near Rabaul in German New Guinea on 11 September 1914 and after some fighting, the German garrison surrendered on 21 September. The AIF included the Australian Flying Corps. The main formation of the Australian Army was the 1st Division and contained the majority of the Army's regular forces and thus at the start of the war formed the bulk of the AIF. It was initially part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and served with that formation during the Gallipoli campaign, before later serving on the Western Front in Europe. Another five divisions were subsequently raised during the war as the AIF was expanded. In all 416,806 Australians enlisted during the war and 333,000 served overseas.

Background
Following Britain's declaration of war on Imperial Germany on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War, Australia and the other members of the British Empire were automatically involved, with Prime Minister Joseph Cook stating on 5 August that "...when the Empire is at war, so also is Australia." Within days, Brigadier General William Bridges and his staff officer, Major Cyril Brudenell White, had completed plans for the creation of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). White proposed an expeditionary force of 18,000 men, including 12,000 Australians and 6,000 New Zealanders. Cook subsequently approved the proposal, although he increased the offer to 20,000 men to serve in any destination desired by the British government. On 6 August 1914, London cabled its acceptance of the force and asked that it be sent as soon as possible. Recruiting offices opened on 10 August and by the end of 1914, 52,561 volunteers had been accepted, despite strict physical fitness guidelines. Meanwhile, after an additional British request for assistance on 6 August 1914, the Australian government hurriedly prepared another expeditionary force to destroy the German wireless stations at Yap in the Caroline Islands, Nauru, and Rabaul in New Britain.

Home Army
During the precautionary stage on 2 August 1914 prior to the outbreak of war, Citizens Forces units were called up to guard essential points and man coastal forts and harbour defences. The first Australian shots (many sources report the first Allied shots) of both World War I and World War II were fired by the garrison at Fort Nepean. By June 1918, 9,215 home service troops were on active duty in Australia, alongside 2,476 regular soldiers. From 1915, only skeleton garrisons were maintained at coastal forts, but the personnel manning them were forbidden to enlist in the AIF. This ban was lifted in April 1915 but the presence of a German commerce raider in Australian waters caused a mobilisation from February to April 1916, while another mobilisation occurred in April 1918 for the same reason.

First Australian Imperial Force
The 1st AIF was a purely volunteer force raised for the duration of the war. In Australia, two plebiscites on conscription were defeated, thereby preserving the force's volunteer status but stretching the AIF's reserves towards the end of the war. When originally formed in 1914, the AIF was commanded by Major General William Bridges, who also assumed command of the infantry division. The AIF departed Australia in November 1914 and, after several delays due to the presence of German naval vessels in the Indian Ocean, arrived in Egypt, where they were initially used to defend the Suez Canal.

In early 1915, however, it was decided to carry out an amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula with the goal of opening up a second front and securing the passage of the Dardanelles. After Bridges' death at Gallipoli in May 1915, command transferred by default to General William Birdwood, commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Birdwood was officially confirmed as commander of the AIF on 14 September 1916, while also commanding the I Anzac Corps.

The Gallipoli Campaign would last for eight months of bloody stalemate. The original AIF contingent had continued to grow with the arrival of the 2nd Division, which was formed in Egypt and went to Gallipoli in August and September.



In early 1916, it was decided that the infantry divisions would be sent to France, where they took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front. Initially, the AIF had consisted of four infantry brigades with the first three making up the 1st Division, while the 4th Brigade had been joined with the sole New Zealand infantry brigade to form the New Zealand and Australian Division. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the infantry underwent a major expansion with the first four brigades, the 1st Division and the 4th Brigade being split to create the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th Brigades. The four new brigades together with the 4th and 8th Brigades formed two additional divisions (4th and 5th). The 3rd Division was formed in Australia and sailed directly to England for further training before moving to the Western Front, in November 1916. The light horse brigades had served dismounted at Gallipoli. In 1916, they were reunited with their horses and formed into the 1st Anzac Mounted Division in Egypt to campaign against Turkish forces in the Sinai and Palestine. Australia also supplied the majority of troops for the newly formed Imperial Camel Corps Brigade.

The first Australian division to mount a major attack on the Western Front was the 5th Division. The 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions, combined as I Anzac Corps, fought the Battle of Pozières and subsequent Battle of Mouquet Farm, part of the Battle of the Somme. During 1917, the five divisions in France fought in three Allied offensives: the Battle of Bullecourt (part of the Battle of Arras), the Battle of Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres. Meanwhile, the light horse had entered southern Palestine. After two attempts to break through the Turkish defences at Gaza, the decisive victory was achieved in the Third Battle of Gaza in which the Australians captured the town of Beersheba in a dramatic cavalry charge. By the end of the year, British forces had captured Jerusalem.

The German Spring Offensive of early 1918 broke through British lines north and south of the Somme. The five Australian divisions which had been formed into the Australian Corps on 1 November 1917, were moved south to help halt the German advance. In May, Australian General John Monash was given command of the Australian Corps and the first operation he planned as a corps commander, the Battle of Hamel, is widely regarded as the finest set-piece strategy of the war on the Western Front. The Australian Corps, along with the Canadian Corps and the III British Corps, fought in the final Allied offensive which began with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August, and spearheaded the advance north and south of the Somme. By the end of September, the Australian divisions were severely depleted, with only the 3rd and the 5th fit for immediate action. On 5 October the Australian Corps was withdrawn to rest and saw no more fighting before the war ended.

AIF infantry divisions

 * 1st Division
 * 2nd Division
 * 3rd Division
 * 4th Division
 * 5th Division
 * New Zealand and Australian Division (1915)

Each division comprised three infantry brigades and each brigade contained four battalions. A battalion contained about 1,000 men.

At the start of the Gallipoli Campaign the AIF had four infantry brigades with the first three making up the 1st Division. The 4th Brigade was joined with the sole New Zealand infantry brigade to form the New Zealand and Australian Division.The 2nd Division had been formed in Egypt in 1915 and was sent to Gallipoli in August. After Gallipoli, the infantry underwent a major expansion. The 3rd Division was formed in Australia and sent to France. The original infantry brigades (1st to 4th) were split in half to create 16 new battalions to form another four brigades of infantry. These new brigades (12th to 15th) were used to form the 4th and 5th Divisions. This ensured the battalions of the two new divisions had a core of experienced soldiers. A 6th Division commenced forming in England in February 1917 but was never deployed to France and was broken up in September of that year.

The Australian infantry did not have regiments in the British sense, only battalions identified by ordinal numbers (1st to 60th). Each battalion originated from a geographical region. New South Wales and Victoria, the most populous states, filled their own battalions (and even whole brigades) while the "Outer States" often combined to assemble a battalion. These regional associations remained throughout the war and each battalion developed its own strong regimental identity.

In the manpower crisis following the Third Battle of Ypres, in which the five divisions sustained 38,000 casualties, there were plans to follow the British reorganization and reduce all brigades from four battalions to three. In the British regimental system this was traumatic enough; however, the regimental identity survived the disbanding of a single battalion. In the Australian system, disbanding a battalion meant the extinction of the unit. In September 1918, when the call was made to disband eight battalions, there followed a series of "mutinies over disbandment" where the ranks refused to report to their new battalions. In the AIF, mutiny was one of two charges that carried the death penalty, the other being desertion to the enemy. Instead of being charged with mutiny, the instigators were charged as being AWOL and the doomed battalions were eventually permitted to remain together for the forthcoming battle, following which the survivors voluntarily disbanded.

Gallipoli


The first unit to be raised for the hostilities was the Australian 1st Division which was raised during the initial formation of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 15 August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The division consisted of around 18,000 men, organised into three infantry brigades, each of four battalions, and various supporting units including artillery, light horse, engineers and medical personnel. Each infantry battalion initially consisted of eight companies, although in January 1915, they were reorganised into the British four-company system. Its first commander was the senior Australian general and head of the AIF, Major General William Bridges. Over the course of six weeks, the division's subordinate units were raised separately in the various states before embarking overseas. The transports then concentrated off the Western Australian coast and the combined fleet sailed for Britain. While en route, concerns about overcrowding in the training camps in the United Kingdom meant that the decision was made to land the division in Egypt, where it would complete its training before being transported to the Western Front.

While in Egypt, the division was assigned to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps along with the New Zealand and Australian Division. Following the Allied decision to force a passage through the Dardanelles, the division was allocated to take part in a landing on the Gallipoli peninsula along with Anglo-French forces. The 1st Division made the initial landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. The 3rd Brigade formed the covering force which landed first, around dawn. The 1st and 2nd Brigades followed, landing from transports, and all were ashore by 9:00 am. While the landing was lightly opposed on the beach by elements of a single Turkish battalion, the Australians were checked short of their objectives as Turkish reinforcements arrived to secure the high ground around Chunuk Bair and Sari Bair. Critical fights developed on the left, over the hill known as Baby 700, and on the right on 400 Plateau, but stalemate set in and little further progress would be made for the remaining eight months of the campaign.

On 15 May 1915, after Bridges was mortally wounded by a sniper, an English officer, Brigadier-General Harold Walker was given temporary command while a replacement was dispatched from Australia. This was Colonel James Legge, the Australian Chief of the General Staff, who was not an immediately popular choice with either his corps commander, Lieutenant-General William Birdwood, or his subordinate brigade commanders. That same month, the division's artillery – three field artillery brigades each operating twelve 18-pound pieces, which had proved inadequate in the early battle, was boosted by the arrival of several Japanese-made trench mortars. They were later joined by several heavier guns including a 4.7-inch gun and two 6-inch howitzers. On 24 June, Legge replaced Walker, who returned to command of the 1st Brigade, but after Legge was evacuated from Gallipoli he was moved sideways to command of the newly formed Australian 2nd Division and Walker resumed command of the 1st Division.

The 1st Division's role in the August Offensive was to hold the front line and conduct a diversion on 400 Plateau at Lone Pine on 6 August. The resulting battle was the only occasion when a significant length of the Turkish trench line was captured, but resulted in heavy casualties. The main assault was made by the 1st Brigade, which was later reinforced by the 7th and 12th Battalions. Out of an assault force of 2,900 men, 1,700 were killed or wounded. On 7 August, the 6th Battalion from the 2nd Brigade made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the German Officers' Trench as a preliminary operation to other assaults by light horsemen at Quinn's Post and the Nek.

In October, Walker was severely wounded and replaced by the division's artillery commander, Brigadier General Talbot Hobbs who in turn fell ill and was replaced on 6 November by the commander of the Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade, Brigadier General Harry Chauvel. The 1st Division was evacuated from the peninsula in December, returning to Egypt. During the early months of 1916 the AIF underwent a period of re-organisation and expansion, and the division's experienced personnel were used to provide cadre staff to the newly formed 4th and 5th Divisions before being brought back up to strength in preparation for deployment to the Western Front. On 14 March, Walker, having recovered from his wounds, resumed command of the division, now part of I Anzac Corps. Seven members of the division received the Victoria Cross for their actions during the campaign: Alexander Burton, William Dunstan, Frederick Tubb, Patrick Hamilton, Leonard Keysor, Alfred Shout, William Symons.

Somme, 1916
After reorganising in Egypt, where it was briefly employed to defend the Suez Canal against an Ottoman attack that never came, the 1st Division was transferred to France in mid-March. Arriving in Marseilles, they were moved by train to northern France where it was initially sent to a quiet sector south of Armentières to acclimatise to the Western Front conditions. The division was not considered ready to be committed to the fighting at the start of the offensive on the Somme in early July, but as it dragged on I Anzac was sent to join the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough who intended to use the Australian divisions to take the village of Pozières. Walker resisted Gough's efforts to throw the 1st Division into battle unprepared, insisting on careful preparation. When the 1st Division attacked shortly after midnight on 23 July, it succeeded in capturing half of the village but failed to make progress in the neighbouring German trench system. After enduring a heavy German bombardment, far surpassing anything yet experienced by an Australian unit, the 1st Division was withdrawn, having suffered 5,285 casualties, and was replaced by the Australian 2nd Division.

The division's respite was brief as in mid-August, with its battalions restored to about two-thirds strength, it returned to the line on Pozières Ridge, relieving the Australian 4th Division and continuing the slow progress towards Mouquet Farm. On 22 August, having lost another 2,650 men, the division was once again relieved by the 2nd Division. The division rotated through the line, conducting patrols and raids until 5 September when I Anzac Corps was withdrawn from the Somme and sent to Ypres for rest. The division anticipated spending winter quarters in Flanders but was recalled to the Somme for the final stages of the British offensive. This time they joined the British Fourth Army, holding a sector south of Pozières near the village of Flers. The battlefield had been reduced to a slough of mud but the 1st Division was required to mount a number of attacks around Gueudecourt during the Battle of Le Transloy; all ended in failure which was inevitable in the conditions.

German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, 1917
Starting on 24 February 1917, the 1st Division took part in the pursuit of the German forces as they retreated to their prepared fortifications in the Hindenburg Line. The division advanced against the German screen towards Bapaume and, on the night of 26 February, the 3rd Brigade captured the villages of Le Barque and Ligny-Thilloy. On the morning of 2 March, they withstood a German attempt to retake the villages. The 1st Division was then withdrawn to rest, joining the 4th Division. I Anzac's pursuit was carried on by the 2nd and 5th Divisions.

By April, the 1st Division (and I Anzac Corps) was once again part of Gough's Fifth Army (formerly the Reserve Army). On 9 April – the day the British launched the Battle of Arras – the 1st Division captured the last three villages (Hermies, Boursies and Demicourt) used by the Germans as outposts of the Hindenburg Line, thereby bringing the British line in striking distance of the main Hindenburg defences. This action cost the division 649 casualties. For actions during the fighting at Boursies, Captain James Newland and Sergeant John Whittle, both of the 12th Battalion (3rd Brigade), were awarded the Victoria Cross.

Hindenburg Line, 1917
The 1st Division was in support during the First Battle of Bullecourt which was the Fifth Army's main contribution to the Arras offensive. Once the first attempt on Bullecourt had failed, British attention concentrated on Arras and the Fifth Army's front was stretched thin with the 1st Division having to cover more than 12000 yd.

The Germans, well aware of the vulnerable state of the British defences, launched a counter-stroke on 15 April (the Battle of Lagnicourt). The Germans attacked with 23 battalions against four Australian battalions. The German plan was to drive back the advanced posts, destroy supplies and guns and then retire to the Hindenburg defences. However, despite their numerical superiority, the Germans were unable to penetrate the Australian line. The 1st Division's artillery batteries in front of Lagnicourt were overrun and the village was occupied for two hours but counter-attacks from the Australian 9th and 20th Battalions (the latter from the 2nd Division) drove the Germans out. In this action the Australians suffered 1,010 casualties, mainly in the 1st Division, against 2,313 German casualties. Only five artillery guns were damaged.

On 3 May the Second Battle of Bullecourt commenced. Initially the 1st Division in reserve but it was drawn into the fighting on the second day when the 1st Brigade was detached to support the 2nd Division's attack. The Australians seized a foothold in the Hindenburg Line which over the following days was slowly expanded. By 6 May, they had captured over 1000 yd of the German trenchline, and the 3rd Brigade had also been committed. The German attempts to drive the British from their gains finally ceased on 17 May and the 1st Division was withdrawn for an extended rest, having suffered 2,341 casualties.

Third Battle of Ypres
The 1st Division's artillery was in action from the start of the Third Battle of Ypres on 31 July 1917 but the infantry were not called upon until the second phase of the battle commenced on 20 September with the Battle of Menin Road. Attacking across 1000 m front, along with ten other divisions, including the Australian 2nd Division on their left, the 1st Division captured around 1500 m of ground, securing Glencorse Wood and gaining a foothold in Polygon Wood. The Australian divisions suffered 5,000 casualties from the battle – the 1st Division lost 2,754 men – mainly due to retaliatory shelling from heavy artillery after the advance had completed.

The 1st Division was relieved by the Australian 5th Division before the next assault, the Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September), but in turn took up the advance for the following Battle of Broodseinde (4 October), the third and final of the successful bite-and-hold attacks conceived by General Herbert Plumer of the British Second Army. This battle marked the peak of British success during 3rd Ypres and apart from minor roles on the southern flank of the Canadian Corps during the Battle of Poelcappelle, First Battle of Passchendaele and the Second Battle of Passchendaele, it was the end of the 1st Division's involvement. The division's casualties were 2,448 men killed or wounded.

Hazebrouck
The Australians wintered in Flanders, engaging in vigorous patrolling and raiding. The 1st Division was still at Messines when the Germans launched their final offensive starting on the Somme with Operation Michael on 21 March 1918. In the first week of April, the 1st Division, along with the 2nd, began moving to the Somme when, on 9 April, the Germans launched Operation Georgette; an attack north and south of Armentières followed by a swift drive towards the vital rail junction of Hazebrouck.

The 1st Division, having reached Amiens and about to join up with the Australian Corps, was ordered to turn around and hurry back north. Hazebrouck was reached on 12 April, just in time to relieve the exhausted British divisions. Holding a line 5 mi east of the town, the 1st Division helped halt the German advance on 13 April (the Battle of Hazebrouck) and then repulsed a renewed offensive on 17 April after which the Germans abandoned their push, concentrating instead on the high ground west of Messines.

The division remained active in Flanders from May to July, engaging in a process of informal but carefully planned raiding known as Peaceful Penetration. Their greatest success came on 11 July when they took 1000 yd of front, 120 prisoners and 11 machine guns from the German 13th Reserve Division. This unrelenting pressure had a severe impact on German morale.

Hundred Days, 1918
The 1st Division returned to the Australian Corps on 8 August 1918, the day on which the final British offensive commenced with the Battle of Amiens. The division was sent into action the following day, relieving the 5th Division, but arrived late due to its rushed preparation. The 1st Division continued the attack for the next three days, driving towards Lihons, but progress was slow as the Australians moved beyond their supporting guns and tanks.

On 23 August the 1st Division attacked south of the River Somme towards Chuignes with the British 32nd Division on its southern flank attacking Herleville. The Australians suffered 1,000 casualties but took 2,000 German prisoners out of a total of 8,000 captured by both the British Third and Fourth Armies on that day. The 1st also captured a German 15-in naval gun. On 18 September, despite being severely depleted – only 2,854 infantrymen out of division's 12,204 nominal strength were available – the 1st Division took part in the assault on the Hindenburg "Outpost" Line during the Battle of Épehy, capturing a large section of the line.

After this, the division was withdrawn from the line. They would take no further part in the fighting, having lost 677 men in their final battle. In early October, the rest of the Australian Corps, severely depleted due to heavy casualties and falling enlistments in Australia, was also withdrawn upon a request made by Prime Minister Billy Hughes, to re-organise in preparation for further operations. On 11 November, an armistice came into effect, and as hostilities came to an end, the division's personnel were slowly repatriated back to Australia for demobilisation and discharge. This was completed by 23 March 1919, when the division was disbanded. Throughout the course of the war, the division suffered lost around 15,000 men killed and 35,000 wounded, out of the 80,000 men that served in its ranks.

In commemoration of its war dead, the division built a memorial a stone obelisk memorial at Pozieres, as the division lost more casualties there than any other battle (7,654 casualties in six weeks). The memorial lists the division's main battles as: Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Le Barque, Thilloy, Boursies, Demicourt, Hermies, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt, Third Ypres, Menin Road, Broodseinde Ridge, Poelcapelle, Second Passchendaele, Hazebrouck, Somme, Lihons, Chuignolles, Hindenburg Line and Epehy.

2nd Australian Division
The 2nd Division was first formed in 1915 during World War I as part of the First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF), and served in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front.

The Australian 2nd Division was formed from reinforcements training in Egypt on 10 July 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force to fight in World War I. It fought at Gallipoli during the latter stages of the campaign and then traversed to the Western Front in France where it was the last Australian division to see combat. After the war ended and the AIF was demobilised, the 2nd Division name was revived and assigned to a Citizens Military Forces (reserve) unit.

Gallipoli, 1915
The Australian 2nd Division was formed in July 1915 from a collection of brigades that had been raised independently in Australia (in February and April 1915), and sent to Egypt (in May and June 1915) for further training. Initially, it was intended that the division's commander would be James McCay, but he was wounded on 11 July, and invalided back to Australia and so, the command of the division went to Lieutenant-General James Legge.

Due to the pressing need for more soldiers for the Gallipoli Campaign, parts of the 2nd Division was sent to Anzac Cove in mid August 1915, with the rest of the division arriving by early September – despite the fact that the division was only partially trained. The 2nd Division held a quiet stretch of the original line (as a majority of the fighting was taking place north of ANZAC Cove), and only a part of the division (the 18th Battalion) saw serious fighting during around Hill 60 on 22 August. The 2nd Division was evacuated from the peninsula in December, returning to Egypt, where it was brought back up to strength.

Somme, 1916
The 2nd Division started to arrived in France in March 1916, and was initially sent (as part of the I Anzac Corps with the Australian 1st Division) to a quiet sector south of Armentières to acclimatise to the Western Front conditions. In mid-July, with the British offensive on the Somme dragging on, I Anzac Corps was sent to join the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough who intended to use the Australian divisions to take the village of Pozières (the Battle of Pozières). Due to the casualties sustained by the Australian 1st Division's attack at Pozières on 23 July, it was replaced by the 2nd Division on 27 July. Continuing the attack started by the 1st Division, the 2nd Division attacked on 29 July. However, due to the hurried preparation (some of the attacking troops had not seen their objective in the day), the division sustained approximately 3,500 casualties for little gain.



The 2nd Division attacked again on 4 August, capturing the OG2 trench line and part of the crest. Alarmed by the loss of the defences (including the crest), the Germans initiated a severe, sustained artillery bombardment. The position of the Australian salient, meant that the soldiers were receive artillery fire from the rear – from German batteries near Thiepval. After 12 days on the front line and sustaining 6,846 casualties, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 4th Division on 6 August.

After a brief rest – during which the division was built up to two-thirds strength – the 2nd Division again relieved the Australian 1st Division from its position beyond Pozières (in front of Mouquet Farm) on 22 August (the Battle of Mouquet Farm). Attacking on 26 August, the 2nd Division succeeded in penetrating past the fortifications at Mouquet Farm only to be attacked from the rear as the German troops (the elite 1st Guards Reserve and 4th Guards Divisions) emerged from the fortified underground positions at Mouquet Farm. These counterattacks succeeded in forcing the 2nd Division back from Mouquet Farm. After sustaining another 1,268 casualties, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 4th Division on 26 August.

On 5 September, I Anzac was withdrawn from the Somme and sent to Ypres for rest. The division anticipated spending winter quarters in Flanders but was recalled to the Somme for the final stages of the British offensive. This time they joined the British Fourth Army, holding a sector south of Pozières near the village of Flers. The battlefield had been reduced to a slough of mud but the 2nd Division was required to mount a number of attacks, with the 7th Brigade attacking the German series of trenches called "The Maze" on 5 November. While part of the German trenches were captured and held, the exhausted soldiers were ejected from their gains a few days later. The 7th Brigade attacked again on 14 November, but were only partially successful in capturing parts of the "Gird" and "Gird Support" trenches immediately to the north of "The Maze". However, a German counterattack on 16 November succeeded in recapturing all of the trenches captured by the 2nd Division, which had sustained a total of 1,720 casualties in the two attacks.



In January, Legge fell ill and was replaced by Brigadier-General Nevill Maskelyne Smyth VC (who had formerly commanded the Australian 1st Brigade since during the Gallipoli Campaign). Legge returned to Australia to take up the post of Inspector General. However, until Smyth was available, the division was temporarily commanded by the commander of the 6th Brigade, Brigadier-General John Gellibrand.

German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, 1917
In mid-January 1917, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 5th Division, however by late February (during the German withdrawal to the prepared fortifications in the Hindenburg Line), the 2nd Division was active in engaging the German rearguard as it fell back to the first fortified reserve position (known to the British as the Loupart-Le Transloy Line, and called the R.I. stellung by the Germans). The Germans had decided to temporarily hold the R.I. position, (which was centred on the village of Bapaume) so on 25 February, the 5th and 6th brigades mounted an unsuccessful attack on the "Malt" trench – an outpost in front of the R.I. position.

Continual small attacks were conducted on the Malt Trench through 26 and 27 February, with a larger attack attempted on the 27th and 28th by the 7th Brigade. However, as the wire defences were undamaged, little headway could be made. It was not until 2 March, after sustained artillery fire had cut paths through the wire, that the 7th Brigade captured portions of Malt trench. This brought the 2nd Division close enough to be able to attack the R.I. position. As the 2nd Division was preparing to attack the R.I. position in front of Loupart Wood (the attack was planned to commence on 13 March), it was discovered on 12 March, that the Germans had already withdrawn to the second reserve position ''R.II. Stellung'' centred on the crest of the ridge beyond Bapaume. R.II. was evacuated by the Germans on 17 March, as they withdrew to the Hindenburg Line.

Starting on 17 March 1917, the 2nd Division was reorganised to pursue the German withdrawal, with the 6th Brigade chosen to lead the pursuit. On 20 March, the 6th Brigade attempted a hasty attack on the fortified village of Noreuil, which was beaten back with 331 casualties. However, the next attack on the fortified village of Lagnicourt on 26 March was successful, with the German counter-attack on the same day defeated by the Australians. Soon after, the 2nd Division was relieved by Australian 4th Division, which conducted a second attack on the fortified village of Noreuil, which was captured on 2 April. With the capture of Noreuil (Louverval and Doignies were also taken by the Australian 5th Division on 2 April), the I Anzac Corps was within striking distance of the main Hindenburg defences.



Hindenburg Line
The 2nd Division was in support during the First Battle of Bullecourt which was the Fifth Army's main contribution to the Arras offensive. Once the first attempt on Bullecourt had failed, the 2nd Division relieved the Australian 4th Division from in front of Bullecourt – a front of approximately 2750 yd – on 13 April.

As such, when the Germans launched a counter-stroke on 15 April in front of the village of Lagnicourt (the Battle of Lagnicourt), part of it fell on the 17th Battalion (which was holding the right flank of the 2nd Division), with the remainder falling on the 1st Division. The attack was strongest along the divisional boundary between the 1st and 2nd Divisions, and as a result the Germans managed to penetrate between the 17th Battalion and the neighbouring 12th Battalion and capture the village of Lagnicourt. Prompt counterattacks by the 5th Brigade (2nd Division) and the 3rd Brigade (1st Division) managed to drive off the attacking Germans, and re-establish the original front line. During this battle, the 2nd Division experienced 305 casualties (of the 1,010 casualties experienced by the I Anzac Corps).

On 3 May the Second Battle of Bullecourt commenced with the 2nd Division attacking the two trench lines east of Bullecourt – seizing parts of both trench lines. Counter attacks forced the troops out of the second trench line, and out of most of the captured first line. Further attacks were conducted on 4 May and 6 May by brigades of the Australian 1st Division that were attached to the 2nd Division, supported by the troops of the 2nd Division, resulted in the capture of most of the first line of trenches. After repulsing a total of six German counterattacks, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 5th Division on the 8th/9 May, having experienced 3,898 casualties. The 2nd Division was then sent to rest areas in the Somme region, until the end of July, when the division was sent to Flanders for training.

Third Battle of Ypres
The 2nd Division's artillery was in action from the start of the Third Battle of Ypres on 22 July 1917 but the infantry were not called upon until the second phase of the battle commenced on 20 September with the Battle of Menin Road. Attacking along with ten other divisions, including the Australian 1st Division on their right and the 9th (Scottish) Division on their left, the 2nd Division advanced an average of 1000 yd. The division sustained 2259 casualties, and was relieved on 22 September by the Australian 4th Division, which then continued the offensive in the next battle, the Battle of Polygon Wood.

Relieving the British 3rd Infantry Division between 29 September and 1 October, the 2nd Division's task in the Battle of Broodseinde was to advance 1800 to 1900 yd, and to capture one of the ridgelines which dominated the Ypres Salient. Attacking on 4 October, one of the most unlikely of occurrences happened, when a German attack started at almost the same time as the Australian attack – resulting in the two attacking forces engaging each other in no-mans land. Quickly gaining the upper hand, the 2nd Division captured all of its objectives, while sustaining 2,174 casualties. This battle marked the peak of British success during 3rd Ypres, and with rain starting to fall on 3 October, was the last successful battle of the Third Battle of Ypres.

With rain starting to fall heavier and heavier, the conditions on the ground deteriorated, so that when the next attack started on 9 October (the Battle of Poelcappelle) the ground became difficult to traverse, resulting in the troops moving up to their starting positions becoming exhausted prior to the start of the attack. The role of the 2nd Division in the Battle of Poelcappelle, was for the left brigade to advance 800 yd and so protect the flank of the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division while the right brigade would pivot on its right flank and match its left flank to the movement of the left Brigade. With an average battalion strength of only 160 men, and supported by a weak artillery barrage, the advance quickly stalled, and resulted in only small gains at a cost of 1,253 casualties. As a result of the exhaustion of the troops, the 2nd Division was relieved by the Australian 4th Division by 12 October.

The 2nd Division relieved the Australian 5th Division on 27 October, and continued to hold the line along the Broodseinde Ridge, until all of the Australian divisions (by now grouped into an all Australian Corps) were transferred south to Flanders (centred on the town of Messines).

German Spring Offensive, 1918
The 2nd Division was in support or reserve at Messines until 8 March 1918, where it then entered the line in the southern sector (centred on Ploegsteert), where it stayed until 3 April. The Division was relieved by the 25th British Division, and began moving to the Somme in response to the start (on 21 March) of the initial German offensive – Operation Michael.

Upon reaching the Somme on 4 April, the leading brigade (the 5th) was detached to relieve the overstrained troops around Villers-Bretonneux, while the rest of the Division (under the command of the British Third Army) relieved the Australian 4th Division (where the 4th had just fought the Battle of Dernancourt) near Dernancourt on 8 April. The detached 5th Brigade (under the command of the British Fourth Army) was initially put into a reserve line (locally known as the "Aubigny Line") under the 14th Division, before it was sent further south to support (and later relieve) the 18th Division south of Villers-Bretonneux.

After the 5th Brigade had relieved the 18th Division (on 5 April), it was decided that the 5th would recapture the lost parts of Hangard wood, and so reduce a salient that threatened the southern flank of the Australian forces at Villers-Bretonneux. The attack was conducted on 7 April, and while it succeeded in clearing Hangard Wood (at a cost of 151 casualties), the position that the attacking troops were expected to fortify was poorly sited, and as a result the attacking troops retreated to their starting positions.

Another attack was planned for 15 April, this time in conjunction with the French First Army, with the objective of eliminating the entire salient south of Villers-Bretonneux. However, when the next German Offensive (the Battle of Lys) started on 9 April, it drew off the British forces required to mount the attack. In addition, German attacks on 7 and 12 April resulted in the capture of the village of Hangard, and abandonment of the attack. However, it was decided that a small local attack would be mounted, with the intention of capturing the cemetery and cemetery copse north of the village of Hangard. The role of the 5th Brigade was to capture the copse, while the French captured the cemetery. The Australians were unable to secure the copse, which fell to German counterattacks (with a total of 84 casualties), however the French were able to capture the cemetery. The 5th Brigade returned to the Australian Corps on 19 April.

3rd Australian Division
The 3rd Australian Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. Existing during various periods between 1916 and 1991, it is considered the "longest serving Australian Army division". It was first formed during World War I, as an infantry division of the Australian Imperial Force and saw service on the Western Front in France and Belgium. During this time it fought major battles at Messines, Broodseinde Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens, and the St Quentin Canal.

Formation and training
In early 1916, following the unsuccessful Gallipoli campaign, the decision was made to expand the size of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). At the time there were two divisions in Egypt—the 1st and 2nd—and of these, one of them (the 1st) was split up to provide a cadre upon which to raise the 4th and 5th Divisions. Around this time the decision to raise a fifth division from fresh volunteers in Australia was also made and as a result the 3rd Division was officially raised on 2 February 1916.

Upon formation, the division drew its personnel from all Australian states and consisted of three four-battalion infantry brigades—the 9th, 10th and the 11th—and a number of supporting elements including engineers, artillery and medical personnel. Only rudimentary initial training was undertaken before elements of the division began the embarkation process in May and June 1916 as they were moved to the United Kingdom, where the individual sub units concentrated for the first time, received arms and other equipment and began the task of undertaking further training at Lark Hill, on Salisbury Plain. In July the division's artillery component was formed, consisting of three batteries of 18-pounders and one 4.5 inch howitzer battery. The process of raising and training took some time and consequently the division was not transferred to France until mid November 1916. Prior to this, however, the division endured proposals to break it up to provide reinforcements to the other four Australian divisions that were already in France. Although these threats passed, in early September 1916, following losses around Pozieres, almost 3,000 men from the 3rd Division were transferred. Throughout October it seemed likely that further drafts would be siphoned away from the division, however, this did not occur and in early November two divisional exercises were undertaken. Finally, on 21 November 1916, the 3rd Division crossed the English Channel and arrived in France.

Under the command of Major General John Monash, the division was assigned to II ANZAC Corps. For the next two years they would take part in most of the major battles that the Australians fought on the Western Front. Initially they were deployed around Armentieres in a "quiet" sector of the line, where they gained their first experiences of trench warfare, conducting patrols into No Man's Land and minor raids on the German trenches opposite them during the winter months.

Early engagements, 1917
By January 1917 the 3rd Division's artillery had been reorganised so that it consisted of two field artillery brigades, each of which consisted of three six-gun 18-pounder batteries and twelve 4.5 inch howitzers. These brigades were the 7th (consisting of the 25th, 26th, 27th and 107th Batteries) and the 8th (29th, 30th, 31st and 108th Batteries). In April 1917 the division was moved to the Messines–Wytschaete Ridge section of the line in Belgium, taking up a position on the extreme right of II ANZAC Corps, with the New Zealand Division to its left. It was here, in early June 1917, that the division undertook its first major engagement of the war when it was committed to the fighting during the Battle of Messines. Monash tasked the 9th and 10th Brigades to provide the assault force for the 3rd Division's part of the operation, while the 11th Brigade was to act as the divisional reserve.

As the division's assault units began their approach march towards the line of departure late on the evening of 6 June, the German artillery opened up with a gas bombardment that severely hindered the march, breaking up the assaulting units as men became lost. Suffering over 2,000 casualties before the battle even began, many of the division's assault units reached their assembly points with less than 200 men, nevertheless they arrived on time and at the appointed hour, after a number of mines were exploded in front of their positions, the assault began. The exploding mines had destroyed a large part of the German line and as a result initial resistance was quickly overcome by the division's lead battalions—the 33rd, 34th, 38th and 39th—and by 5 am, the division had gained the crest of the Messines ridge and began digging in to defend against a possible counter-attack. In the engagements that followed the division largely played only a supporting role.

Following this, the division's next major engagement came on 4 October 1917 when it took part in the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge. This time the 9th Brigade was held back in reserve, while the 10th and 11th Brigades led the division forward. Attacking on the left of the Australian 2nd Division and the right of the New Zealand Division, early on the morning of the scheduled start of the attack the German artillery opened up on the division's eight assaulting infantry battalions as they stood to in the open ready to step off. Conserving their artillery for the main attack, the supporting Allied artillery only provided limited counter-battery fire and the division suffered heavily as they were forced to endure an hour long barrage before zero hour came at 6 am. As the 37th and 43rd Battalions led the advance towards the German lines, supported by small teams of mortarmen and machine gunners, the Germans launched their own attack, however, the Australian assault had taken them by surprise and after some initial resistance, the German assault troops began to fall back or surrender. As the follow-on battalions exploited the ground gained in the initial assault the advance continued and by 9:15 am the 3rd Division had carried the ridge and begun to dig in, having advanced 2000 yd. A counterattack late in the day on the 11th Brigade's position was turned back, sealing a stunning success for the 3rd Division. Nevertheless, the division's casualties were high, with over 1,800 men killed or wounded. For his actions during the attack, Walter Peeler, a Lewis-gunner from the 3rd Pioneer Battalion who was attached to 37th Battalion for anti-aircraft duties received the Victoria Cross after he personally led the assault on a number of German positions.

They held the line for a further three days before being withdrawn for rest and reorganisation. On 10 October 1917 the division returned to the front and began to make preparations to assault Passchendaele Ridge, an advance of over 3000 yd. Heavy rain, however, had turned the battlefield into a thick, muddy morass and as a result transportation and resupply efforts were hampered as were attempts to reposition the supporting artillery and as a consequence when the attack went in at 5:25 am on 12 October the 9th and 10th Brigades had only limited fire support. With only a fraction of the guns required and limited ammunition, the artillery that was supposed to provide a creeping barrage behind which the infantry were to advance could only provide a thin bombardment. Nevertheless, the mud was so thick that the infantry were unable to keep up with the barrage and, unable to maintain the required rate of advance, they eventually they fell behind the barrage and lost any cover that it might otherwise have provided.

Upon reaching the Bellevue Spur, the assaulting infantry, caught in the open upon the barbed wire in front of the German positions, suffered heavily at the hands of the German artillery that was able to fire without answer from the British batteries that had run out of ammunition. Nevertheless, the 10th Brigade managed to reach its first objective, as did the 9th which even pushed on to its second, however, as they began to receive enfilade fire from their left flank where the New Zealand Division's attack had ground to a halt, the Germans began massing for a counterattack and the Australian positions quickly became untenable. On the division's right flank another gap had begun to develop as they lost contact with the Australian 4th Division and as a result the order to retire was passed. As they returned to the start line, the assault units were relieved by the 11th Brigade, which had formed the divisional reserve. By the end of the day, the division had lost almost 3,200 men killed or wounded. They played no further offensive role in the battle and were eventually removed from the line on 22 October as the Canadians took over from them.

The fighting around Passchendaele proved to be the division's last offensive actions for 1917 and they spent the winter months in the rear training, or undertaking defensive duties in reasonably quiet sectors of the line as they were reformed and brought back up to strength. Around this time also, the five Australian divisions on the Western Front were reorganised into a unified command structure under the Australian Corps.

German Spring Offensive, 1918
In March 1918 the Germans launched their Spring Offensive near Saint-Quentin and as the Allied line collapsed, the German forces advanced swiftly into the Somme valley. Believing that another attack would be directed against the forces in the Flanders sector, in an effort to reinforce the British forces there, the Allied commanders recalled the 3rd Division was recalled from its quiet sector around Armentieres and sent it to Ypres. The attack came, however, at the Somme and so on 24 March the division was transferred south to help stem the advance and defend the approaches towards the important railhead at Amiens. Temporarily placed under the command of the British VII Corps, the division took up position to the east of Amiens in between the Ancre and Somme Rivers.

Lacking any reserves and possessing only limited artillery support, the division's engineers prepared the bridges over the rivers for detonation. From 27 March onwards minor actions were fought along the line as the German advance began to reach the Australians. On 30 March a serious attempt at penetrating the line around Sailly-Laurette was held and broken up by the 11th Brigade, with German losses being assessed at around one and a half brigades, or roughly between 3 to 4,000 men. On 6 April further attempts were made and in the confusion the charges that had been placed on the Bouzencourt Bridge were fired and it was dropped into the Somme Canal. Nevertheless the attempt was beaten off by the 10th Brigade. Following this the Australians were able to begin taking the initiative and throughout May they began to slowly recapture some of the ground that had been lost earlier as they undertook a series of peaceful penetration operations.

In June 1918, the 3rd Division's commander, Monash, was promoted to take over command of the Australian Corps and as a result Major General John Gellibrand took over as divisional commander.

Battle of Amiens, 1918
On 8 August 1918, the Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive around Amiens and the 3rd Division was tasked with leading the Australian Corps part in the attack. By this stage, the divisional artillery consisted of three field brigades, and under the cover of a heavy artillery bombardment provided by nine field brigades that were organised in three supporting sub-groups, and supported by tanks and gas, the attack began at 4:20 am. The weight of the Allied fire support was intense as over 2,000 artillery pieces opened up on the German defences. The assaulting infantry battalions were each assigned a frontage of about 1000 yd which they assaulted with two companies forward and two in support. Thick smoke meant that the attackers found it difficult to maintain their spacing and some of the supporting armour was also delayed. Nevertheless the attack proved successful, as the Australians overwhelmed the German defenders and by the end of the day the division had achieved all of its objectives.

Throughout the rest of August, they continued offensive operations, even launching daylight raids upon the German positions. On 22 August they attacked once more, advancing through the village of Bray, capturing a number of German prisoners. After a brief lull in the fighting, they continued the advance again on 25 August capturing Clery at the end of the week before taking Allaines on 2 September. Throughout September the Germans began to withdraw back towards the Hindenburg Line and the 3rd Division took part in the operations undertaken to follow them up and harass the rearguard. Casualties during this phase had been high, however, and as a result the division's pioneers were used as infantry and even led the advance towards Buire on 6 September.

As operations continued throughout the month, casualties amongst the Australian Corps became critical and the decision was made to disband some of the 3rd Division's battalions and use them to reinforce the remaining units. This decision saw the reduction of the strength of division's infantry brigades from four battalions to three, bringing the Australians into line with the British, who had made a similar decision earlier in the war. Nevertheless, the decision was not popular amongst the soldiers and when the 42nd Battalion received the order to disband, the attempt was rejected by its personnel and the order disobeyed. As a result, the proposed reorganisation was postponed until after the division's final offensive actions were fought in early October 1918. These came around the St Quentin Canal when the division attacked the Beaurevoir Line in concert with American troops from the US 27th Division, who would lead the assault in. The attack went awry, however, when the lead assault units failed to adequately clear the forward positions and subsequently when the 3rd Division was committed they came under fire almost immediately and instead of passing through the American positions, they had to complete the mopping up process before they could advance. Nevertheless by nightfall on 1 October, the division had captured the northern end of the tunnel that ran under the canal.

On 2 October the majority of the 3rd Division was removed from the line for rest and reorganisation, although a number of its artillery batteries would continue to support the operations of the II American Corps until they were withdrawn. Following this they continued to participate in the fighting in support of the British 6th Division. The 27th Battery fired the division's last shot of the war on 4 November at Wassigny. Nevertheless, the division was out of the line when news of the Armistice came on 11 November 1918. Following the end of hostilities the demobilisation process began and as men were repatriated back to Australia, the division was eventually disbanded on 28 May 1919.

4th Australian Division
In January 1916, Major General A. J. Godley, then commanding the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the AIF, put forward a proposal to use Australian reinforcements then training in Egypt to form two new divisions. The Australian government concurred and the Australian 4th Division was formed in this expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades in February 1916. In addition to the experienced 4th Brigade (previously in the original New Zealand and Australian Division) there were added the new 12th and 13th Brigades (spawned from the battalions of the 4th and 3rd Brigades respectively).

Egypt
The 4th Division began forming in Egypt in February 1916. The new division included the 4th Infantry Brigade, 4th Field Company, 4th Field Ambulance and 7th Army Service Corps Company which had fought at Gallipoli. The 12th and 13th Infantry Brigades were formed by taking half the personnel of the 4th and 3rd Infantry Brigades. Delays in assembling the artillery meant that the Division could not depart for France before June 1916.

Somme, 1916
The division was initially stationed on the Suez Canal. In June 1916 it moved to France, taking over part of the "nursery" sector near Armentieres. Its stay there was brief and soon it was accompanying the First and Second Divisions to the Somme sector. In August 1916 it relieved the Second Division on the Pozieres Heights and repulsed a major German counterattack. It then drove north to the outskirts of Mouquet Farm. A second tour of the Somme at Mouquet Farm followed in September and a third at Flers in October.

Hindenburg Line
On 11 April 1917 the division assaulted the Hindenburg Line in the First Battle of Bullecourt. The battle was a disaster and 1170 Australian prisoners were taken by the Germans. In June it participated in the Battle of Messines. In September it participated in the Battle of Polygon Wood.

German Spring Offensive, 1918
In March 1918 the division was rushed to the Somme region to stem the German Offensive. The Australian 3rd and 4th Divisions had been ordered to proceed to Amiens to strengthen the retreating British 5th Army. There it repulsed the advancing Germans in hard fought battles at Hebuterne and Dernancourt. The Battle of Dernancourt involved the Australian 12th and 13th Brigades ( 4th Division ) on the railway embankment and cuttings in Dernancourt, just south of Albert. The under strength Australian Brigades ( numbering about 4,000 ) faced 4 German Divisions totalling about 25,000. Situated on the western side of the Ancre River valley, the Australians formed a defensive line at the railway embankment, from which they held back German attacks. The Australian 48th Battalion soon found itself outflanked by German to its rear. The 48th was ordered to hold at all costs but by midday was facing annihilation and the senior officer ordered a withdrawal. Much like the actions at Bullecourt the previous year, the Australian battalion withdrew successfully and in order. This action costs 12th and 13th Brigades ( 4th Division ) 1,100 casualties.

In April its 13th Infantry Brigade was involved in the counterattack at Villers-Bretonneux.On April 21, German deserters revealed that German attack preparations were nearing completion. They revealed that the attack would commence early on April 24, with the first two to three hours consisting of gas shelling. British aerial observations revealed German troops massing in trenches less than two kilometres south of Villers-Bretonneux in Hangard Wood.

On the night of April 22–23, British and Australian artillery shelled German mustering areas. At dawn the infantry was standing ready but no attack eventuated, most of the activity on this day was in air as planes from both sides criss-crossed the battlefield, bombing, strafing and engaging in dogfights. It was during one of these dogfights that the German "Red Baron" was shot down over Australian lines, north of Villers-Bretonneux at Corbie. The strongest evidence points to Australian sergeant, Cedric Popkin of the 24th Machine-Gun Company, 4th Division as firing the actual bullet that killed Baron Manfred von Richthofen.

The division went on to fight in the Battle of Hamel, Battle of Epehy (with distinction), Battle of Amiens and the Hindenburg Line, finally reaching the town of Bellenglise.

The Division was not selected to advance into Germany. Demobilisation commenced in late 1918 and in March 1919 the Division merged with 1st Australian Division.

5th Australian Division
The 5th Australian Division of the Australian Army was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades. In addition to the existing 8th Brigade were added the new 14th and 15th Brigades, which had been raised from the battalions of the 1st and 2nd Brigades respectively. From Egypt the division was sent to France, where they served in the trenches along the Western Front.

Egypt
On formation in February 1916, the 5th Division joined II Anzac Corps. When the more experienced I Anzac Corps embarked for France at the end of the month, they took most of the available artillery pieces and trained artillery personnel, leaving the II Anzac divisions to train new artillery batteries from scratch, a process that would take three months. Major-General the Honorable J.W. M'Cay, formerly commander of the Australian 2nd Infantry Brigade, assumed command of the division on 22 March 1916.

The first "test" for the division was a training march of 40 mi from the Anzac camp at Tel el Kebir to the Suez Canal defences which were being maintained in expectation of a Turkish attack. M'Cay objected to the undertaking, but nevertheless imposed strict march discipline on his men. Taking three days over soft sand and in extreme heat, the men in the brigades suffered severely and the march was completed in disarray.

The 5th Division began arriving in France in July 1916, the last of the four Australian divisions from Egypt to do so. At this time the Battle of the Somme was underway and going badly for the British. The three Australian divisions of I Anzac Corps, which had been acclimatising on the quiet sector near Armentières, had been dispatched to the Somme as reinforcements and so the 5th Division took their place at Armentières on 12 July 1916.

Fromelles
The result of this move was that the 5th Division, the most inexperienced of the Australian divisions in France, would be the first to see major action in the Battle of Fromelles, a week after going into the trenches. As the Germans had been reinforcing their Somme front with troops from the north, the British planned a "demonstration" to try to pin these troops to the front.

The attack was masterminded by Lieutenant-General Richard Haking, commander of the British XI Corps, which adjoined II Anzac Corps to the south. The aim was to reduce the slight German salient known as the "Sugar Loaf", north west of the German-held town of Fromelles. The 5th Division happened to be the unit facing the northern flank of the salient.

By the time the attack was ready to be launched, its purpose as a preliminary diversion to the main action at the Somme had passed, yet Haking and his army commander, General Sir Charles Monro, were keen to go ahead. At 6pm on 19 July 1916, after 11 hours of preliminary bombardment, the 5th Division and British 61st Division attacked. The Australian 8th and 14th Brigades, attacking north of the salient, occupied the German trenches but became isolated and out-flanked. They were forced to withdraw, through withering German enfilades, by morning. The 15th Brigade and the British 184th Brigade were cut to pieces while attempting to cross no man's land. The 8th and 14th Brigades were forced to withdraw, through withering German enfilades, the following morning. The failure was compounded when the British 61st Division asked the Australian 15th Brigade to join in a renewed attempt at 9pm, but cancelled without informing the Australians. Consequently half of the Australian 58th Battalion made another futile, solo effort to capture the salient.

The battle was responsible for the greatest loss of Australian lives in one 24-hour period. The 5,533 Australian casualties, including 400 prisoners, were equivalent to the total Australian losses in the Boer War, Korean War and Vietnam War combined. The 5th Division was effectively incapacitated for many months afterwards. Two battalions, the 60th and the 32nd, each suffered more than 700 casualties, or more than 90% of their fighting strength and had to be rebuilt: out of 887 personnel from the 60th Battalion, only one officer and 106 other ranks survived; the 32nd Battalion sustained 718 casualties. The attack had completely failed as a diversion when its limited nature became obvious to the German defenders. The perceived "failure" of the British 61st Division poisoned relations between the AIF divisions and the British. In its communiqués, the British GHQ passed the Battle of Fromelles off as "some important raids".

The 5th Division was not ready for combat again until October 1916, when it joined the other Australian divisions on the Somme, in extreme winter conditions.

Hindenburg Line, 1917
In January 1917, Major-General Talbot Hobbs assumed command of the 5th Division. When the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line began on 24 February 1917, the division joined the pursuit, skirmishing with the German screen covering the withdrawal. On 17 March 1917 the 30th Battalion attacked towards Bapaume, the objective of the previous year's Somme offensive, and found the town abandoned, a smoking ruin. The 15th Brigade advanced south of Bapaume until, having lost touch with the British Fourth Army units on its flank, was ordered to halt. By 24 March 1917 the headlong advance had ended and a period of cautious approach to the Hindenburg defences began. On 2 April 1917 the 14th Brigade captured the villages of Doignies and Louverval before the 5th Division was relieved by the Australian 1st Division.

When General Allenby's British Third Army launched the Battle of Arras on 9 April 1917, the Australian divisions—part of General Gough's British Fifth Army since the Somme fighting—were called on to participate in an attempt to break the German flank on the Hindenburg Line at Bullecourt. The 5th Division at this time was part of I Anzac under General Birdwood. It avoided the first of the fighting but was thrown into the closing stages of the Second Battle of Bullecourt which had begun on 3 May 1917. The division was mainly responsible for holding on against German counter-attacks.

After the Bullecourt fighting subsided on 17 May 1917, the 5th Division, along with the rest of I Anzac, was withdrawn for a long rest.

Third Battle of Ypres
The 5th Division took over from the 1st Division following the Battle of Menin Road on 20 September, which was the start of a phase of "bite-and-hold" limited-objective attacks in the Third Battle of Ypres. The next step was taken on 26 September in the Battle of Polygon Wood with two Australian divisions (4th and 5th) attacking in the centre of seven divisions.

The previous day (25 September) a German counter-attack had driven in the neighbouring brigade of the British X Corps however the attack was ordered to proceed despite the Australian 15th Brigade's flank being exposed. Attacking with an open flank, the 15th Brigade, supported by two battalions of the 8th Brigade, reached its objectives, and captured some of X Corps' objectives as well. The 14th Brigade, attacking on the left, captured Polygon Wood. In keeping with current policy, the attacking divisions were immediately relieved and the 5th Division was spared involvement in most of the worst fighting that followed as the British line edged towards Passchendaele.

German Spring Offensive, 1918
The 5th Division returned to action in late March as the German Spring offensive, launched on 21 March, began to threaten the vital rail hub of Amiens. On 4 April the 15th Brigade, which had been guarding crossings of the River Somme, moved to hold Hill 104 north of the town of Villers-Bretonneux, a place that was to become famous in Anzac legend. By mid-April a renewed German push for Amiens was evident and the entire 5th Division was put into the line astride the Somme.

When the attack came on 24 April, the 15th Brigade was back in reserve west of Villers-Bretonneux, which was defended by the British III Corps. The German assault, for the first time spearheaded by tanks, succeeded in capturing the town and neighbouring woods. III Corps was lent the 15th Brigade and the 13th Brigade (from the Australian 4th Division) to mount a counter-attack. Attacking after 10pm that night, the two brigades encircled the town, the 15th from the north and the 13th from the south, and after dawn the town itself was recaptured. This victory marked the end of the German advance towards Amiens.

In the period leading up to the final Allied offensive, Australian divisions used Peaceful Penetration to continual harass their German opposition. On the night of 29 July, units of the 5th Division raided the German defences near Morlancourt, capturing 128 prisoners, 36 machine guns and two trench systems.

Hundred Days, 1918
When the "Hundred Days" campaign began with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August 1918, the Australian Corps attacked from between Villers-Bretonneux and Hamel. The 5th Division was to follow up the initial attack of the 2nd Division, passing through to take Harbonnieres, an advance of two miles. On the following day, the 5th Division, which had meant to be relieved by the 1st Division, continued the advance with the 15th Brigade supporting the neighbouring advance made by the Canadian Corps and the 8th Brigade taking Vauvillers.

In late August 1918 the 5th Division followed the German retreat to the Somme near Péronne. On 31 August, while the 2nd Division attacked Mont St Quentin, the 5th Division stood ready to exploit any opportunity to cross the Somme and take Pérrone. On 1 September 1918 the 14th Brigade captured the woods north and followed up by taking the main part of the town. The 15th Brigade captured the rest of the town the following day.

By the time the Australian Corps reached the Hindenburg Line on 19 September 1918, the 5th Division was one of only two Australian divisions fit for action, the other being the 3rd. The 15th Brigade's 60th Battalion had already been disbanded to keep other battalions up to strength. For the attack on the Hindenburg Line to be made on 29 September 1918, the corps was reinforced by the American 27th and 30th Divisions (from the U.S. II Corp). The 5th Division followed up the initial attack made by the American 30th Division and by 1 October 1918 the first two Hindenburg Line trench systems had been captured (see Battle of the Hindenburg Line).

The 5th Division was relieved by the 2nd Division and, when on 5 October 1918 the Australian Corps handed over its line to the U.S. II Corps, the division was withdrawn to the coast for a rest that would last until the end of the war.

Mounted divisions



 * ANZAC Mounted Division
 * Australian Mounted Division

Each division comprised three mounted light horse brigades. The ANZAC Mounted Division so named because it contained one mounted brigade from New Zealand – the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade. Likewise the Australian Mounted Division was originally named the Imperial Mounted Division because it contained the British 5th and 6th Mounted Brigades.

Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division
Prior to formation, units that would form the division's brigades served as part of the Force in Egypt from December 1914, and then in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, from May to December 1915, during the Gallipoli Campaign. At Gallipoli, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Light Horse Brigades and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade served dismounted in the New Zealand and Australian Division. Then the unit returned to Egypt; where the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division or ANZAC Mounted Division was raised in March 1916 and assigned to the I ANZAC Corps. In 1917, one of the Australian brigades was replaced by a British yeomanry brigade. After April 1917, the standard order of battle was reduced to two Australian brigades and one New Zealand brigade, although the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade and other British mounted brigades were temporarily attached several times during operations.

The division had two wartime commanders; the first was the Australian Major-General Harry Chauvel, who had commanded the 1st Light Horse Brigade at Gallipoli. When Chauvel was promoted to command the Desert Column – of which the division was part – he was replaced by the New Zealander Major-General Edward Chaytor from the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, who remained in command for the rest of the war.

Egypt and Middle East
In December 1915, the brigades that would form the ANZAC Mounted Division were evacuated from the Gallipoli Campaign and became part of the British Empire's Egyptian Expeditionary Force. In March 1916, after raising the division served, as the mounted formation, in the I ANZAC Corps. Then subsequently served under the command of Eastern Force for most of 1916. The division served in the Desert Column from the end of 1916 until mid-1917, when the column was expanded and renamed the Desert Mounted Corps. The division fought and won almost all the major battles across the Sinai Peninsula during 1916, and the following year it fought from Gaza to Jerusalem in southern Palestine. In 1918, it took part in the Jordan Valley operations, the raid on Amman, the raid on Es Salt and the final advance to Amman and Ziza, part of the Battle of Megiddo. During which the division formed the main part of Chaytor's Force – which captured 10,300 men from the Turkish Fourth Army.

Australian Mounted Division
The Australian Mounted Division originally formed as the Imperial Mounted Division in January 1917, and was a mounted infantry, light horse and yeomanry division. The division formed in Egypt, and along with the Anzac Mounted Division formed part of Desert Column, Egyptian Expeditionary Force in World War I. The division was originally made up of the Australian 3rd Light Horse Brigade, (formerly Anzac Mounted Division) the reconstituted 4th Light Horse Brigade, and two British yeomanry brigades; the 5th Mounted Brigade and 6th Mounted Brigade, which joined from Corps Troops in January 1917 on formation of the division.

The Australian government initially protested this move being made without consultation and sent Brigadier General R. M. McC. Anderson from England to negotiate with the authorities in Egypt. As a result, the division was renamed the Australian Mounted Division on 20 June 1917 and became an Australian unit. British units were gradually phased out except for the artillery, which remained entirely British to the end.

Sinai and Palestine campaigns
With the division, it took part in the First and Second Battles of Gaza. During the First Battle of Gaza, the division provided protection from counter-attack on the eastern flank while the main infantry assault was underway. The brigades became the rearguard during the withdrawal from Gaza after the attack was called off.

They took part in the Third Battle of Gaza including the Capture of Beersheba and the Battle of Mughar Ridge. Three of the brigade's squadrons took part in the Charge at Huj, the last British cavalry charge against enemy guns. Afterward it pursued the enemy to Jerusalem. Units of the Australian Mounted Division became he first mounted troops to enter Jerusalem in December 1917. It also resisted the Turkish counter-attacks in the Turkish Defence of Jerusalem.

In April 1918 six of the Yeomanry regiments were withdrawn from the division and sent to France, being converted from Yeomanry to battalions of the Machine Gun Corps. These were replaced by Indian Army cavalry regiments withdrawn from France.

In August 1918, the Australian Mounted Division participated in the final breakthrough and engaged in a high speed pursuit to Damascus, which it entered ahead of any other allied troops in October 1918. Between 19 September 1918 and 2 October 1918 the division captured 31,335 prisoners.

Army Corps

 * Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
 * I ANZAC Corps
 * II ANZAC Corps
 * Australian Corps
 * Australian Army Medical Corps
 * Desert Mounted Corps (formerly the Desert Column)

Casualties
In all 416,806 Australians enlisted in the AIF during the war and 333,000 served overseas. 61,508 were killed and another 155,000 were wounded (a total casualty rate of 65%).