25th Brigade (Australia)
| 25th Brigade (Australia) | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Men from the 2/25th Battalion cross the Brown River during a patrol in October 1942
|
|
| Active | 1940–46 |
| Country |
 Australia
|
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~3,500 men |
| Part of | 7th Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Kenneth Eather |
The 25th Brigade was a brigade-sized infantry unit of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War. Raised in July 1940 and consisting of three infantry battalions, the 25th Brigade served in the United Kingdom, the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo before being disbanded in 1946.
Raised in the United Kingdom in July 1940, the 25th Brigade was originally only intended to be a temporary response to the threat of an invasion by Germany following the Fall of France. Initially it had an establishment of 1,759 men, of whom the vast majority were drawn from service support corps of the 6th Division, although roughly a quarter were drawn from infantry reinforcements that were diverted from joining their units which were at the time serving in the Middle East.
Upon formation, the brigade consisted of only three infantry battalions instead of the four that had been the usual Australian establishment up to that time, due to manpower shortages and its component units were the 70th, 71st and 72nd Battalions, although these were later re-designated as the 2/31st, 2/32nd and 2/33rd Battalions.
Originally the 25th Brigade was part of the newly established 9th Division, however, after being dispatched to the Middle East in 1941 it was transferred to the 7th Division, with which it remained for the rest of the war. By May, its establishment was completed, and it consisted of 3,500 men and was composed of the 2/25th, 2/31st and 2/33rd Battalions, with the 2/32nd having been transferred to the 24th Brigade and the 2/25th being re-assigned to the 25th in its stead as part of a re-organisation of the 2nd AIF as the more combat ready units were shifted to the 7th Division in preparation for operations, while those still forming were transferred to the 9th Division.
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