6th Australian Division

6th Division (Australia)
22 January 1941. Members of 'C' Company, 2/11th Infantry Battalion, having penetrated the Italian outer defences at Tobruk and attacked anti-aircraft positions, assemble again on the escarpment at the south side of the harbour. (Photographer: Frank Hurley.)
Active	1917 1939–1946
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division: 16,000 – 18,000 men
Part of	Second Australian Imperial Force
Engagements	World War II Operation Compass Battle of Vevi Greek campaign Battle of Crete Syria–Lebanon campaign Kokoda Track campaign Battle of Buna–Gona Salamaua–Lae campaign Aitape–Wewak campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	Thomas Blamey Iven Mackay Edmund Herring George Alan Vasey

World War II

The 6th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was raised briefly in 1917 during World War I, but was broken up to provide reinforcements before seeing action. It was not re-raised until the outbreak of World War II, when it was formed as a unit of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF). Throughout 1940–1941 it served in the North African Campaign, the Greek campaign, on Crete and in Syria, fighting against the Germans, Italians and Vichy French. In 1942, the division left the Middle East and returned to Australia to meet the threat of Japan's entry into the war. Part of the division garrisoned Ceylon for a short period of time, before the division was committed to the New Guinea campaign. In New Guinea, its component brigades had a major role in the successful counter-offensive along the Kokoda Track, at Buna–Gona and around Salamaua–Lae in 1942–1943. Throughout late 1943–1944, the division was re-organised in Australia before being committed as a complete formation to one of the last Australian operations of the war around Aitape–Wewak in 1944–1945.

In May 1916 the Australian Government offered the British Army Council a sixth division of the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), the Australian Army's main expeditionary force during World War I. This offer was an element of an attempt to establish an Australian and New Zealand Army, though the Australian Government acknowledged that forming a sixth division could cause difficulties in providing sufficient reinforcements to replace the AIF's casualties from December 1916. In such an event, the government proposed breaking up the division to reinforce the five others. The Army Council declined this offer as it preferred Australia to raise only as many units as it could reinforce.