An Australian Band of Brothers: Don Company, Second 43rd Battalion, 9th Division - Softcover

Johnston, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1742235727 ISBN 13: 9781742235721

Publisher: NewSouth, 2018

Synopsis

This riveting book follows a small group of Australian front-line soldiers from their enlistment in the dark days of 1940 to the end of World War II. No ordinary soldiers, they were members of Don Company of the Second 43rd Battalion, part of the famous 9th Australian Division, which sustained more casualties and won more medals than any other Australian division. Inspired by American historian Stephen Ambrose’s landmark book, Band of Brothers, about the US Army’s Easy Company of the 506th Regiment, Mark Johnston, one of our best military historians, here gives an Australian company the same treatment. His book is a unique and powerful account of the everyday experiences of a small unit of Australian soldiers on the front line.

About this title

About the Author

Dr Mark Johnston is Head of the History Department at Scotch College, Melbourne, Victoria. Mark Johnston is one of this country’s leading experts on the Australian Army in World War II. He was described in the Australian War Memorial’s Wartime magazine as "the leading historian on the experience of Australian soldiers during the war." This book, his eleventh, goes to the heart of that wartime experience.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

An Australian Band of Brothers

Don Company, Second 43rd Battalion, 9th Division

By Mark Johnston

University of New South Wales Press Ltd

Copyright © 2018 Mark Johnston
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-74223-572-1

Contents

List of Maps, 
Acknowledgments, 
Introduction, 
Chapter 1 Rookies at Woodside (June–December 1940), 
Chapter 2 Voyage to the Middle East (30 December 1940–2 February 1941), 
Chapter 3 Egypt and Palestine (February–March 1941), 
Chapter 4 Tobruk: Into battle (March–April 1941), 
Chapter 5 Tobruk under siege (May–July 1941), 
Chapter 6 Tobruk: The Salient (July–August 1941), 
Chapter 7 Tobruk: Rest – in peace (August 1941), 
Chapter 8 'Combo': 'The type to lead Australian soldiers'? (March–August 1941), 
Chapter 9 Tobruk: The last months (August–October 1941), 
Chapter 10 Palestine and Syria (October 1941–June 1942), 
Chapter 11 Egypt: Raid on Rommel (21 June–11 July 1942), 
Chapter 12 Ruin Ridge: Clash by night (12–28 July 1942), 
Chapter 13 El Alamein: Preparing for the big push (July–22 October 19 42), 
Chapter 14 El Alamein: The greatest battle begins (23–31 October 1942), 
Chapter 15 Alamein in November: The greatest challenge (1–6 November 1942), 
Chapter 16 To Australia and jungle training (7 November 1942 – 8 August 1943), 
Chapter 17 New Guinea: Lae (9 August – 26 September 1943), 
Chapter 18 New Guinea: Jivevaneng (27 September – 17 October 1943), 
Chapter 19 New Guinea: To Pabu and beyond (18 October 1943 – January 1944), 
Chapter 20 Australia and the road to Borneo (February 1944 – June 1945), 
Chapter 21 Borneo: Labuan and Beaufort (10 June 1945 – February 1946), 
Conclusion, 
Notes, 
Bibliography, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

ROOKIES AT WOODSIDE

June–December 1940

The 2/43rd Battalion was formed in July 1940, when British fortunes were at their lowest ebb in the Second World War. France had just fallen, and Britain was fighting Nazi Germany alone. Recruitment for overseas service in the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force (AIF) had been sluggish, but now many Australian men decided that the war was relevant to them and that they should enlist.

Three who decided to join up were Allan Jones, John Lovegrove and Gordon Combe. Like many original members of the 2/43rd, all three had spent much of their lives in country South Australia. Allan 'Acker' Jones was born in 1918 in Renmark, on the Murray River 160 miles (250 km) north-east of Adelaide. His parents were Methodists who neither drank nor smoked. His father's work as a railwayman took the family to other towns, but when war broke out Allan was working in Renmark as a 'motor painter'. He was 21 years old, 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall, of slight build and with dark brown hair and eyes. He had joined the militia, or Citizen Military Forces (CMF), at 17 in 1936, and when news came of the catastrophes in France he was a member of the militia 43rd/48th Infantry Battalion, which was undergoing its second wartimecamp. Although always an independent thinker, Allan still became caught up in a 'patriotic fervour' in the militia camp, and received permission with a group of others to go to Wayville, Adelaide, and enlist in the AIF. They ignored the fact that AIF pay was lower than militia pay.

Allan later admitted that if asked in 1940 why he was enlisting he could probably not have given a sensible answer. He believed it typical of young people to feel a vague but strong ambition to contribute to society, even at considerable personal risk and sacrifice. At Wayville, rather than be sworn in, he and a mate, Henry Howell, took the advice of a Reception Staff Sergeant at the Recruit Reception Depot to take two weeks' home leave in Renmark and then return. A fortnight later, on 19 June, he and a group of twenty other volunteers swore on a Bible to serve their country and sovereign for the duration of the war and twelve months thereafter. Allan was struck by the 'amazing assembly of men', from all over the state, some dressed in militia uniform – like him – others in civilian clothes of varying degrees of formality. Still others were wearing items of new uniform, including the trademark fur felt hats – although not yet dented in the normal AIF style – and heavy tan boots, which Allan considered 'a hideous red colour'.

John Lovegrove, also called 'Johnny', never wrote about why he joined. On enlistment this 22-year-old was 5 feet 91/2 inches (176 cm) tall, of average build, with fair complexion and hair, and hazel eyes. His father, like Allan's, worked for the South Australian Railways, as a stationmaster. The family were transferred all over the state. John, who had been born at Loxton, about 25 miles (40 km) from Renmark, on 11 May 1918, attended primary and secondary school in various places. He was self-conscious about his limited education, but was literate enough to be appointed a junior clerk with the wool, pastoral and livestock firm Elder, Smith & Company. He worked at different branches, including Orroroo, where he enlisted on 18 June 1940. His travels through country South Australia meant that when he headed to Woodside camp after enlisting he knew many of the other recruits to the 2/43rd Battalion: classmates from primary and high school, workmates, sons of Elder's clients, and sporting contacts. He also knew something of military discipline, having attended a three-month militia camp with the Light Horse earlier that year.

Gordon Combe was born at Gumeracha, east of Adelaide, on 12 June 1917. His pioneer grandfather, Henry Combe, had built up a large property at Crystal Brook, in the state's north. Henry's eldest son, George, worked on the land, then moved to the goldfields at Kalgoorlie, married fellow South Australian Ethel Wilson and became a baker. In 1914, he and his family returned to South Australia, where George was successively a baker at Gumeracha, a fruiterer in North Adelaide, and an employee of the Engineering and Water Supply Department at St Peters. He temporarily lost his job during the Great Depression, and for a time the Combes depended on Ethel making and selling pastries from home, as well as any income their son Bernard brought in for the family's five children. One of those children, Gordon, was a fine sportsman, excelling at cricket and soccer, and representing South Australia as a schoolboy in the latter. He was greatly influenced by his mother, 'a lady of nobility of character'. He was proud that, while keeping wickets for Torrens in district cricket in 1935, he had caught the legendary Don Bradman. This catch was Gordon's most memorable moment in a long cricket career. The Headmaster of Norwood High School recognised Gordon as a young man of great integrity and remarkable ability.

Gordon experienced difficulties typical for those seeking employment during the Depression but, after working at the State Bank from the age of 16, by 1940 he had recently been appointed a clerk at the South Australian Parliament in Adelaide. Although he was continuing university studies, the job meant a lot to him. He was also deeply in love with Margaret Eley, whom he had met on being transferred to the Loxton branch of the State Bank in 1937.

Nevertheless, Gordon was disturbed by events on the other side of the world. He wrote to Margaret in April 1940 that news of the arrival of the first contingent of Australian troops overseas had 'aroused certain desires, Margaret – I can't say how long it will be before fulfilment is reached'. It sounded like a physical urge. Masculine pride emerged in his next comment: 'I'm not very keen on sheltering behind those boys' backs.' On 7 June, with the Netherlands and Belgium having fallen and the evacuation of Dunkirk indicating the imminent fall of France, he told Margaret: 'I didn't go to lectures last night; the chances of finishing my degree course have now been thrown to the winds in a more important cause.'

He was also torn in deciding between the services, for like many educated young men he found the air force attractive. Yet that might require waiting up to six months on a reserve list. Hence he suddenly decided on the AIF, despite the fact that, unlike Allan and John, he had no militia experience. He passed two medical examinations, the second at the Wayville Showgrounds, although like many young Australians he had dental problems that required immediate attention: three fillings and one extraction. The following day he reported to Wayville again and was sworn in on 29 June. He became SX6977, Private G.D. Combe. The 'X' in a man's regimental number marked him as an AIF volunteer, the 'S' as a South Australian – 'V' for Victoria, 'T' for Tasmania and so on. The 6977 referred to him being the 6977th recruit in that state. John was SX5674, Allan SX5844. The lower the number, the more prestigious, four-figure numbers being a badge of honour. Gordon was 23 years old, 5 feet 111/2 inches (181 cm) tall, powerfully built, and with brown eyes and black hair.

On enlisting, Gordon received a flannel collarless shirt, which he declared made him look like a convict. Some men probably felt as if they had become prisoners at Wayville, given the new regime. They had to sleep on the asphalt floor of the motor pavilion of the Showgrounds, although the straw in their palliasses offered cushioning until it was squashed down. Men who bunked down near a headquarters soon learnt their mistake, for they were prime candidates for sergeant majors seeking men for fatigues – usually dirty jobs. Another potential pitfall came in the so-called Drafting Yards, where former typists, tractor drivers and explosives experts were in demand.

So Allan, Gordon and John were among many new recruits finding their feet at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills at the beginning of July 1940. Gordon described the camp to Margaret as 'finely situated in hilly country beautifully green and studded with gums', although at the time he felt sick with 'a throat like a gravel path', and he later acknowledged that the contrast between the comforts of home and a regimented life under canvas in the Adelaide Hills in midwinter was 'stunning'. His first breakfast there became an abiding memory. After lining up in a queue outside the mess hut, he reached the serving point, where an orderly flopped a ladle of 'bergoo' (porridge) into Gordon's tin dixie. To Gordon's inquiry about sugar, the man said, 'It's in it.' And to his query about milk came the laconic reply: 'You don't get any.' Gordon briefly wished that he had never left home.

Huts slowly replaced tents at Woodside, but most men were initially in tents sleeping eight or ten at a time. The dirt floors made it hard to keep anything clean in this small, crowded place. Allan thought that 'co-ordination and consideration had to be exercised for peace and harmony, and was perhaps good training for the future'. By August men were sleeping fifty to seventy per hut, in which the galvanised unlined walls made for a roomier experience. Huts were equipped with electric light, had wires for hanging towels running right down their length, and ledges all the way around. Unlike tents, they would not blow down, but they were cold – icy drops fell from the frosty ceiling. Gordon wore a woollen balaclava in bed.

Allan, Gordon, John and the hundreds around them had been selected to comprise the new 2/43rd Battalion. Table 1 illustrates the strength of the typical battalion and other military forces and units of the time.

Before the outbreak of war, a militia of 8000 part-time soldiers already existed for the defence of Australia, and the numbering of battalions, brigades and divisions of the Second AIF was organised to avoid confusion between the new organisations and their counterparts in the five militia divisions. Thus the first AIF division raised was the 6th Division. The battalions were given the prefix '2/' (pronounced 'second') to distinguish them from their militia equivalents. Hence the name '2/43rd Battalion', which was initially allocated to the 8th Division. There had been a 43rd Battalion in the First AIF during the First World War. It had been disbanded in 1919, reraised in 1921, renamed the Hindmarsh Regiment in 1927, then in 1930 amalgamated with another battalion and called the 43rd/48th Battalion. As mentioned, Allan was in this battalion when war broke out. The 2/43rd had connections with these other units, for the 2/43rd was keen to maintain a sense of continuity with its illustrious near-namesake of the First World War. It was a prosaic name, but won the same loyalty from its men as much grander-sounding units in other armies.

Each battalion of the Second AIF had five companies. One, a Headquarters Company, initially included six specialist platoons: signals, anti-aircraft, mortars, carriers, pioneers and transport. The other four companies, named A, B, C and D, were rifle companies. The men in these companies, its assault troops, represented two-thirds of the unit. Each was further divided into three platoons, numbered 7–9 (A Company), 10–12 (B Company), 13–15 (C Company) and 16–18 (D Company). Each platoon comprised three sections. In each of Allan Jones' three campaigns, his section included ten men and a section leader, usually a corporal. The last numbered platoon, No. 18, comprised sections 7, 8 and 9. That platoon is central to this book, as is D Company, also known as 'Don Company'. Riflemen fraternised most within their platoons and tended to identify with them. If asked what part of the battalion he belonged to, a man would probably name his platoon, which also identified his company.

Johnny and Acker Jones went to 18 Platoon. Gordon's civilian background soon had him allotted as a clerk with the rank of corporal in the Headquarters Company orderly room, where those caught going absent without leave (AWL) or committing some other misdemeanour were brought to justice. Gordon was keen to transfer to the Intelligence Section and to gain further promotion. While the 2/43rd awaited the arrival of a commanding officer at Woodside in July, militia officers supervised the early administration and training. Many of them eventually became officers of the unit.

In mid-month the first Commanding Officer (CO) arrived from Victoria. He was Major (soon Lieutenant-Colonel) Bill Crellin, a regular soldier who had served with the famous 14th Battalion in the First World War. While experienced and technically expert, at 43 he was too old for the physical demands that lay ahead. An advantage of his presence was the development of a consultative style of command. Crellin was willing to listen to the suggestions of the officers of the battalion, which was said to be run like a business.

The chief business of the first months was turning civilians into soldiers. The officers, and some men like Allan and John, had various degrees of familiarity with military life but, in the words of the battalion history, 'the bulk of the troops had entered, voluntarily, a new and unfamiliar world'. The history captures their motivation nicely: 'They had forsaken freedom for freedom's sake, inspired by a sense of duty which brought with it the prospect of adventure.' This of course is a well-known pair of reasons for joining, but, as Allan once pointed out to me, 'adventure' was not just about taking risks for thrills but also gaining a broader experience, extending one's real education, raising one's status in the community and enjoying the family pride one inspired.

The soldiers who had in 1939 joined the first division raised, the 6th, had been described – and in some cases castigated – as men who had joined for the money. Critics described them as economic conscripts, or '5 bob a day killers'. Allan suggested in his memoir that even in 1940 some of the men were joining because of the continuing effects of the Depression. He recalled that 'many of us who had jobs then had no security, working long hours with no paid holidays and often below award rates, with no redress against any practice an employer cared to introduce'. He believed that many unemployed or underemployed men joined the AIF, sometimes at the cost of their lives. On the other hand, many who signed up felt important and successful for the first time in lives previously full of non-achievement and with negative prospects.

Like every battalion, the 2/43rd were a diverse group, many of whom would never have met in civilian life but who were now brought together, in many cases for years to come. Johnny reflected:

The personnel of the Battalion were largely drawn from country areas of our State – from Mt Gambier to Port Augusta, Renmark to Ceduna and all provincial towns and tiny rural communities in between, and including some 60 from Broken Hill, mainly mine workers generally somewhat older than the average age and the rest were city dwellers from metropolitan Adelaide.

Occupations represented included accountant, artist, baker, butcher, clerk, drover, farmer, fisherman, jockey, labourer, lawyer, public servant, schoolteacher, shearer, shop assistant, student, transport driver and wharfie. The challenge was to make them all able to fulfil roles within a modern army. Johnny described the transition to army regimentation and discipline as 'a traumatic culture shock' for many of these civilians. In particular the Broken Hill group included 'a hard core of bar-brawling rebellious types who found the early requirements of discipline most irksome!' John felt that 'the tensions, disagreements, and personality conflicts often seemed irreconcilable in those early days at Woodside'. Allan's tentmates were irritated by an older recruit, a Scot, who woke frequently at night and proceeded to light a cigarette each time. On one occasion he woke them all to tell them of his unjustified fears that the tent was about to blow down. Yet over the succeeding weeks and months a subtle change in spirit occurred. There were shuffles within the battalion's subunits as men sought their mates or better roles. The Scot left. After a while the shuffling ended. Men developed strong identification with their platoons, companies and battalion.

As was the case all over Australia, these volunteers adapted to the unfamiliar level of regimentation. Australian attitudes to authority were notoriously more relaxed than British ones, but there were very few genuine misfits and most recruits were willing to do as they were told so as to get a chance at the great adventure that going to the war represented. And they were kept busy training. They were occupied from the time that the bugle sounded 'Reveille' at 0600 – as 6am was now called – through 'Cookhouse' for mess parades, 'Fall-in' for roll call, 'Retreat' at sundown and finally, and most welcome, 'Lights Out' at 9.30pm (2130 to them). And the bugle was not the only loud call that had to be obeyed, for their training was accompanied with what John called 'the seemingly constant and raucous barking of orders from the Company Sergeant Majors and Platoon Sergeants'.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from An Australian Band of Brothers by Mark Johnston. Copyright © 2018 Mark Johnston. Excerpted by permission of University of New South Wales Press Ltd.
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Edition details

• Publisher: NewSouth
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1742235727
• ISBN 13: 9781742235721
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464