page_title: 2/17th Battalion (Australia)
section_title: Pacific
hierarchical_section_title: 2/17th Battalion (Australia) / History / Pacific
caption_attribution_description: English: HM LST-9 beached at Labuan Island, Northwest Borneo, 1 November 1945. Members of the 2/17th Battalion disembarking from HM LST-9 into DUKWS which carried them to their new camp on Labuan. The battalion had been withdrawn from Seria.
context_page_description: The 2/17th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised in April 1940 in New South Wales, it formed part of the 20th Brigade, and was eventually allocated to the 9th Division. After completing basic training in Australia, the unit was deployed to the Middle East. In early 1941, it took part in the fighting at Tobruk, defending the port until relieved. A period of garrison duties followed in Syria and Lebanon before the battalion took part in the First and Second Battles of El Alamein in mid-1942. As the focus of the Australian Army's operations shifted to the Pacific theatre to fight the Japanese, the 2/17th Battalion returned to Australia early in 1943.
  In 1943–1944, the battalion fought in New Guinea, conducting an amphibious landing as part of operations to capture Lae in early September at the end of the Salamaua–Lae campaign, before participating in the follow-up landing on the Huon Peninsula as Japanese forces withdrew inland from Lae. In early 1944, the battalion was withdrawn to Australia for rest and reorganisation and a long period of inactivity followed before it returned to combat.
context_section_description: In early 1943, along with the rest of the 9th Division, the battalion was brought back to Australia in order to take part in fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific. This was the final stage in the withdrawal of the 2nd AIF divisions from the Middle East, as the Australian Army's focus had shifted to operations in the Pacific theatre against the Japanese. As part of this process the 6th and 7th Divisions had been brought back to Australia earlier the previous year. Embarking upon the transport Aquitania on 27 January 1943, the battalion sailed as part of a large convoy established as part of Operation Pamphlet; this convoy included the transports Ile de France, Nieuw Amsterdam, and the armed merchant cruiser Queen of Bermuda, and was escorted by HMS Devonshire and several destroyers. The voyage lasted a month, with the troops arriving in Sydney on 27 February.
  Converted to the jungle divisional establishment on their return to Australia, the battalions of the 9th Division were reorganised to prepare them for the rigours of jungle warfare. This saw their establishment drop to around 800 men, and the loss of much of their vehicular and heavy equipment. Following training on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, the battalion was deployed to New Guinea where it took part in the Salamaua–Lae and Huon Peninsula campaigns in 1943–44. During this time, after concentrating at Milne Bay in August 1943, the 2/17th was involved in the first amphibious landing conducted by Australian soldiers since the landing at Anzac Cove of 25 April 1915, when it took part in the landing at Lae as part of Operation Postern on 4 September 1943. Lae fell more quickly than the Allied planners expected, and as a result, a quick follow-up operation was planned to secure the Huon Peninsula. On 22 September, the battalion landed at Scarlet Beach and, tasked with securing the beachhead and the flank, proceeded to move inland towards Sattelberg as part of efforts to capture Finschhafen. Finding their way blocked, the battalion later took part in significant actions around Jivevaneng and Kumawa, and then, after Sattelberg finally fell, the drive towards Sio. The battalion's casualties during this time amounted to 53 killed in action, 10 died of wounds, five died from accident, and 160 wounded in action.
  In March 1944, the battalion returned to Australia for rest and re-organisation, sailing on the transport Clip Fontain. Although the Australian Army had been heavily committed to combat operations in the Pacific in the early years of the war against Japan, by 1944 the United States military had assumed primary responsibility for combat operations in the Pacific and this had resulted in uncertainty about the role of the Australian Army in future operations. As a result, a long period of training followed, and there was a significant turn over of personnel within the 9th Division as many men were discharged due to medical reasons or transferred to other units and young replacements were brought in. After concentrating at Ravenshoe in May 1944, the battalion was rebuilt, focusing on individual training and then collective training up to battalion level. After this, in September 1944, the battalion moved to Trinity Beach, close to Cairns, where amphibious training was conducted. Further training continued throughout October and November 1944. At the end of the year, the tempo dropped off and the battalion's personnel were occupied with sporting activities prior to leave in February and March 1945. Finally, in early May 1945, the battalion moved to Townsville where it boarded the transport David C. Shanks, bound for Morotai Island.
  On Morotai, the 2/17th concentrated along with the rest of the 9th Division, which had been allocated to take part in operations to recapture Borneo as part of Operation Oboe. The battalion's part in this plan saw them land on Brunei on 10 June 1945 as part of Operation Oboe Six. Coming ashore near Brooketon,  the battalion took part in capturing the capital before dispatching companies to secure individual objectives in the out
caption: Troops from the 2/17th landing on Labuan in November 1945 after being withdrawn from Seria
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