page_title: 2/6th Battalion (Australia)
section_title: Middle East, Greece and Crete
hierarchical_section_title: 2/6th Battalion (Australia) / History / Middle East, Greece and Crete
caption_attribution_description: English: WATSONVILLE AREA, QLD. 1944-04-28. VX90169 PRIVATE P. CRONIN (1) OF THE 2/6TH INFANTRY BATTALION ADVANCING TOWARDS JAP HILL FIRING HIS OWEN GUN FROM THE HIP DURING A TRAINING EXERCISE. Australian War Memorial, copyright expired, public domain. Image 066097.
context_page_description: The 2/6th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War. Raised in October 1939 as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force, the battalion formed part of the 6th Division and was among the first troops raised by Australia during the war. Departing Australia in early 1940, the 2/6th were deployed to the Middle East where in January 1941, it took part in the first action of the war by Australian ground forces, the Battle of Bardia, which was followed by further actions around Tobruk. Later, the 2/6th were dispatched to take part in the Battle of Greece, although their involvement in the campaign was short before they were evacuated. Some members of the battalion also subsequently fought on Crete with a composite 17th Brigade battalion, and afterwards the battalion had to be re-formed in Palestine before being sent to Syria in 1941–42, where they formed part of the Allied occupation force that was established there in the aftermath of the Syria–Lebanon campaign.
  In mid-1942, the battalion was withdrawn from the Middle East to help face the threat posed by the Japanese in the Pacific.
context_section_description: Upon their arrival in mid-May, the battalion established itself around Beit Jirja, and completed its training at various locations in Palestine and Egypt. In early January 1941, the 6th Division was committed to the fighting in Libya, and the 2/6th took part in the first action of the war by Australian ground forces, the Battle of Bardia, during which they fought against Italian forces. The battalion's involvement in the battle was meant to be limited to creating a diversion for the main attack, but in the end proved to be its most costly, resulting in 22 killed and 51 wounded. This was followed by further actions around Tobruk later in the month, attacking across the Bardia–Tobruk road towards the harbour through Wadi ed Delia during the 6th Division's assault. Afterwards, the 2/6th was transported to El Gazala, 45 miles (72 km) west of Torbuk, where they continued the advance to Derna and beyond in late January, advancing on a two-company front during which they clashed briefly with Italians from the 86th Regiment, capturing over 400. In February, the 2/6th detached personnel to garrison the towns of Barce and Benghazi before moving to Mersa Matruh, where they received new equipment, in late March 1941. Casualties during this period were 24 dead and 75 wounded.
  In early April 1941, the 6th Division was dispatched to Greece, where they fought a very brief campaign following the German invasion of that country in the middle of the month. Overwhelmed, the Allied forces were forced back over the course of several weeks during which the 2/6th took part in several desperate rearguard actions and withdrawals during which the battalion lost 28 men killed and 43 wounded. Finally, they were evacuated by sea at the end of the month, but amidst the confusion a large of the battalion's personnel – 217 personnel from all ranks – were captured, while others were landed on Crete, instead of Alexandria in Egypt, after the ship on which they were sailing, the Costa Rica, was sunk. On Crete, 13 officers and 202 other ranks from the 2/6th were organised into a 17th Brigade composite battalion along with men from the brigade's other battalions less the 2/7th. They subsequently fought unsuccessfully to repulse the German invasion that came in May, after which many more became prisoners of war.
  The battalion's losses in Greece and Crete were heavy, totaling 30 dead, 54 wounded and 353 captured. As a result, the 2/6th had to be re-formed in Palestine and brought back up to strength with reinforcements before it was dispatched Syria in December 1941, to join the Allied garrison that had been established there as occupation force at the conclusion of the Syria–Lebanon campaign against the Vichy French. In early 1942, the Australian government decided to bring the 6th Division back to Australia to help bolster its defences following Japan's entry into the war. Consequently, in March the battalion embarked from Suez on the transport HMT Otranto, bound for Australia.
caption: A soldier from the 2/6th with an Owen gun during an exercise in Queensland, April 1944
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