page_title: 2/23rd Battalion (Australia)
section_title: New Guinea and Borneo
hierarchical_section_title: 2/23rd Battalion (Australia) / History / New Guinea and Borneo
caption_attribution_description: Australian War Memorial (AWM) catalog number 108558. A soldier from the Australian 2/23rd Battalion using a flamethrower against a Japanese bunker on Margy Feature, Tarakan Island.
context_page_description: The 2/23rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which served during the Second World War. Formed in June 1940 from primarily volunteers from Albury, New South Wales, the battalion served in North Africa in 1941–1942 as part of the 26th Brigade, which was assigned to the 7th Division, before being reassigned to the 9th Division. In early 1943, the battalion returned to Australia and later took part in campaigns against the Japanese in New Guinea in 1943–1944 and Borneo in 1945, before being disbanded in 1946.
context_section_description: The battalion's personnel concentrated at Seymour, Victoria, after taking leave, and the 2/23rd subsequently began a period of training and re-organisation as it was converted to the jungle division establishment. This resulted in the issue of new equipment, and a decrease in the battalion's authorised strength and number of vehicles. Training was completed on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, before the battalion moved to Milne Bay, in New Guinea, in August 1943. The following month, on 4 September, they took part in an amphibious landing to capture Lae, during which one of the landing craft the battalion headquarters was travelling in was bombed by a Japanese aircraft, killing the battalion's commanding officer of the time, Lieutenant Colonel Reg Wall. Major Eric McRae assumed temporary command of the battalion until Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Tucker arrived in October. The 2/23rd subsequently took part in a brief advance along the coast driving on Lae from the east through the jungle, with the battalion crossing several rivers along the way. Several minor skirmishes took place during the advance, although the most significant action was fought on the second day of the operation between an isolated platoon and the remnants of a Japanese company, during which the Japanese force was largely destroyed.
  Lae fell in mid-September, more quickly than the Allies had expected, as troops from the 7th Division entered the town from the west, but a large part of the Japanese garrison managed to escape inland towards the Huon Peninsula. Shortly afterwards, the 2/23rd took part in a second amphibious landing north of Finschhafen, at a beach designated "Scarlet Beach" by the Allies. Between 22 September and 9 December, the 2/23rd took part in the Huon Peninsula campaign, taking part in significant actions around Sattelberg and Wareo as the Australians advanced inland. Early in 1944, the battalion took part in the advance to Sio as the withdrawing Japanese were pursued north. Their involvement was limited mainly to patrol actions, and no significant battles were fought before the 9th Division was withdrawn from New Guinea and transported back to Australia for rest in February 1944.
  For the next year, the battalion was based around Ravenshoe, Queensland, where it was almost completely rebuilt. Strategic uncertainties and the changing war situation meant that it was not committed to a further campaign until very late in the war, when the 9th Division was assigned to Operation Oboe. Within this plan, the 26th Brigade was tasked with capturing Tarakan as part of the Borneo campaign. A preliminary move was made to Morotai Island in April and the following month, the attack was launched. The 2/23rd was assigned a lead role in the initial landing, and after negotiating the muddy landing beach fought its way into Tarakan town. Several actions were fought throughout the day as they came up against Japanese pill-boxes and snipers, but by the end of the first day, the 2/23rd had secured all but one of its initial objectives. The 2/23rd fought several actions to help secure the high ground around the beachhead before moving on to help secure the airfield. Throughout May and June, the fighting continued as the Australians advanced into the steep inland areas of the island. By the middle of June, the fighting had mainly subsided and the battalion began mopping up operations in the central sector of the island, conducting patrols looking for stragglers until July during which clashes continued to occur.
  The fighting came to an end in August 1945 following the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima and afterwards the 2/23rd was slowly reduced in size as personnel were sent back to Australia for demobilisation or posting. In early December, the remaining members were transported back to Australia on the Stamford Victory and on 17 February 1946, the 2/23rd was disbanded at Puckapunyal, Victoria. Over 3,000 personnel served in the battalion during the war, and casualties amounted to 320 dead from all causes and 773 wounded.
caption: A soldier from the 2/23rd with a flamethrower during fighting on Tarakan, 1 June 1945.
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