2 / 9th Cavalry Commando Regiment ( Australia ) The 2 / 9th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment was one of three commando regiment s raised by the Australian Army for service during World War II . It was originally raised in 1940 as an armoured cavalry unit as part of the 8th Division , before being transferred to the 9th Division . Between 1941 and 1942 the regiment saw action in the Middle East before being withdrawn to Australia in early 1943 . At this time the regiment was re - organised as the administrative headquarters for the 2 / 4th , 2 / 11th and 2 / 12th Commando Squadrons and it was converted into a commando regiment . Later in 1945 the unit saw action during the landings on Tarakan on Borneo before being disbanded upon the cessation of hostilities . History . The 2 / 9th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment was formed in July 1940 at Seymour , Victoria as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force of the Australian Army . Initially it was designated the 8th Division Cavalry Regiment , however , it was redesignated as the 9th Division Cavalry Regiment in February 1941 when the 8th Division was sent to Malaya without its armoured elements , which were subsequently transferred to the 9th Division . Along with the rest of the 9th Division it was sent to the Middle East , arriving in Egypt in April 1941 . Equipped with Vickers light tanks and Bren carriers , the regiment then saw action in Syria where it supported the 7th Division . During this time the regiment ' s squadrons were detached at brigade level with ' A ' Squadron being placed under the operational command of the 21st Brigade near Saida , while ' C ' Squadron was allocated to the 25th Brigade , utilising a number of captured French tanks . After this the regiment was re - equipped , receiving Crusader and Stuart tanks to replace the Vickers and captured French tanks that they had previously been using . This had been done as a response to the increased threat posed by German armour in the theatre . In July 1942 the 9th Division was sent to help rectify the situation at El Alamein , where German and Italian troops were attacking . The 9th Division Cavalry Regiment was involved in the defence of the Alamein line during this phase , defending the divisional headquarters and supporting the defending infantry units in small scale raids . In October 1942 , when the Allies launched an offensive , the regiment initially played only a minor part but later , after breakout had been achieved , it came into its own and led the Allied advance along the coastal plain . In early 1943 , the regiment was withdrawn to Australia where in April it began to reorganise on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland . At this time the Australian Army was undergoing a period of restructuring as its strategic focus shifted towards concentrating upon fighting the war against the Japanese in the Pacific . As a part of this restructuring it was decided that there was no need for divisional cavalry regiments , however , it was decided that the independent companies should be grouped together under a regimental structure , and in response the divisional cavalry regiments were broken up and their headquarters elements were used to administer the commando squadrons . Three such units were formed at this time , with the 9th Division Cavalry Regiment adopting the title of the 2 / 9th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment in January 1944 . The subordinate squadrons that were attached to it were the 2 / 4th , 2 / 11th and 2 / 12th Commando Squadrons . Following this the regiment continued to undertoke training on the Atherton Tablelands in preparation for operations in the Southwest Pacific . In the end , however , it was over a year before the regiment saw action again , taking part in the landings at Tarakan , and in northern Borneo in mid - 1945 in one of the final campaigns of the war . During this campaign , the regiment ' s three squadrons were detached separately . The 2 / 4th was attached to the 26th Brigade , and saw heavy fighting on Tarakan , suffering a considerable number of casualties . The 2 / 11th was attached to the 24th Brigade and landed on Labuan Island off the northwest coast of Borneo . After clearing the island , they were transferred to the mainland and helped clear the Klias Peninsula . The 2 / 12th , however , was initially held back in divisional reserve , and as such did not take part in the main fighting on Labuan Island . As the Japanese resistance on the island was coming to an end and the focus of Australian operations moved towards the mainland of Borneo , the squadron was finally committed to operations when it was given the task of carrying out mopping up operations on the island . During the course of its service , the regiment lost 13 men killed in action or died on active service . The following decorations were received : one OBE , three MCs , seven MMs , and 27 MIDs . Commanding officers . The 2 / 9th Cavalry Commando Regiment ' s Commanding Officers were as follows : Battle honours . The regiment received the following battle honours for their service during World War II :