2 / 28th Battalion ( Australia ) The 2 / 28th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army , which served during the Second World War . Formed in mid - 1940 from Western Australian volunteers , the battalion served in North Africa in 1941 – 42 as part of the 24th Brigade , which was assigned 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 – 44 and Borneo in 1945 , before being disbanded in 1946 . History . Raised in Perth , Western Australia , in July 1940 from volunteers for overseas service as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force , the battalion was allocated to the 24th Brigade , which was initially part of the 8th Division , but later re - assigned to the 9th Dvision . Shortly after being raised , the battalion ' s personnel began concentrating at Fremantle on 17 July . Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Lloyd , the battalion a period of basic training to prepare them for combat . After training in Australia , in January 1941 the battalion was shipped to the Middle East , where it undertook further training in Palestine before deploying to Libya . There it took part in the Siege of Tobruk , during which it helped defend the vital port for over six months before being withdrawn via the sea to Palestine . After serving in a garrison role in Syria and Lebanon , the battalion was then moved back to the Western Desert , where it took part in the First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942 . On 27 July , the battalion was tasked with capturing " Ruin Ridge " . After taking the position in a night attack , the 2 / 28th was then cut off and surrounded by German infantry and armour . Suffering heavy casualties , the majority of the battalion – around 500 men – was forced to surrender . A small group , about 90 men , were not captured , and they were later used as a cadre upon which the battalion was reformed in Palestine . In September , the 2 / 28th returned to the front line , and , on 23 October , it was committed to the Second Battle of El Alamein , conducting raids behind German lines before being moved into the main area of operations around a position dubbed the " Saucer " on 31 October . They remained there until being withdrawn in December . In early 1943 , the 9th Division was brought back to Australia to take part in the fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific . Its casualties during its time in the Middle East amounted to over 60 officers and 1 , 400 other ranks killed , wounded or captured and for its involvement at Tobruk it received a new " T - shaped " black and red Unit Colour Patch , replacing the previous blue and white diamond . After re - organisation and training for jungle operations on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland , it then subsequently took part in the amphibious landings around Lae in September 1943 , leading the Australian advance across the Busu River . After the capture of Lae , the battalion took part in the Huon Peninsula campaign that followed , during which they took part in actions around Finschhafen , Gusika and Wareo before returning to Australia in January 1944 . The battalion undertook training on the Atherton Tablelands for the next year , before taking part in one of the final Australian campaigns of the war when they landed on Labuan Island . After taking part in the initial landings on 10 June , they advanced north coming up against stiff Japanese resistance around an area called the " Pocket " , which was eventually cleared on 21 June . The battalion then re - embarked and was landed to the north of Brunei Bay , and advanced towards Beaufort , where they were when the war ended in August . Following this it undertook garrison duties around Jesselton ; the battalion ' s strength dwindled slowly as personnel were returned to Australia for demobilisation or were transferred to other units for subsequent service . The battalion was finally disbanded in January 1946 . During its involvement in the war , the 2 / 28th lost 274 men killed and 511 wounded , while 480 were captured . Members of the battalion received the following decorations : two Distinguished Service Order s , six Military Cross es , four Distinguished Conduct Medal s , 15 Military Medal s and 51 Mentioned in Despatches . Battle honours . The 2 / 28th Battalion received the following battle honour s : Commanding officers . The following officers served as commanding officer of the 2 / 28th :