18th Brigade ( Australia ) The 18th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army , which served during the Second World War . The brigade was raised on 13 October 1939 and was one of the first three infantry brigades of the Second Australian Imperial Force ( 2nd AIF ) to be formed . Initially commanded by Brigadier Leslie Morshead , it served in the United Kingdom , the Middle East and the Pacific during the war . Following the end of hostilities , the 18th Brigade was disbanded on 3 January 1946 . History . Formation . The 18th Brigade was formed on 13 October 1939 as part of the 6th Division . Upon formation the brigade consisted of the following battalion s : the 2 / 9th , the 2 / 10th , the 2 / 11th and the 2 / 12th Battalions , which were raised from Queensland , South Australia , Tasmania and Western Australia . Following training , the brigade was dispatched to the Middle East , departing from Melbourne in May 1940 . However , while they were at sea they were diverted to the United Kingdom in order to help defend the island against a possible invasion by German forces following the Fall of France . After landing at Gourock , Scotland , the brigade moved south to Salisbury Plain where they undertook training and defensive duties . In the United Kingdom , the 18th Brigade provided a cadre to the newly formed 25th Brigade and became part of the 9th Division when it was raised in October 1940 . Middle East . Later , when the threat of invasion of the United Kingdom decreased , the decision was made to transfer the Australian forces there to the Middle East . The 18th Brigade arrived there in early January 1941 . Around this time , the 2nd AIF was reorganised and each brigade was reduced from four battalions to three . As a result , the 2 / 11th Battalion was transferred to the 19th Brigade . At the same time also , the 18th Brigade was transferred to the 7th Division . Following this , on 21 March 1941 , the brigade took part in an attack on an Italian stronghold at Giarabub , south of Bardia . Although the fortress was held by about 1 , 500 Italians supported by artillery , the Australian force dispatched only consisted of a reinforced battalion due to supply difficulties . Setting out on 10 March from Siwa , the assault began early on the morning of 21 March from the south over marshy ground . Led by the 2 / 9th Battalion with machine - gun and mortar support from the 2 / 12th and 2 / 10th Battalions , the attack was put in from the south while the 6th Division Cavalry Regiment feigned an attack from the north at the strongest point of the fortress . A heavy sandstorm obscured visibility , which hindered the supporting artillery and resulted in a number of casualties when one company moved beyond the barrage . Nevertheless , heavy fighting followed and resistance continued until 2 : 00 pm in the afternoon when the Italians surrendered . About 250 Italians were killed and 1 , 300 captured for the loss of 17 Australians killed and 77 wounded . Following the attack , the 18th Brigade returned to Ikingi Maryut . In April the brigade was sent to Tobruk where they took part in the defence of the port between May and August 1941 . In September 1941 , the brigade rejoined the rest of the 7th Division , which had been taking part in the fighting against Vichy French forces in the Syria - Lebanon campaign . Following the armistice the division was allocated the task of undertaking garrison duties and the 18th Brigade was subsequently stationed at Aleppo , near the Turkish border . New Guinea . The 18th Brigade returned to Australia in early 1942 following the outbreak of the Pacific War . Following defensive duties and training in Queensland , the 18th Brigade , under the command of Brigadier George Wootten , took part in the Battle of Milne Bay . Deployed with a battery from the 2 / 5th Field Regiment attached at brigade level , the 18th Brigade arrived at Milne Bay between 12 and 21 August . Between 27 August and 7 September the brigade played an important role in the fighting which resulted in the first major defeat of the Japanese during the war . One of the brigade ' s soldiers , Corporal John French , of the 2 / 9th Battalion , was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his actions during the fighting on 4 September 1942 . Later , as the 7th Division was assigned to the advance on the Japanese bases on the Papuan coast around Buna and Gona , the brigade , although understrength , was transferred to Buna in mid - December 1942 with the 2 / 9th Battalion landing at Oro Bay on 15 December . On 21 January the brigade captured Sanananda alongside the US 163rd Infantry Regiment . They were finally withdrawn back to Australia on 10 March 1943 . During the fighting around Buna , the 18th Brigade suffered 425 men killed and more than 800 wounded . This represented 96 per cent of the brigade ' s strength at the start of the campaign . By the time that the brigade returned to Australia , it was down to only 44 per cent of its authorised strength . In early July , the brigade was brought back up to strength with an intake of 1 , 300 men from the 1st Motor Brigade , which was subsequently disbanded . In August 1943 , after training and re - organisation around Ravenshoe , Queensland , the 18th Brigade was deployed to Port Moresby in preparation for further operations , arriving there on 12 August . During the early phases of the Finisterre Range campaign the brigade remained in reserve around Port Moresby , while the other two brigades of the 7th Division , the 21st and 25th Brigades , were deployed to defend the approaches to Lae . They remained there until 4 January 1944 when the brigade was transported by air to Dumpu to relieve the 21st Brigade around Shaggy Ridge , subsequently taking part in the fighting around the Kankiryo Saddle , Prothero I and II and Crater Hill . Following the conclusion of the fighting around Shaggy Ridge in February , the brigade remained in New Guinea until May 1944 when they were withdrawn back to Australia for re - organisation . Borneo . The brigade ' s final involvement in the war came when they landed at Balikpapan in Borneo on 1 July 1945 . Following the initial landing , the 18th Brigade , supported by ' D ' Company , 2 / 1st Machine Gun Battalion , secured the high ground around Klandasan . On 3 July they captured the town of Balikpapan before being relieved by the 25th Brigade . Following the completion of hostilities in August , the brigade remained on Borneo as the demobilisation process began . The 18th Brigade was disbanded on 3 January 1946 at Balikpapan after its component battalions were disbanded throughout December 1945 and January 1946 . Commanders . The following officers served as commanding officer of the 18th Brigade :