2 / 12th Commando Squadron ( Australia ) The 2 / 12th Commando Squadron was a commando unit raised by the Australian Army for service in World War II . Raised in 1944 following a re - organisation of Australia ' s military forces , the unit participated in the Borneo campaign in 1945 but played only a limited role before hostilities ended . Following the end of the war , the squadron returned to Australia and was disbanded in early 1946 . History . Formation . In 1941 – 42 , the Australian Army raised a number of independent companies to carry out irregular warfare type operations in the mould of the British commandos . These units later became known as commando squadrons . Initially they were intended to be sent overseas as part of Australia ' s commitment to the fighting against the Germans and Italians in North Africa and the Middle East , however , following Japan ' s entry into the war these units were hastily deployed to the islands to the north of Australia to act first as an observation and early warning force . Following the outbreak of hostilities and the arrival of Japanese forces on the Pacific islands , these units were mainly used to carry out delaying and harassment operations and to act as stay - behind forces conducting a guerilla style of warfare . As the war progressed , Australia ' s strategic focus shifted away from the Middle East to the Pacific and as a result , in 1943 – 44 the Australian Army was restructured in order to prepare itself for the campaigns in this theatre . One of the main changes that occurred at this time affected the divisional cavalry regiments of three Australian divisions — the 6th , 7th and 9th Divisions — which were largely disbanded and used to form the headquarters of three new cavalry commando regiments . As a result of this , the previously independent commando squadrons were re - organised into a regimental system and a number of new units were also raised . The 2 / 12th Commando Squadron was one of these new units . Formed in January 1944 , the unit was raised from volunteers from the 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment which had been redesignated as the 2 / 9th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment and re - roled as a commando unit , as well as from men of the disbanded 1st Armoured Division and other men who had volunteered for commando training . Along with the 2 / 4th and 2 / 11th Commando Squadrons , they formed the 2 / 9th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment , which was attached to the 9th Division . Following the unit ' s formation , the squadron began training on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland where they were based throughout 1944 and into 1945 , along with the rest of the 9th Division until they finally received orders to embark for overseas . Borneo campaign 1945 . The 2 / 12th Commando Squadron embarked from Townsville , Queensland in April 1945 bound for Morotai as part of the build up of Australian forces in preparation for operations in the Netherlands East Indies and Borneo . These operations were known collectively as " Operation Oboe " , whilst the landings on Borneo were known as Operation Oboe Six . Whilst the 26th Brigade and the 2 / 4th Commando Squadron were in the mopping up stages of the fighting on Tarakan , the rest of the 9th Division and the 2 / 9th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment carried out an assault landing on Labuan Island and at Brunei Bay on the north - west coast of Borneo . The plan was to secure the island ' s oil and rubber resources and to establish an advanced fleet base . During the early phase of the campaign the 2 / 12th Commando Squadron was held back as the 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 . Placed under the command of the 2 / 32nd Battalion the squadron landed on 12 June and began patrol operations nine days later . In the following eleven days the squadron was involved in a number of contacts , suffering one man killed and two wounded , while capturing one Japanese soldier and killing 27 others . The most notable incident occurred on 26 June 1945 , when , following a Japanese raid on the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit ( BBCAU ) area two days earlier , a section from the 2 / 12th contacted the group that had been responsible for the raid and in a quick engagement 14 Japanese were killed and two Australians wounded . The fighting on Labuan Island came to an end by the middle of July and while the rest of the 9th Division was committed to action on the mainland , the 2 / 12th remained there and were used to carry out survey work , helping to improve the accuracy of the maps of Labuan Island . Disbandment . Following the end of hostilities in the Pacific , the size of the squadron was slowly reduced as men who had enough points to do so were returned to Australia for demobilisation , whilst others were transferred to other units for occupation duties . In this time the squadron was transferred to Kuching in Sarawak , where they joined Kutching Force and carried out ceremonial duties . In January 1946 , the squadron finally returned to Australia and the following month , while at Puckapunyal , Victoria it was disbanded . During the course of its service during the war , the 2 / 12th lost one man killed in action and two men wounded . One member of the squadron received a Mention in Despatches .