2 / 3rd Commando Squadron ( Australia ) The 2 / 3rd Commando Squadron was one of twelve independent or commando companies and squadrons formed by the Australian Army for service during World War II . Raised in October 1941 as the 2 / 3rd Independent Company , it served in New Caledonia and New Guinea before being amalgamated into the 2 / 7th Cavalry Commando Regiment and adopting the name 2 / 3rd Commando Squadron in 1943 . After this , the squadron did not see action again until 1945 , when it participated in the Borneo campaign . Throughout the course of the war , the 2 / 3rd lost 69 members killed in action . No battle honours were awarded to the unit , although it participated in a number of notable engagements in these campaigns and its members received numerous decorations for their service . Following the end of hostilities in the Pacific , the unit was disbanded in early 1946 , upon their return to Australia . History . Formed in October 1941 as the 2 / 3rd Independent Company , the unit undertook training at the Guerrilla Warfare Camp at Foster , Victoria . After completing training , the 2 / 3rd was transported north to Katherine , Northern Territory where it carried out various garrison duties . During this time there was considerable debate within the high command of the Australian Army about the role that the 2 / 3rd and the other independent companies would fill . However , following Japan ' s entry into World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor and British forces in Malaya , it was decided to use the independent companies in the islands to the north of Australia , where it was necessary to establish outposts that could warn of the approach of the Japanese . With this in mind , the 2 / 3rd Independent Company was sent to New Caledonia in December 1941 as a gesture of goodwill to the Free French and in order to defend against a possible Japanese attack . The deployment of the 2 / 3rd to New Caledonia was only a temporary measure , however , until the US Army sent Taskforce 6814 to reinforce the island , arriving in March 1942 . Impressed with the 2 / 3rd and the training methods that they utilised , permission was sought by the American commander to retain the 2 / 3rd on the island in order to retrain his division . However , due to the requirements of the defence of Australia at the time , the company was withdrawn in early August 1942 , although their commanding officer , Major George Matheson , stayed on to provide assistance . After its return to Australia , the company remained spent the next six months training and undertaking garrison duties before sailing for New Guinea in mid February 1943 . Under the command of Major George Warfe , the 2 / 3rd arrived in Port Moresby , although they did not stay there very long as they were quickly flown to Wau . From there they were used to harass and pursue the Japanese towards Mubo . Following this , the 2 / 3rd moved to Missim , from where they began a guerilla campaign along the Komiatum Track , in support of the 3rd Division ’ s campaign around Salamaua . As a part of this campaign , the 2 / 3rd patrolled deep into Japanese held territory , setting ambushes and gathering intelligence . They also made a number of attacks against Japanese positions , in order to harass them to keep them off balance and as such defend the 3rd Division ' s flanks . The most notable of these attacks came in May 1943 when a strengthened platoon launched an attack against Ambush Knoll , a feature which controlled Bobdubi Ridge , and captured it . By capturing the knoll , the 2 / 3rd threatened the Japanese supply lines to Mubo and Salamaua and because of this it force them to launch a number of fierce counterattacks in order to retake it . These counterattacks occurred over the course of the following three days and four nights , however , the platoon from the 2 / 3rd , consisting of only fifty - two men , managed to hold the knoll . During its time in New Guinea , the 2 / 3rd suffered heavy casualties and as a result after the fall of Salamaua in September , they were withdrawn and brought back to Australia . They had performed quite well in the circumstances , however , and were credited with having killed 969 Japanese . Against this , the 2 / 3rd had suffered 65 killed , 119 wounded , and 226 men evacuated for medical reasons . Upon its return to Australia , the 2 / 3rd was reformed on the Atherton Tablelands , Queensland . During this time , a reorganisation of the independent companies by the Australian Army was undertaken as part of a wider reorganisation of the Army as a whole and as a part of this reorganisation the 2 / 3rd was integrated into the 2 / 7th Cavalry Commando Regiment , along with the 2 / 5th and the 2 / 6th Independent Companies . In October the 2 / 3rd Independent Company was renamed the 2 / 3rd Cavalry Commando Squadron , although later this name was simplified to just 2 / 3rd Commando Squadron . To a large extent , however , despite being placed under a regimental structure , the squadron continued to remain largely independent in terms of tactics and training . For the remainder of 1943 until early 1945 there was a lull Australia ' s involvement in the war in the Pacific , and the 2 / 3rd remained on the Atherton Tablelands , where it trained and conducted exercises with the 7th Division . The squadron ' s final campaign of the war came in 1945 , when attached to the 7th Division , the 2 / 3rd participated in the landing at Balikpapan . Landing on Green Beach on 1 July 1945 along with the rest of 2 / 7th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment , the squadron moved off along Vasey Highway with the objective of capturing Seppinggang airfield , acting in support of the 2 / 5th Commando Squadron . The following day , however , they came under heavy mortar fire from the Japanese on Lady Schofield Knoll which prevented them from capturing the airfield until 3 July . After that , on 4 July , a number of troops were transferred to the 2 / 9th Infantry Battalion in order to patrol the area around Penadjam , with the rest of the 2 / 3rd continuing on to Seppinggang . Offensive operations ceased on 27 July , and with Japan ' s surrender in August , the war came to a close . Following the end of hostilities in the Pacific , the 2 / 3rd was slowly reduced in strength as members were posted out to other units for occupation duties , before the remainder of the unit returned to Australia at the end of December . In early 1946 , at Chermside camp , in Brisbane , Queensland , the 2 / 3rd Commando Squadron was finally disbanded . 69 members of the squadron were killed or died on active service during the war , and its members received the following decorations : 4 MCs , 4 DCMs , 6 MMs , 1 BEM and 4 MIDs .