2 / 9th Armoured Regiment ( Australia ) The 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment was an armoured regiment of the Australian Army . Raised for service during World War II , the regiment was formed in August 1941 and spent most of the war in Australia . It was disbanded in early 1946 after seeing action in the Borneo campaign late in the war . History . The 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment was formed in August 1941 as part of the 2nd Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division . Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel F . E Wells , upon formation the regiment perpetuated the 9th Light Horse Regiment which had served during World War I , drawing its personnel from volunteers for overseas service from the states of South Australia and Tasmania . Consisting of a regimental headquarters and three fighting squadrons designated ' A ' , ' B ' and ' C ' , the 2 / 9th was initially located at Puckapunyal , Victoria and because of a shortage of armoured vehicles in Australia at the time , the regiment was equipped with Universal Carrier s for training purposes until a more suitable platform became available . In May 1942 the regiment was equipped with M3 Grant tanks and moved to Narrabri , New South Wales , where it took part in large - scale divisional exercises . In early 1943 manpower shortages and the evolving strategic situation confronting the Allies in the Pacific meant that there was no longer a need for large - scale armoured formations in the Australian Army . As a result the decision was made to disband a number of units and reallocate their personnel to other branches of the Army . After the 1st Armoured Division was disbanded in September 1943 , the 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment was re - assigned to the 4th Armoured Brigade , which was the Australian Army ' s specialist jungle warfare armoured unit at the time . It was relocated to Singleton , New South Wales , but was later moved to the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland and in early 1944 it was re - equipped with Matilda II tanks . During this time it undertook infantry co - operation training in preparation for deployment overseas . In March 1945 the 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment embarked for Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies as part of the build up for one of the final campaigns of the war . The regiment was attached to the 9th Division during the Borneo campaign to provide armoured support . As the 9th Division ' s operations would take place in a number of locations at different times , the regiment formed a number of squadron - groups which would be attached at brigade - level . The first element of the regiment to see action was ' C ' Squadron , which supported the 26th Brigade during the Battle of Tarakan in May and June and taking part in the advance along the Anzac and Bourke Highways , helping to secure the airfield and the oilfields . On 10 June 1945 , ' B ' Squadron took part in the landing at Labuan as part of Operation Oboe Six , and supported the 24th Brigade ' s advance , assisting in the capture of the airfield , and various positions along the MacArthur Road . At the same time , ' A ' Squadron landed on the Borneo peninsula , securing the town before being used in a defensive role due to the impenetrable terrain further inland , which was only passable on foot . Hostilities came to an end in August 1945 , however the 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment did not return to Australia until December 1945 . It was disbanded shortly afterwards in early 1946 . Nine men from the regiment were killed in action or died on active service during the course of its involvement in the fighting , while a further 16 were wounded . Members of the 2 / 9th received the following decorations : one Military Cross and two Military Medal s . Commanding officers . The following is a list of officers that commanded the 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment : Battle honours . The 2 / 9th Armoured Regiment received three battle honour s for its service during the war :