7th Machine Gun Battalion (Australia)
| 7th Machine Gun Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–44 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Direct and indirect fire support |
| Size | ~ 900 personnel |
| Part of | 17th Brigade |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |
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The 7th Machine Gun Battalion was a battalion of the Australian Army that was raised for service during World War II. A Militia unit, it was formed in 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Terry Farrell through the amalgamation of the machine gun companies of six infantry battalions: the 3rd, 36th, 39th, 49th, 53rd and 55th.[1] Equipped with Vickers medium machine guns, it subsequently deployed to New Guinea where they were assigned in support of the 7th Brigade, taking part in the Battle of Wau – with two companies being attached to the 7th from the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion[2] – being flown in to provide protection to the airfield there in late January and early February 1943.[3] It later served around Milne Bay, before the battalion was disbanded in 1944.[4]
References
- Citations
- ↑ Harris.
- ↑ Australian War Memorial.
- ↑ McCarthy 1959, p. 558.
- ↑ Campbell 2013.
- Bibliography
- "2/1st Machine Gun Battalion". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- Campbell, John (2013). New Guinea Machine Gunners: A History of 7th Machine Gun Battalion AIF 1942–1944. Jannali, New South Wales. ISBN 9780987238726.
- Harris, Ted. "Patches of the Infantry, Pioneers, Parachute, Machine Gun Battalions and BCOF". Digger History. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- McCarthy, Dudley (1959). South–West Pacific Area – First Year: Kokoda to Wau. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. 5. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 186193870.