AUSTRALIA

THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY 

WITH THE R.A. IN THE WEST

The first Australian artillery regiments to see action in the 1939-45 War were two regiments of 6th Australian Division in the first Libyan campaign. And when they did so, at Bardia in December 1940, they went into action alongside a substantially greater strength of RA units, horse, field, medium and anti-aircraft. The CRA 6th Australian Division had the honour of commanding the composite force thus constituted. The association of RA and RAA units had begun early in 1940 with a regular interchange of officers and NCO's during training, and a happy association it proved. The bonds of comradeship were already well forged when the fighting at Bardia began, and they became stronger from day to day as the campaign progressed.

Considerable success attended their joint efforts at Bardia and later at Tobruk. At Royal Australian Artillery Headquarters the CRA and his staff were extremely fortunate in having the assistance of a senior officer of the RA (Lieut-Colonel (afterwards Brigadier) J.H. Frowen, D.S.O., O.B.E.) whose unrivalled ability as a practical gunner combined with his great technical knowledge contributed very largely to the success attained. He it was who organised, some 20 miles from Bardia, the hasty calibration of one gun per troop, without which the bold plan of relying entirely upon survey for the barrage covering the attack would have been too hazardous to attempt with so many regiments engaged in their first battle and with untried guns. At both Bardia and Trobuk the RAF co-operated nobly in counter-battery work, and so close had become the liaison at Tobruk that all enemy gun positions were successfully pinpointed, though none of them were visible from any ground in our hands. This result was only achieved by many hazardous flights in the face of heavy AA fire; and it led to a counter-battery plan on the day of attack that successfully neutralised all enemy batteries within range of our guns.

In Greece the happy association of British Gunners and Royal Australian Artillery continued. That campaign developed into a series of rearguard actions in which Australian Gunners proved their mettle in the face of overwhelming air attack upon their positions. But all Australian Gunners, proud as they are of the part they were privileged to play in Greece, will always remember the magnificent work done there by 2nd RHA and 7th and 64th Medium Regiments RA. They will never forget the stand made by a troop of 2nd RHA, when for three hours on Easter Saturday afternoon at Florina Cap they held the ground between 2nd/4th and 2nd/8th Australian Infantry Battalions. Their stand made possible the orderly withdrawal of our covering force to the line of the Aliakmon river and so played a gallant part in saving our forces in Greece from overwhelming disaster. Nor can Australian Gunners forget the action of 7th Medium Regiment RA at the Serbia Pass, when despite constant dive-bombing from the Luftwaffe in great strength they prevented German sappers from bridging the Aliakmon and getting their tanks across the river.

The stories that follow show that the Royal Australian Artillery were privileged, as the war went on, to play a worthy and effective part in many theatres of war. But they will always be proud of their association with the British Gunners-in Greece and Libya, in Tobruk during the siege in Syria and at El Alamein. And they desire to acknowledge the inspiration they derived and the help they gained from the magnificent example and splendid efficiency of the Royal Artillery.

By Lieut-General Sir E.F. Herring, K.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., CRA 6th Australian Division, who after the war became Lord Chief Justice, Melbourne

Lieut-General Sir E. F. Herring, K.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., E.D.