1st Support Group

1st Support Group was a brigade-sized formation of the Australian Army established during the Second World War. It was created in February 1942 at Victoria Barracks in Sydney and assigned to the 1st Armoured Division. In the organisational system used for Australian armoured divisions, a support group brought together the infantry and artillery elements intended to support the division's armoured regiments. The formation therefore functioned as an operational support headquarters rather than as a conventional independent infantry brigade or a commercial organisation. The group was formed during a period when Australia was rapidly expanding and reorganising its land forces in response to the war in the Pacific. Its constituent units included the 17th Motor Regiment, the 108th Anti-Tank Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery, and the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery. These components provided mobile infantry and artillery capabilities associated with the support of armoured operations. Despite being assigned to the 1st Armoured Division, 1st Support Group did not see active service. The formation was disbanded at Narrabri, New South Wales, in November 1942, less than a year after its establishment. Its brief existence reflects the fluid wartime restructuring of Australian armoured formations rather than the history of a continuing institution or consumer-facing brand. No separate commercial products, public-facing services, corporate ownership structure, or listed-company relationships are associated with the group.

1st Support Group was formed by the Australian Army in February 1942 at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, during the military expansion and reorganisation associated with the Second World War. It was assigned to the 1st Armoured Division, an Australian armoured formation whose structure included support groups to provide the infantry and artillery capabilities needed to operate alongside armoured forces. The support-group concept was based on the division's need for a dedicated formation to command elements that were not part of the armoured regiments themselves. In this arrangement, 1st Support Group brought together the 17th Motor Regiment, the 108th Anti-Tank Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery, and the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery. The combination provided mobile ground support, anti-tank capability, and field artillery support for the armoured division. The group did not deploy to an active theatre or take part in combat operations. Its existence was consequently brief. In November 1942, it was disbanded at Narrabri in New South Wales. The formation's dissolution occurred during a period in which Australian military organisations were being adjusted to changing operational requirements and the demands of the Pacific war. Because it was a military formation rather than a commercial enterprise, 1st Support Group had no consumer product portfolio, commercial campaigns, corporate executives, or public financial reporting. Its historical significance lies in the wartime organisation of the Australian Army and the development of support structures for armoured divisions. The group should not be confused with similarly named modern military, commercial, or service organisations.

• 1942

  Formation at Victoria Barracks

  [1]1st Support Group (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  1st Support Group was formed at Victoria Barracks in Sydney in February 1942 and assigned to the 1st Armoured Division.

• 1942

  Assignment of constituent units

  [1]1st Support Group (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  The formation included the 17th Motor Regiment, the 108th Anti-Tank Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery, and the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery.

• 1942

  Disbandment at Narrabri

  [1]1st Support Group (Australia)en.wikipedia.org

  1st Support Group was disbanded at Narrabri, New South Wales, in November 1942 without having seen active service.

A wartime Australian Army support formation designed to coordinate infantry and artillery elements within the 1st Armoured Division.

1. 11st Support Group (Australia)en.wikipedia.org