| 5th Brigade | |
|---|---|
 5th Brigade at Picardie, France, 8 August 1918 | |
| Active | 1912–1919 1921–1944 1948–1960 1965–present |
| Country |  Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Reserve |
| Size | 100 (active) 2,000 (reserve) 40 (civilian)[1] |
| Part of | 2nd Division |
| Engagements | First World War |
| Insignia | |
| Unit colour patch |  |
5th Brigade is abrigade of theAustralian Army. Originally raised as amilitia formation in 1912, the 5th Brigade was re-raised for overseas service in 1915 as part of theAustralian Imperial Force during the First World War. The brigade then served during theGallipoli Campaign and on theWestern Front. During the inter-war years, it was re-raised as a part-time formation as part of Citizens Military Force. It undertook garrison duties in Australia during the Second World War, but was not deployed overseas before being disbanded in 1944. Following the war, the brigade was re-raised in 1948 once again and it is currently aReservecombined arms formation based inNew South Wales and forms part of the2nd Division.
The 5th Brigade traces its origins to 1912, when it was formed as a militia brigade as part of the introduction of thecompulsory training scheme, assigned to the2nd Military District. At this time, the brigade's constituent units had training depots located aroundNew South Wales includingMosman,Neutral Bay,North Sydney,Chatswood,Hunter's Bay,Hornsby,Granville, andParramatta.[2]
Following the outbreak of theFirst World War, the 5th Brigade was re-raised in mid-1915 as part of theAustralian Imperial Force (AIF) from volunteers for overseas service. Upon formation it consisted of fourinfantrybattalions—the17th,18th,19th and20th Battalions.[3] Assigned to the2nd Division, the majority of its personnel were drawn from men that had previously served inNew Guinea with theAustralian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force.[4] After formation, the brigade departed Australia, embarking for Egypt, in May 1915, and after a period of training, were dispatched toGallipoli in August as reinforcements for the 1st Division, which had been there since April. The brigade subsequently took part in theAugust Offensive, as the Allies sought to break the deadlock that had descended on the peninsula. After the offensive failed, the 5th Brigade remained at Gallipoli, undertaking mainly defensive tasks until they were evacuated in December 1915 and withdrawn back to Egypt. In early 1916, the brigade was sent to France as part of the large-scale transfer of the AIF's infantry divisions to the European battlefield. For the next two-and-a-half years the 5th Brigade fought on theWestern Front, taking part in numerous battles.[5]
In July 1916, they were committed to theBattle of Pozières, after which the brigade was moved to Belgium before returning to the Somme. In May 1917, as the Germans withdrew to theHindenburg Line, the brigade took part in theBattle of Lagnicourt in April 1917 and then theSecond Battle of Bullecourt in May. Later in the year they were heavily committed, joining actions atMenin Road in September 1917 andPelcappelle in October.[6] In early 1918, the Germans launched theSpring Offensive, during which the 5th Brigade fought a series of defensive actions in the Somme Valley, before taking part in thefinal Allied offensive that eventually brought about an end to the war. During this time they were involved in the battles atAmiens in August,Mont St Quentin in September, andMontbrehain in October.[6]
Following the end of the war, the 5th Brigade was disbanded, however, it was re-raised in 1921 as part of theCitizens Military Force when Australia's part-time military forces were reorganised to replicate the structure of the AIF. Based in New South Wales, and headquartered in Sydney,[7] at this time it consisted of the4th, 20th,36th and54th Battalions, and was once again force assigned to the 2nd Division.[5] During the Second World War, the brigade was reduced to three infantry battalions after the Australian Army adopted the British brigade structure—initially the20th, 54th and56th Battalions—although its composition changed several times during the war, with various other units including the44th Battalion joining the brigade. It was mobilised for full-time defensive service in December 1941 following Japan's entry into the war and concentrated atBathurst. It undertook defensive duties in New South Wales and Western Australia throughout the war.[8][9] In January 1944, the brigade moved to Queensland to begin preparing for operations in New Guinea. These plans were not enacted and the brigade was disbanded in June 1944 as part of the reallocation of manpower and resources undertaken by the Army at the time to reinforce operational units that were already deployed.[10][11]
In 1948, the CMF was established once more, albeit on a limited scale and the 5th Brigade was re-raised as part of the 2nd Division.[12] In 1960, with the introduction of thePentropic divisional structure, the brigade ceased to exist as it was decided to move away from the traditional triangular formation. The Pentropic structure was abandoned in 1965, however, and the Army returned to the previous tropical establishment. The brigade was reformed at this time, albeit under the guise of the "5th Task Force", and consisted of three battalions—3 RNSWR,4 RNSWR and17 RNSWR.[5] In 1982, it reverted to the designation of "5th Brigade" and in 1987 all Reserve formations were reduced to two infantry battalions.[5]
Today, 5th Brigade is a combined arms formation of the Australian Army Reserve, based inNew South Wales and it is one of sixbrigades of the2nd Division.[8] UnderPlan Beersheba the reserve 5th and8th Brigades are partnered with the regular7th Brigade.[13] The 8th Brigade was later re-roled as a training brigade,[14] after which many former 8th Brigade units, including its engineers, were transferred to the 5th Brigade.[15]
As of 2023 the brigade consists of:[8]