| 2/16th Battalion | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Kaiapit_fly_in_057499.jpg) Troops from the 2/16th fly in to Kaiapit, September 1943 | |
| Active | April 1940 – February 1946 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~ 800–900 personnel all ranks[1] |
| Part of | 21st Brigade, 7th Division |
| Colours | White over blue |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Insignia | |
| Unit colour patch | &sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:2_16th_Battalion_AIF_Unit_Colour_Patch.png) |
The 2/16th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, serving during World War II. Attached to the 21st Brigade that was assigned to the 7th Division, the 2/16th was raised in 1940 as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force from volunteers drawn mainly from the state of Western Australia. After training in Australia, the battalion was deployed to the Middle East where it undertook defensive duties along the Egyptian–Libyan border in early 1941 before taking part in the Syria–Lebanon campaign, fighting against Vichy French forces in June and July. At the conclusion of the campaign, the 2/16th remained in Lebanon, contributing to the Allied occupation force there, before returning to Australia in early 1942 following Japan's entry into the war. In August 1942, they were committed to the fighting along the Kokoda Track and then later fought around Buna and Gona. After a period of rest and reorganisation in Australia, the battalion fought around Lae and then took part in the Finisterre Range campaign in 1943–44. Its final campaign of the war came in Borneo in July 1945. At the end of the war, the 2/16th were disbanded in January 1946.
- ^ The establishment of a standard Australian infantry battalion was 35 officers and 875 other ranks at the start of the Second World War. Under the jungle organisation each battalion was reduced by one officer and 106 other ranks. See Kuring 2004, p. 47 and Palazzo 2004, p.94.