List of Australian divisions in World War II

Nevertheless, two Militia divisions were deployed as formed units, and elements of several others also fought overseas during the war.

[1] The 6th went into action first, fighting its first battle at Bardia in January 1941,[5] and it was subsequently joined in the Middle East by the 7th and 9th Divisions, who fought several campaigns in North Africa, Greece, Syria and Lebanon.

While the 8th Division was largely decimated in early 1942 during fighting against the Japanese in Malaya and then taken into captivity in Singapore, and in the islands to Australia's north,[6] the other three infantry divisions fought throughout the war, eventually returning from the Middle East and fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific during the New Guinea and Borneo Campaigns.

Initially, it had been planned to deploy the tank-equipped 1st Armoured Division to the Middle East also,[7] but concerns about a Japanese invasion meant that they were retained in Australia for continental defence.

[2] Late in the war it was planned to form another infantry division within the 2nd AIF as Australia's contribution to the proposed invasion of Japan.