21st Infantry Bde, 7th Australian Division markings

[Larry Hayward]

I'm looking for examples of the markings used by 21st Infantry Brigade of the 7th Australian Division at Balikpapan in July 1945 and in particular those of the 2/14 Battalion and the 2/27 Battalion that landed at Sepinggang airstrip with a CAV unit (Cavalry?).

Also does anyone know which of the following RAE units supported the 21st Brigade;

Divisional Engineers 2/4 Field Company
2/5 Field Company
2/6 Field Company
2/9 Field Company
2/25 Field Park Company

My dad recovered a Chev C60 Derrick (A frame type), a Dodge Weapons Carrier and a few Jeeps off the beach a few months after the battle and I fancy doing a model of each. While the Dodge and the Jeeps could have been used by any of the above the Derrick is a bit more specific to the Engineers.

I know the 7th used a Kookaburra on a boomerang as the Div sign but some accounts say that the bird was more detailed than just a white silhouette and that by 1945 Army boots had been added to the bird's feet!

Not much available on the web so any help gratefully received.

[Allan Currey]

Hi Larry,

According to my references, from 3 June 1944 onward, all Australian infantry battalions were allocated the number 56. The individual battalion number was used to identify them, so the unit signs you're after would have been 2-14 over 56, or 2-27 over 56, painted in white, all on a red background. They looked like a fraction with a thin white line between the upper and lower numbers.

The 7 Div kookaburra came in several versions, but given the lack of time and paint etc. in the front line, it seems most likely that it was painted as a solid white bird on a black background(my guess).
Sorry, I can't help with the Engineer units.

Cheers,
Allan

[Tony Mathers]

The Chev C60 Derrick might have belonged to one of the AEME units. Not sure though which ones were allocated to that brigade.

[Larry Hayward]

Many thanks guys; all very useful.

I wonder if there are any photo examples for this Division

[Mike Cecil]

Larry,

Go to the AWM website.

Find 'War Diaries'.
Work your way through the levels to 7 Aust Inf Division.
Look at the month(s) you are interested in, and look for the LOC STATS (Location Statements) in the appendices for that month.

Ascertain which engineer unit was co-located with the Infantry Bn you are interested in. Bingo!

With regard to the use of fractions to represent the Unit sign, these came in to effect in August 1944, and for 7th Infantry Division, were promulgated by Divisional HQ in early September. The official Divisional sign was indeed a simplified white Kookaburra sitting on a white boomerang, on a black background. By this stage, there was only one officially sanctioned version, the governing principle being that it could be easily stencilled in the field - unlike the early 1940s when it was two coloured (Brown and White) on a black background. There are references to boots and flying Kookaburra versions, but these were local abberrations and were certainly not adopted officially.

Mike C

[Private_collector]

The unit sign would look similar to this.

The pic shows plate for 29/46 inf btn.
Check how bright the red background should be. This seemed right to me, but I have seen some darker/lighter red.

[Larry Hayward]

Mike & Tony thanks very much!

[Mike Cecil]

Tony,

Looks much too dark to me - like a maroon colour. I think the colour used was actually 'signal red' - a much brighter red than that.

Mike C

[Tony Mathers]

The Light Aid Detachment AEME was 2/59 Aust LAD

[Larry Hayward]

With the 21st Inf Bde?

[Larry Hayward]

Sorry to ask more on this subject but did Australian army vehicles such as a Dodge Weapons Carrier in July 1945 have a white star on the hood and was it with or without a circle round it?

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Larry Hayward

Sorry to ask more on this subject but did Australian army vehicles such as a Dodge Weapons Carrier in July 1945 have a white star on the hood and was it with or without a circle round it?

not to my knowledge or to put it another way I have seen no photographic evidence of it.

now if you asked about Kangaroos.....

[Lynn Eades]

Cliff, do you have photographic evidence of late war kangaroos (the marsupial type) with stars painted on them?

[Mike Cecil]

I agree with Cliff's first line.

Mike

[cliff]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Cliff, do you have photographic evidence of late war kangaroos (the marsupial type) with stars painted on them?

No, but I have seen them with halos....Honest I did but only after I emptied the 40oz bottle of Captain Morgan rum LOL

[Larry Hayward]

Thanks folks; I was thinking that the Allied Star marking was used everywhere, but I see now that Australia used no aerial recognition symbol in the Pacific.