<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Commanders </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Notable commanders </Th> <Td> Thomas Blamey </Td> </Tr> <P> The Australian Army was the largest service in the Australian military during World War II . Prior to the outbreak of war the Australian Army was split into the small full - time Permanent Military Forces (PMF) and the larger part - time Militia . Following the outbreak of war, on 14 September 1939 Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that 40,000 members of the Militia would be called up for training and a 20,000 - strong expeditionary force, designated the Second Australian Imperial Force (Second AIF), would be formed for overseas service . Meanwhile, conscription was introduced in October 1939 to keep the Militia at strength as its members volunteered for the AIF . The Australian Army subsequently made an important contribution to the Allied campaigns in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa fighting the Germans, Italians and Vichy French during 1940 and 1941, and later in the jungles of the South West Pacific Area fighting the Japanese between late 1941 and 1945 . Following the Japanese surrender Australian Army units were deployed as occupation forces across the South West Pacific . Meanwhile, the Army contributed troops to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan from 1946 . </P> <P> The Army was considerably expanded in early 1942 in response to the Japanese threat to Australia . During this year the Army's strength peaked at eleven infantry divisions and three armoured divisions, and in August 1942 the Army had a strength of 476,000 men . This force was larger than Australia's population and economy could sustain, and its strength was reduced in the second half of the year . Militia units were able to serve outside of Australian territory in the South West Pacific Area from January 1943 after the Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act 1943 was passed, but few did so . The Army was further reduced by 100,000 members from October 1943 to free up manpower for industry . At the end of 1943 the Army's strength was set at six infantry divisions and two armoured brigades, although further reductions were ordered in August 1944 and June 1945 . The Australian Army generally had a long - standing policy of using British - designed equipment, but equipment from Australia, the United States and some other countries was introduced into service in the war's later years . Pre-war doctrine was focused on conventional warfare in a European environment and the Army did not have any doctrine for jungle warfare prior to 1943 . In early 1943 the Army developed a jungle warfare doctrine by adapting the pre-war field service regulations to meet the conditions in the South West Pacific . </P>

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