The second 39th Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian Military Forces (39th BN) was raised on 1st of October 1941 and assigned as a Citizens Military Forces/Militia (reserve) unit. Manned by young volunteers, and designated for garrison duty at Port Moresby (Fortress Moresby), Papua. By August 1942, against a tenacious and battle hardened foe of 7,000,[1] this poorly equipped, poorly trained and poorly supported group of 409 men,[2] under deplorable odds and conditions on the Kokoda Trail, provided extraordinary courage, tenacity, devotion and results. Thanks to the 39th BN and the local Papuans (fuzzy-wuzzy angels)[3] early resistance, they provided the first proof to the Allies, that the Imperial Japanese Army soldier on land was not invincible, this action helped turn a threat on Australia into a victory. Such was their duty, and spirit to counter their foe, that by January 1943, 5 months after the commencement of combat, they could only muster 32 men,[4] the 39th BN were disbanded.

Today Australians acknowledges the 'Kokoda Trail Campaign' and the 39th BN's courage and commitment, as an example of one of Australia’s finest moments in its collective spirit and modern nationhood

39th Australian Infantry Battalion

9 Troop, B Squadron, 2nd/9th Australian Armoured Regiment Matilda Tanks - moving east Labuan, Borneo 10-6-1945.

9 Troop, B Squadron, 2nd/9th Australian AR

Australian Aboriginal soldiers of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion parade on Thursday Island, 1945.

The attitude of the Australian authorities, including the Army command, to the recruitment of native Australians was, to put it mildly, negative.  Recruitment of Aborigines was, in fact, generally banned; the legal basis of this appears to have been that people claiming their "Aboriginality" were not full Australian citizens.  More generally, there was a strong distrust of Aboriginal people among the Australian ruling class and, perhaps, among Australians generally.  One proposal would have resulted in the forced evacuation of all Aborigines from the northern part of Australia on the basis that their alleged "child-like" quality would result in their succumbing to the blandishments of invading Japanese supported by bribes of trinkets.  This proposal was rejected by the Federal government on the basis of practicality, rather than any suggestion that such a Soviet-like action might simply be wrong.  

In spite of this institutionalized prejudice, many native Australians did volunteer for the services, and some managed to slip through the ban.  Many others enrolled in auxiliary labour units attached to Australian Army units in the homeland, many of them unpaid.  A small number of predominantly Aboriginal combat units were raised, most notably the TS Light Infantry, the only Aboriginal battalion to be raised (from company status to battalion in 1943).  These soldiers were mainly involved in security duties in northern Australia and on Australia's outlying islands, but also operated to some degree in New Guinea, where they were involved in some combat in support of US and Australian forces.  There had been a fear in the Army authorities that the use of Aboriginal troops commanded by white officers and senior NCOs (as was the case with the TSLI) would cause friction.  In fact - and to the great credit of all concerned - interracial relations within the small number of Aboriginal units were generally very good.  Faced with the reality that Aboriginal soldiers were real soldiers devoted (perhaps beyond its deserts) to their country, white Australian soldiers and officers were, well, practical - not an unusual quality in Australia, I believe.

The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was disbanded in 1946, in view of the cessation of hostilities.  Best regards, JR.