Australian/New Zealand OOB

[TDR]

Well my first comment re the Carrier platoon is that it is organic to an Infantry Battalion.
Do not confuse this formation with that of the Division Cavalry Regiments. These were different formations again. A combination of Light tanks VIB and some VICs and carriers.

The Australian Carrier Platoon as per the Infantry Battalion was similar to that of the British Carrier Platoon.

For a brief outline of Infantry formations especially for AIF cf AMF I suggest your OOB designer get a copy of the book ‘Redcoats to Cams’ a History of the Australian Infantry 1788 – 2001, by Ian Kuring as a basic starting pint for Australian Infantry units.
In this you will find reference to the Carrier Platoon. In the 1941 structure it is as I described. Also when you look at the 1944 Standard battalion the only difference is 1 less carrier.

Now the AMF units DID have carrier platoons in PNG in 1942, 3 such units being 36 Bn when based at Port Morsby before fighting on the Kokoda Track, 9 Bn, 25 Bn and 61 Bn. The last 3 Bns used the carriers in the Milne Bay, PNG, battle, Aug – Sep 42.
In 43 at some point there was an organisation of teh Bns in SWP, where teh carriers were removed from the Tropical Bn structure. Sort of obvious as theywere low slung and bellied out on the mud.

With the Div Cav Regt you can find some details on the web site I gave you already as well as via the Collections database at the Australian War Memorial.

One reference from the AWM being related to the Div Cav Regt Security Troop as:
“ALEPPO, SYRIA. 1941-11. SECURITY TROOP, 9TH DIVISION CAVALRY REGIMENT, ON MANOEUVRES. EACH TROOP COMPRISED THREE 5-TON TANKS AND THREE BREN GUN CARRIERS. ON A STRAIGHT RUN THE TANKS WERE CAPABLE OF A SPEED OF UP TO 45 MPH.”
The tanks in the picture that comes with this caption being VIBs.
In fact I have not found any Div Cav Units with the VIC tank as some OOB suggest.