Australia relied on LVT transport from the United States as the only ones they had in large supply were at the amphibious training school in Port Stephens.

LV T-4 used by Australian force at Puckapunyal Tank Museum, Victoria

The battle for Borneo, first at Tarakan in May 1945, and then at Brunei Bay in July, 1945 were the largest amphibious operations by Australian forces and saw the largest use of LVT-4’s by Australian troops during the war.

The Allied force responsible for capturing Tarakan was centred around the very experienced 9th Division’s 26th Brigade of nearly 12,000 soldiers.

The 26th Brigade had been formed in 1940 and had seen action in North Africa and New Guinea. The brigade’s infantry component was the 2/23rd, 2/24th and 2/48th Battalions, also with much war experience. These battalions were joined by the 2/4th Commando Squadron and the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion, which fought as infantry in this battle.

The brigade group also included the 2/7th Field Regiment equipped with 24 25-pounder guns, a squadron from the 2/9th Armoured Regiment operating 18 Matilda tanks, a company of the 2/2nd Machine Gun Battalion, the 53rd Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment and two engineer field squadrons.

Unknown Australian troops on an LVT-4, probably at Port Stephens, where the amphibious training school was located.

The main invasion force arrived by sea off Tarakan in the early hours of 1 May. Supported by a heavy air and naval bombardment, the 2/23rd Battalion and the 2/48th Battalion made an amphibious landing at about 08:00. The 2/23rd Battalion disembarked from American LVTs into deep mud at “Green Beach” on the southern flank of the beachhead, and overcame several small Japanese positions in the hills around Lingkas. At nightfall it dug in along the main road to Tarakan Town.

The 2/48th Battalion had a much easier landing at “Red Beach” on the northern end of the beachhead with most troops disembarking from their LVTs near dry land. The battalion pushed north along the “Anzac Highway” and nearby hills, and rapidly secured a number of pillboxes behind the beach as well as the oil storage tanks. By the end of the day the 2/48th held positions in the hills to the west of Tarakan Town.

The 2/24th Battalion also began landing on Red Beach from 9.20 am, and spent most of the day in reserve. The unit received orders to advance north along the Anzac Highway late in the afternoon, but did not encounter any opposition. By nightfall the Australian beachhead extended for 2,800 yards (2,600 m) along the shore and up to 2,000 yards (1,800 m) inland.

To those Australians aware of the what was the last major action of the Pacific War it is also the most controversial. Considerable argument raged as to whether the attack on Balikpapan on the south-eastern coast of Borneo, which began on 1 July 1945, was a gross waste of Australian manpower. At that stage the war had six weeks left to run and effectively was all over. 

The attack was to be undertaken by the experienced 7th Division. First ashore at Klandasan, just south of Balikpapan, were the 16th and 27th Battalions. The 16th faced a determined opposition but the 27th found little opposition.

The day after the Australians took command of Mount Malang the Sepinggang airfield fell to the 14th Battalion without opposition. Tough opposition from Japanese entrenched in the hills was encountered by the 25 Brigade.

On 4 July, although hampered by Japanese in the surrounding hills, Australian troops captured the Manggar airfield.

Several heavy naval guns possessed by the enemy did considerable damage to Australian tanks, so that night Australian patrols attacked and took the gun positions. In the north the 25th Brigade was advancing along the Milford Highway against violent resistance. Australian units suffered considerable losses between 4 July and 9 July.

By 21 July the enemy had withdrawn through the village of Batuchampar, fighting doggedly all the way. When the enemy pulled back into the hills the Australians opted not to follow.

The other front in the Balikpapan operation opened on the western side of Balikpapan Bay on 5 July. Its aim was to neutralise any Japanese action which might threaten ships crowded in Bay.

Real resistance was not encountered until 7 July, and even that was half-hearted. The 9th Battalion advanced easily against only sporadic battles with the enemy.

A large part of the information in this post was obtained from the Australian War Memorial website and Wikipedia.