Australia cut back the armoured force raised for desert warfare once the Pacific became its main commitment. Early experience with M3 Stuarts did not reveal the right tank for this infantry war, but the Matilda did after the 1st Army Tank Battalion landed at Milne Bay in 1943. The 4th Armoured Brigade rarely operated above squadron strength and often fought at troop level on primitive roads across New Guinea, Bougainville, Tarakan, Labuan, and North Borneo. Its detachments depended heavily on the infantry formations to which they were attached. Matildas usually withstood point-blank artillery fire of up to 150 mm unless hit in the tracks, while the three-inch close-support howitzer damaged Japanese bunkers more effectively than the two-pounder gun.
Chapter · 8:05-9:40
Matildas in Pacific combined-arms operations
Milne Bay and later island fighting show the Matilda operating as close infantry support in terrain that broke the usual model of an armored brigade.