Lark Force was an Australian army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

 unit formed in March 1941 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 for service in New Britain

New Britain

New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...

 and New Ireland

New Ireland (island)

New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...

. Raised in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and deployed to Rabaul

Rabaul

Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...

 and Kavieng

Kavieng

Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2000, it had a population of 10,600....

, aboard SS Katoomba

SS Katoomba (1913)

The SS Katoomba was a steamship built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1913 for McIlwraith, McEacharn Ltd, Melbourne, Australia. She was launched on 10 April 1913 and travelled the passenger run around Australia. Requisitioned as a troopship during the later stage of World War I in...

, MV Neptuna and HMAT Zealandia, to defend their strategically important harbours and airfields.

The objective of the force, was to maintain a forward air observation line as long as possible and to make the enemy fight for this line rather than abandon it at the first threat as the force was considered too small to withstand any invasion.

Most of Lark Force was captured by the Imperial Japanese after Rabaul and Kavieng were captured in January 1942. The officers of Lark Force were transported to Japan, however the NCO's and men were unfortunately torpedoed by the USS Sturgeon

USS Sturgeon (SS-187)

USS Sturgeon , a Salmon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sturgeon.Her keel was laid down on October 27, 1936 by the Mare Island Navy Yard. She was launched on March 15, 1938 sponsored by Mrs. Charles S. Freeman; and commissioned on June 25, 1938...

while being transported aboard the Montevideo Maru

Montevideo Maru

The Montevideo Maru was a Japanese auxiliary ship that was sunk in World War II, resulting in the drowning of a large number of Australian prisoners of war and civilians being transported from Rabaul...

. Only a handful of the Japan crew were rescued, with none of the between 1,050 and 1,053 prisoners aboard surviving as they were still locked below deck.

Units

• 2/22nd Battalion
  2/22nd Battalion (Australia)
  The 2/22nd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for service during World War II, the battalion formed part of the 23rd Brigade, attached to the 8th Division...
  
  
• 17th Antitank Battery
• detachment Royal Australian Artillery
• company of Royal Australian Engineers
  Royal Australian Engineers
  The Royal Australian Engineers is a corps of the Australian Army . The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps...
  
  
• an anti-aircraft battery
• supply, signals and medical detachments
• 80 militiamen of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles
  New Guinea Volunteer Rifles
  The New Guinea Volunteer Rifles was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was initially raised as unit of the Militia in New Guinea upon the outbreak of World War II in 1939 and saw active service against the Japanese during the conflict before being disbanded in 1943...
  
  
• 1st Independent Company
  1st Independent Company (Australia)
  The 1st Independent Company was one of twelve independent or commando companies raised by the Australian Army for service in World War II. Raised in 1941, the 1st Independent Company served in New Ireland, New Britain and New Guinea in the early stages of the war in the Pacific, taking part in a...
  
   (Kavieng, New Ireland)
• 2/10 Field Ambulance Australian Army Medical Corps