Northern Territory Force was an Australian Army force responsible for protecting the Northern Territory during World War II. Most units assigned to the Northern Territory Force were based near Darwin and were responsible for defending the important naval and air bases in and around the town against a feared Japanese invasion. Northern Territory Force was briefly renamed the 12th Division in late 1942 but this was short-lived. Australian Army units were rotated through northern Australia during the war and six infantry brigades served as part of Northern Territory Force between 1942 and 1945. The formation was reduced over the course of the war as the strategic situation in the Pacific turned in the Allies' favour, although remnants remained until the end of the war. In early 1946, it was converted back to the 7th Military District. History In mid-1942, the strategic situation in the Pacific was desperate for the Allies with the Fall of Singapore in February 1942 and the Japanese victory in the Dutch East Indies campaign. Amidst concerns about the security of the Australian mainland, the Australian government decided to bolster the defences around Darwin and to reorganise them. The Northern Territory Force was established on 25 April 1942 from the headquarters of the 6th Division and 7th Military District, with the previous headquarters troops being transferred to control the district's line of communications. Its first commander was Major General Edmund Herring, who arrived at a time when an invasion was expected and comprehensive changes to tactical dispositions were delayed. Herring did redeploy some of the defending elements, most of which were Militia formations that had been mobilised for wartime duties. The 19th Battalion and the 3rd Brigade were pulled back from the beaches and established stronger defended positions in depth. The 23rd Brigade was moved north to establish a counter-attacking force. As the threat passed, at the end of April, Herring reorganised his force extending the fortress area to include RAAF Base Darwin and strengthening its defences. To defend the vital supply lines that stretched towards Alice Springs and Mount Isa, screening forces from the 3rd and 23rd Brigades were deployed to two locations well south of Darwin, poised to deploy forward in the event of an invasion. In May, the 19th Brigade, a veteran Second Australian Imperial Force unit, arrived from Adelaide and a third brigade area was established. Headquarters elements were established at 56-Mile and