in September 1942, and at the end of the year the 1st Motor Division reorganised as an armoured formation (designated the 3rd Armoured Division), and was moved to Queensland, where it came under control of the First Australian Army. In April 1943, the formation was reorganised and Land Headquarters assumed responsibility for Tasmania and South Australia, while gaining responsibility for a number of anti-aircraft assets in New South Wales and Victoria. The formation oversaw the defence of several key areas in New South Wales including Sydney, Port Kembla, and Newcastle at this time, and also assumed responsibility for southern-based training and logistical support units. The 2nd Armoured Division, which had been formed from the 2nd Motor Division, was disbanded in mid-1943, and in May three fortress units were raised from the troops around Newcastle, Sydney and Port Kembla. As the focus of the war shifted in the Allies' favour, the forces remaining in Australia were reduced as forces were deployed north to New Guinea and elsewhere, and by August–September 1943, the formation consisted only of the Australian 1st Division, made up of the 1st, 9th and 28th Brigades. In late 1943, the formation consisted of 102,593 troops, with a further 74,115 personnel assigned to the two lines of communications areas within its assigned boundaries. These troops came under the Second Army for operational purposes, but were administered separately by Land Headquarters. However, due to manpower shortages elsewhere in the Australian military, the government pushed for further reductions in early 1944. The army's headquarters element had initially consisted of 842 personnel when the formation was raised in 1942 but by 1944 it had fallen to 494. By February 1944, Second Army's role was reduced to the defence of Sydney, while the fixed defences under the formation's command – the fortress units – were reduced and reorganised into a single headquarters, designated HQ Fixed Defences. The covering force assigned to Victoria was disbanded in April 1944 and two months later the 1st Division's strength fell to just one brigade. With this, the formation was reduced largely to a training and line of communications role, although its headquarters was maintained as a contingency, or to provide reinforcement to other deployed senior headquarters as required. From September 1944, Second Army assumed responsibility for south-east Queensland as well. This situation remained until the end of the war. Nevertheless, the formation's strength continued to decline. By