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Author Topic: 2nd New Zealand Division.  (Read 17444 times)
MontyB
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« on: 25 April 2010, 07:32:53 »
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2nd New Zealand Division Order of Battle 1940-41

Headquarters New Zealand Division

 Divisional Cavalry Regiment

 HQ Divisional Artillery
  4 Field Regiment
  5 Field Regiment
  6 Field Regiment
  7 Anti-Tank Regiment
  1 Survey Troop
  14 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

 HQ Divisional Engineers
  5,6,7,8 Companies

 Divisional Signals

 HQ 4 Infantry Brigade
  18 Battalion
  19 Battalion
  20 Battalion

 HQ 5 Infantry Brigade
  21 Battalion
  22 Battalion
  23 Battalion

 HQ 6 Infantry Brigade
  24 Battalion
  25 Battalion
  26 Battalion
 27 Machine-Gun Battalion

28 Māori Battalion

 HQ Divisional Army Service Corps
 Divisional Ammunition Company
 Divisional Petrol Company
 Divisional Supply Column
 Reserve MT Company
 4, 5, 6 Field Ambulances
 4 Field Hygiene Section
 Divisional Provost Company
 Divisional Intelligence Section 
 Divisional Postal Unit
 Divisional Employment Platoon
Other service support units - LAD, Bath, salvage etc
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MontyB
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« Reply #1 on: 25 April 2010, 07:36:13 »
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WW2 Service...

New Zealand 2nd Division
The New Zealand 2nd Division was that country's major land formation during much of World War II. Commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyburg. It fought in most of the major campaigns of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean theatres from 1940 to 1945.

Its first major operation was the abortive attempt to defend Greece from attack. Along with the British and Australian forces that formed the bulk of the rest of the British Empire forces in the country, it was unceremoniously bundled out of the mainland by the Germans. Freyberg was judged to have performed extremely well during the evacuation, and he was given command of all Allied forces on the island of Crete. Consequently, the 2nd Division temporarily lost him as its commander. However, the attempt to defend Crete was as doomed as that to defend Greece had been. German paratroopers landed, and gradually gained the upper hand over the Allied forces in the battle for the island. Greece and Crete saw some of the heaviest casualties suffered by the New Zealanders in the whole war. Once more the division was withdrawn without much of its equipment. The unit's ability to help itself to enemy - and Allied - heavy weapons and transport lead to it being nicknamed "Freyberg's Forty Thousand Thieves".

Following the disasters in Europe, the division was then integrated into the regular order of battle of the Eighth Army. It fought in many of the critical battles in the North African Campaign over the next year and a half, including playing a prominent role in the Second Battle of El Alamein, breaking through the German positions and getting behind Rommel's flank. However due to failure of British armour to reinforce the Division following a successful night attack against the Germans at Ruweisat Ridge, a full brigade (3,000 men) was lost during the fighting that resulted when German Panzers counter attacked the New Zealand infantry the following morning.

The Division was originally known as the 'New Zealand Division'; it only became known as 2nd New Zealand Division from June 1942, following the adoption of the 'Cascade' deception scheme and the 'formation' of Maadi Camp, the division's base area in Egypt, as '6th NZ Division'.

The division's return to Europe was made during the Italian Campaign. Having taken no part in the Allied invasion of Sicily, due to being in refit at the time, the division joined battle again in late 1943. It took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino, ultimately failing in its attempt to capture the monastery and town.

Several times during the campaign, a 'New Zealand Corps' was formed. This was not a true corps, with a full staff and set of corps troops. It was more a temporary extension of the division. New Zealand simply did not have the resources to fully man a corps level formation. The New Zealand 3rd Division, then fighting in the Pacific Ocean Areas against the Japanese, was demobilized with the bulk of its officers and men then transferred to the 2nd NZ Division in part to replace losses. With combat on the scale of WWII, a division was a small tactical unit in many situations, with the Americans in particular leaving a division in action until it was effectively destroyed before replacing it with a fresh division.

Following two assaults on Monte Casino, the New Zealand Division was employed as an Assault Division of the 8th Army during a series of difficult night crossings of major Italian rivers, along which the Germans had erected their defensive lines. The closing weeks of WWII saw the New Zealand Division race to Trieste in northern Italy to confront Tito's partisans, and prevent that city's forced absorption into greater Yugoslavia.

Captain Charles Upham, VC and bar, New Zealand 2nd Division was the only person to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice during WWII.

By the end of the war, the New Zealand Division had a reputation as a tough unit with good troops, as described within 5th Panzer Division intelligence reports. It had earned that reputation by fighting in many of the fiercest battles of the war, and it was well deserved.

General Bernard Montgomery, who commanded the Eighth Army and who would later command the land forces in the Normandy Invasion, was so impressed with the New Zealanders that he recommended that the division should be used in the invasion of Normandy but it was fighting in the Battle of Monte Cassino at the time.

Source:http://en.allexperts.com/e/n/ne/new_zealand_2nd_division.htm
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MontyB
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« Reply #2 on: 22 February 2012, 04:08:57 »
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Order of Battle as at 11 May 1944

2nd NEW ZEALAND DIVISION

HQ 2 NZ Division
- 2nd NZ Divisional Protective Troop
- 2nd NZ Divisional Defence Platoon
- 2nd NZ Divisional Cipher Section
- 2nd NZ Divisional Field Security Section

2nd NZ Divisional Cavalry
- C Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 13th Light Aid Detachment

HQ 4 Armoured Brigade
- 4th Squadron, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 18th Armoured Regiment
- 38th Light Aid Detachment
- 19th Armoured Regiment
- 39th Light Aid Detachment
- 20th Armoured Regiment
- 40th Light Aid Detachment
- 22nd (Motor) Battalion
- Forward Delivery Squadron
- 4th Armoured Brigade Band

HQ 2 NZ Divisional Artillery
- 4th Field Regiment
- E Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 9th Light Aid Detachment
- 5th Field Regiment
- F Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 16th Light Aid Detachment
- 6th Field Regiment
- G Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 18th Light Aid Detachment
- 7th Anti-Tank Regiment
- H Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 15th Light Aid Detachment
- 14th Light And-Aircraft Regiment
- 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Workshop Section
- 36th Survey Battery

HQ 2 NZ Divisional Engineers
- 5th Field Park Company
- 10th Light Aid Detachment
- 6th Field Company
- 7th Field Company
- 8th Field Company

2 NZ Divisional Signals (less detached sections)

- 14th Light Aid Detachment

HQ 5 Infantry Brigade

5 Infantry Brigade Defence Platoon

- K Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 21st Battalion
- 23rd Battalion
- 28th (Maori) Battalion
- 5th Infantry Brigade Band

HQ 6 Infantry Brigade
- 6th Infantry Brigade Defence Platoon
- L Section, 2 NZ Divisional Signals
- 24th Battalion
- 25th Battalion
- 26th Battalion
- 6th Infantry Brigade Band

27th (Machine Gun) Battalion

HQ Command NZ Army Service Corps
- 1st Ammunition Company
- 2nd Ammunition Company
- 1st Petrol Company
- 1st Supply Company
- 4th Reserve Mechanical Transport Company
- 6th Reserve Mechanical Transport Company
- 18th Tank Transporter Company
- Water Issue Section
- NZ Section, Motor Ambulance Convoy

Medical
- 4th Field Ambulance
- 5th Field Ambulance
- 6th Field Ambulance
- 4th Field Hygiene Section
- 1st Mobile Casualty Clearing Station
- 2nd Field Transfusion Unit
- 1st Field Surgical Unit
- 2nd Anti-Malarial Control Unit
- 3rd Anti-Malarial Control Unit
- 102nd Mobile Venereal Disease Treatment Centre

Dental

- 1st Mobile Dental Unit

Ordnance

- 2nd NZ Divisional Ordnance Field Park

- Mobile Laundry and Bath Unit

Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- 2nd NZ Divisional Workshops
- 4th Armoured Brigade Workshops
- 5th Infantry Brigade Workshop Section
- 6th Infantry Brigade Workshop Section
- 1st Armoured Troops Recovery Unit

2nd NZ Divisional Provost Company

1st Field Cash Office

2nd NZ Divisional Postal Unit

Reinforcement Transit Unit

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Division_%28New_Zealand%29#cite_note-61
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« Reply #3 on: 22 February 2012, 09:50:02 »
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1st, 2nd and 3rd Echelons of
the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force


1st Echelon, 2nd NZEF - On assembly on 3 October 1939
Papakura:
   18th Infantry Battalion (from 7 November 1939)

Ngaruawahia:
   Divisional Cavalry Regiment ('A' and 'B' Squadrons)
   HQ Divisional Artillery (details)
   4th Field Regiment, NZA
   HQ NZE (details)
   5th Field Park Company, NZE
   6th Field Company, NZE

Trentham:
   HQ NZ Division (details)
   Divisional Intelligence Section
   Divisional Signals
   HQ 4th Infantry Brigade
   19th Infantry Battalion
   Divisional Employment Platoon

Burnham:
   20th Infantry Battalion
   27th Machine-Gun Battalion

2nd Echelon, 2nd NZEF - On assembly on 12 January 1940
Papakura:
   'C' Squadron, Divisional Cavalry Regiment
   21st Infantry Battalion
   HQ NZE (details)
   7th Field Company, NZE
   11th Forestry Company, NZE

Ngaruawahia:
   HQ NZA (details)
   HQ and 31st, 32nd Batteries, 7th Anti-Tank Regiment, NZA
   5th Field Regiment, NZA

Palmerston North:
   28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion

Trentham:
   HQ NZ Division (details)
   Divisional Signals (details)
   22nd Infantry Battalion
   HQ 5th Infantry Brigade (4th and 5th Anti-Tank Companies attached)
   
Burnham:
   23rd Infantry Battalion
   HQ Railway Construction and Maintenance Group
   9th Railway Survey Company, NZE
   10th Railway Construction Company, NZE

3rd Echelon, 2nd NZEF - On assembly on 15-17 1940
Papakura:
   6th Field Regiment, NZA
   33rd Anti-Tank Battery,NZA
   24th Infantry Battalion
   Reinforcements (1136 all ranks)

Trentham:
   HQ NZ Division (details)
   8th Field Company, NZE
   Divisional Signals (details)
   HQ 6th Infantry Brigade
   6th Anti-Tank Company
   25th Infantry Battalion
   Reinforcements (1228 all ranks)

Burnham:
   26th Infantry Battalion
   Reinforcements (1162 all ranks)


Source: The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War.
 
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« Reply #4 on: 22 February 2012, 09:54:36 »
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2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (UK) -6 July 1940

Force Headquarters
   7th Field Company, NZE
   One Battery, 5th Field Regiment, NZA

HQ Covering Force
   C Squadron, 2nd New Zealand Divisional Cavalry
   One M-G Company    (Formed from two batteries of 5th Field Regiment, NZA and
   One Infantry Battalion      two batteries of 7th Anti-Tank Regiment, NZA without guns)

The Mixed Brigade
   28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion
   29th (Composite) Infantry Battalion
   4th New Zealand Anti-Tank Company

5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
   21st, 22nd, 23rd Infantry Battalions
   5th New Zealand Anti-Tank Company

Other Groups
   11th Forestry Company, NZE
   HQ Railway and Construction and Maintainence Group
      9th Railway Survey Company, NZE
      10th Railway Construction Company, NZE

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (UK)- 12 September 1940

5th Field Regiment, NZA
7th Anti-Tank Regiment, NZA (31st, 32nd Batteries)
7th Field Company, NZE
C Squadron, 2nd New Zealand Divisional Cavalry
8th Royal Tank Regiment
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