2nd Division (New Zealand)

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The 2nd New Zealand 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 Freyberg. 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. (Though the Second Echelon of 2 NZEF had been diverted to the UK between June 1940 and January 1941, and had had an anti-invasion role with VII Corps.) 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 New Zealand 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 Once more the division was withdrawn without much of its equipment.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.

[edit] Initial Composition, 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

Command structure of the [[Template:2nd Division (New Zealand|]]