The New Zealand Army
New Zealand mobilised the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) at the outbreak of war in September 1939. By the beginning of 1940 the first elements had arrived in Egypt and the Middle East would become the New Zealanders primary theatre of operations for the next few years.
2NZEF was made up of the 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division, supported by what were effectively Corps and Lines of Communications troops. In early 1942 the 3rd New Zealand Infantry Division was raised and served as the Pacific Section of 2NZEF. This commitment had to be funded from a population of less than 2 million, smaller than that of many major European and North American cities.
2NZEF fought throughout the campaign in North Africa, including the disasters of Greece and Crete. With the end of the war in the desert, 2NZEF moved across the Mediterranean to Italy in September 1943 where it would remain until the end of hostilities. New Zealand casualties across the three services included some 10,000 killed during the war.
For anyone interested in the New Zealand contribution to the Allied effort during the Second World War, the below link leads to the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre (NZETC). This contains a wealth of information on the units and battles of 2NZEF, as well as air and sea forces.
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/subject-000004.html
Return to...