The New Zealand Infantry Battalion, 1942 to 1945
The New Zealand Army used the same Battalion organisation as the British throughout the campaign in North Africa. These units have already been detailed in The British Infantry Battalion 1941 to 1942 entry of the site. During September 1944, 2NZEF was issuing its own War Establishments for units serving in Italy.
For a more detailed description of the 1945 War Establishment, please see the New Zealand Infantry Battalion entry in the Example TOE section.
The Infantry Battalion (Middle East) mid 1942 to 1943
Battalion Headquarters (5 Officers, 50 men)
Headquarter Company (11 Officers, 297 men) comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 12 men)
Signals Platoon (1 Officer, 35 men)
Anti Aircraft Platoon (20 men)
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 45 men)
Carrier Platoon (2 Officers, 42 men)
Anti-tank Platoon (3 Officers, 73 men)
Administration Platoon (2 Officers, 70 men)
Four Rifle Companies (5 Officers, 104 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 11 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 4 men)
Three Rifle Sections, each comprised of 9 men
Total Strength of 799 all ranks (36 Officers and 763 men)
The Infantry Battalion 1944
Battalion Headquarters (5 Officers, 46 men)
Headquarter Company (11 Officers, 289 men) comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 11 men)
Signals Platoon (1 Officer, 34 men)
Anti Aircraft Platoon (20 men)
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 45 men)
Carrier Platoon (2 Officers, 41 men)
Anti-tank Platoon (3 Officers, 68 men)
Administration Platoon (2 Officers, 70 men)
Four Rifle Companies (5 Officers, 103 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 10 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 4 men)
Three Rifle Sections, each comprised of 9 men
Total Strength of 782 all ranks (36 Officers and 746 men)
Points of Note
Somewhat surprisingly, the New Zealand Army retained the War Establishment used in the desert battles when 2NZEF crossed over into Italy in late 1943. This allowed for a sizeable Anti-tank Platoon with eight guns, formed largely at the expense of reducing the strength of the Rifle Platoons.
Italy proved a very different theatre to that of North Africa, with enemy armour playing a decreased role. By mid 1944, at least one Battalion of 2NZEF noted it had halved the size of both its Anti-tank Platoon (down to four 6-pr guns) and its Carrier Platoon (reduced to two Sections). In September 1944, a revised and distinctly New Zealand establishment was issued for the Infantry Battalion. Sadly a copy of this was not amongst my parcel of donated documents. By February 1945 however, this WE table had itself been superseded by the below organisation. It seems likely that the missing September 1944 WE was similar in most respects to the final variant adopted in 1945.
The Infantry Battalion 1945
Battalion Headquarters (5 Officers, 46 men)
Headquarters Company (8 Officers, 228 men) comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 11 men)
Signal Platoon (1 Officer, 40 men)
MMG Platoon (1 Officer, 22 men)
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 43 men)
Carrier Platoon (11 men)
Anti-tank Platoon (1 Officer, 33 men)
Administrative Platoon (2 Officers, 68 men)
Four Rifle Companies (5 Officers, 118 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 10 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 3 men)
Three Rifle Sections, each comprised of 11 men
Total Strength of 779 all ranks (33 Officers and 746 men)
Points of Note
It seems likely that this establishment brought together the various amendments enacted by units since the Cassino campaign. The Anti-aircraft Platoon was officially deleted and the Anti-tank and Carrier Platoons substantially reduced in size and strength. These changes released sufficient personnel to allow for an increase in the size of the Rifle Platoons.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters – the Battalion was commanded by a Lieutenant-colonel, with a Major as his second-in-command. There was also an Adjutant (Captain) and Intelligence Officer (Subaltern). The other ranks provided drivers, batmen, orderlies and twenty stretcher bearers. The Universal Carrier included in the previous organisations was deleted.
Signals Platoon - maintained radio, wire and telephone communication between the Battalion and higher and parallel formations.
MMG Platoon - this was a new addition to the Battalion, perhaps created by a conversion of the AA Platoon. The MMG Platoon had two Sections, each with a single 15-cwt truck for transport, and a Corporal and eight gun numbers serving a pair of Vickers medium machine guns, for a total of four MMGs in the Platoon. It is possible that the MMG Platoon was added only in early 1945, when the Divisional Machine Gun Battalion was converted to a standard Infantry Battalion.
Mortar Platoon – the Mortar Platoon consisted of six detachments, each equipped with a 3-inch mortar and transported in a modified Universal carrier. The six detachments were paired into three Sections. Platoon HQ included a Jeep for the commander, a 15-cwt truck and a 3-ton lorry which carried reserve ammunition.
Carrier Platoon - the Carrier Platoon underwent the most drastic changes. Under the 1945 establishment it had just seven carriers, the first being for the Platoon commander, now a Sergeant, and a driver-mechanic. The next three carriers each just had a driver, with carriers five, six and seven each having a two man crew. These last three vehicles each mounted a Wasp flamethrower, though the issue of this weapon was constantly affected by production problems, so was not necessarily available in the numbers required.
Anti-tank Platoon - the 2-pdr anti-tank gun was replaced by the 6-pdr model during 1943 (though the February 1944 2NZEF WE still shows the 2-pr gun). With the reduced threat of enemy armour in the close and often mountainous terrain of Italy, the Anti-tank Platoon was scaled down. In the 1945 organisation, and it seems likely much earlier, the Platoon had four 6-pr guns, each transported on a 3-ton Portee.
The Rifle Company – the four Rifle Companies were now increased in strength to over 120 men each, retaining the previous format of a HQ and three Rifle Platoons.
The precise organisation of the Rifle Platoon is not given in the War Establishment table, so a certain amount of interpretation is required. The Platoon consisted of a Subaltern, Sergeant, batman and orderly, with thirty-three riflemen of which three were Corporals. This would allow for a Platoon HQ of four, with three Sections each of a Corporal and ten men. Individual weapons were a single pistol for the officer, five Thompson submachine guns and thirty-one rifles. The precise allocation is not given, but it seems likely each Section commander and two men from Platoon HQ carried a Thompson, the remainder rifles. Each Section had a Bren light machine gun and each Platoon a 2-inch mortar and a projector, infantry, anti-tank (PIAT). There is no indication whether a standing crew was maintained for either the 2-inch mortar or the PIAT, but personnel could have been taken from the Rifle Sections. As the New Zealand Army operated a Left out of Battle (LoB) system, it seems likely that the Rifle Section was normally below its intended full strength even in the best of circumstances.
Company HQ had a Jeep, 15-cwt truck and 3-ton lorry for transport and was commanded by a Major, with a Captain as his second-in-command.