The New Zealand Motor Battalion, 1942 to 1945
Towards the end of 1942, 2NZEF was given its own tank element when 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade began to convert to Sherman tanks, becoming 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade. Along with its three Armoured Regiments (formerly Infantry Battalions), the Brigade had a single Motor Battalion. The New Zealand Motor Battalion originally used the same organisation as that already detailed in The British Motor Battalion 1941 to 1942 section, in its second Middle East incarnation.
The Motor Battalion (Middle East) December 1942
Battalion Headquarters (10 Officers, 110 men)
Three Motor Companies (6 Officers, 158 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 46 men)
Scout Platoon (1 Officer, 37 men)
Machine Gun Platoon (1 Officer, 29 men)
Two Motor Platoons, each (1 Officer, 23 men)
Anti-tank Company (7 Officers, 146 men)
Company Headquarters (3 Officers, 30 men)
Four Anti-tank Troops, each (1 Officer, 29 men)
Total Strength of 765 all ranks (35 Officers and 730 men)
Points of Note
This same establishment, adopted for desert warfare, was initially retained by the New Zealanders in Italy, but it became apparent that the theatre required more riflemen and fewer anti-tank guns. The Anti-tank Company operated for a while as fourth Rifle Company, but in June 1944 a revised War Establishment was issued for the unit.
The Motorised Infantry Battalion 1944
Battalion Headquarters (9 Officers, 100 men)
Three Rifle Companies (6 Officers, 166 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 30 men)
Four Platoons, each (1 Officer, 34 men)
Support Company (5 Officers, 146 men)
Company HQ (2 Officers, 29 men)
Carrier Platoon (1 Officer, 44 men)
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 44 men)
Anti-tank Platoon (1 Office, 29 men)
Total Strength of 776 all ranks (32 Officers and 744 men)
Points of Note
The new organisation saw the former Anti-tank Company become Support Company, equipped with a range of weapons. The number of men in the Rifle Platoons rose dramatically from 144 to 420, almost a threefold increase. Ironically, this more balanced organisation would only be retained for some six months. At the beginning of 1945, 2NZEF decided to form an additional Infantry Brigade in Italy, but this had to be achieved using existing manpower resources. The three units chosen to convert were the Divisional Cavalry Regiment, the Machine Gun Battalion, and the Motorised Infantry Battalion. All adopted the 1945 organisation covered in The New Zealand Infantry Battalion 1942 to 1945 page.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters – was divided into Fighting and Administrative portions. The Fighting element included the Battalion staff of commander, second-in-command, intelligence officer and adjutant. Among its Jeeps and 15-cwt trucks were two armoured White scout cars and a Universal carrier for the Regimental Aid Post. The Administrative element contained the Signal section and various other personnel, plus a motor pool of over twenty trucks and lorries.
Carrier Platoon - the Carrier Platoon consisted of a HQ and three Section. Platoon HQ had a Jeep, a 3-ton lorry and a single Universal carrier. The Carrier was armed with a Vickers MMG, and the 3-ton lorry carried two more such weapons, one designated as a spare. Each Section had three carriers, with a Sergeant, private, signaller and driver-mechanic in the first, and a Corporal, two privates and driver-mechanic in the second and third. Each Section carrier also mounted a Vickers MMG for a total of twelve in the Platoon.
Mortar Platoon – the Mortar Platoon had six teams, each equipped with a 3-inch mortar and carried in a 15-cwt truck. The teams were paired into three detachments. Platoon HQ included a Jeep for the commander, a 15-cwt truck and a 3-ton lorry which carried reserve ammunition.
Anti-tank Platoon - the Platoon had four 6-pr guns, each transported by a 3-ton lorry Portee. Platoon HQ had a spare Portee and two Jeeps, and each gun detachment a Bren gun.
The Rifle Company – the three Rifle Companies were very different from the previous format of a Motor Company. The MMG and Carrier Platoons were deleted, and the Company now had a HQ and four 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. Each Platoon had a HQ of a Subaltern, driver-operator and a batman-driver in a Jeep. The three Sections were transported in two 3-ton lorries, each with its own driver. The first lorry carried two complete Sections, each of a Corporal and eight men, with one Bren gun per Section. The second lorry lifted the Platoon Sergeant, a Corporal and ten men. While not stated, it would appear that the two extra men in the second lorry acted as the team for the 2-inch mortar carried by the vehicle, along with a PIAT and the Bren gun of the third Section.
Individual weapons are given only as a total for the Company, with a handful of men credited with a Thompson submachine gun. These included the driver-operator and batman-driver for Platoon HQ and a Lance-corporal in each Section. With fifty-one Thompsons listed for the Company, there was scope for more than one to be issued to each Section. All officers had a pistol and the balance each a rifle.
Company HQ had a two armoured White scout cars, one each for the commanding Major and his second-in-command. There was also an Admin group with three 3-ton lorries and five 15-cwt trucks, plus a Jeep for the Company commander's use.
The New Zealand Infantry and Motor Battalion