New Zealand Infantry Battalion, February 1945

Headquarters Company

Numbers in parenthesis indicate number of personnel assigned to role, number of unallocated weapons or number of sub-units in detachment.  

Note on ranks

Subaltern may have been 1st or 2nd Lieutenant

Battalion Headquarters

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       
Battalion Commander Lieutenant-colonel    
Second-in-command Major    
Adjutant Captain    
Intelligence Officer Subaltern    
Medical Officer (NZMC) Captain/Major    
       
Regimental Sergeant-major Warrant Officer I    
Provost Sergeant Sergeant   Motorcycle
Intelligence Sergeant Sergeant   Motorcycle
Orderly room clerk Sergeant    
Medical Sergeant Sergeant    
       
Stretcher bearer (2) Corporal    
Stretcher bearer (18) Private    
Intelligence Corporal    
Intelligence (2) Private    
Intelligence (2) Private   Bicycle
Intelligence Private   5-cwt Jeep
Policeman (2) Private   Motorcycle
Policeman Private    
Clerk (2) Private    
Batman (2) Private    
Medical Orderly Private    
None allocated     Car, Utility
Batman-driver Private   5-cwt Jeep
Driver in Charge Private   5-cwt Jeep
Batman-driver (2) Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge Private   3-ton lorry (Office)
Driver in Charge Private   3-ton lorry (Medical)

Headquarters Weapons;

Pistol    (8);    Thompson machine carbine   (32);    Rifle (11)

Projector, infantry, anti-tank (2)

Company Headquarters

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       
Company Commander Captain Pistol  
Second-in-command Captain Pistol  
Company Sergeant-major Warrant Officer II Rifle  
Company Quartermaster Sergeant Staff Sergeant Rifle  
Pay duties Sergeant Rifle  
Company Clerk Private Rifle  
Orderly Private Rifle  
Range-taker Private Rifle  
Storeman Private Rifle  
Driver-mechanic Private Rifle  
Batman-driver (2) Private Thompson 15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge Private Thompson 15-cwt truck

Company Headquarters Weapons;

Pistol    (2);    Thompson machine carbine   (3);    Rifle (8)

Provisional allocation shown above, as no clue to the official issue is given in the War Establishment table.

Projector, infantry, anti-tank

Signal Platoon

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       
Signal Officer Subaltern    
Batman-driver Private   5-cwt Jeep
       
Signal Sergeant Sergeant   Motorcycle
Orderly Private   Motorcycle
Orderly (2) Private   Bicycle
Orderly Private    
Signaller (2) Corporal    
Signaller (30) Private    
Driver in Charge Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge Private   3-ton lorry

Platoon Weapons;

Pistol    (1);    Thompson machine carbine   (10);    Rifle (30)

Medium Machine Gun Platoon

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       
Platoon Commander Subaltern    
Platoon Sergeant Sergeant    
Gun Number (2) Corporal    
Gun Number (16) Private    
Batman-driver Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge Private   15-cwt truck
Driver-mechanic Private   15-cwt truck

Platoon Weapons;

Pistol    (10);    Thompson machine carbine   (2);    Rifle (11)

Vickers MMG (4)

Mortar Platoon

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       

Platoon HQ

      
       
Platoon Commander Subaltern    
Batman-driver Private   5-cwt Jeep
Platoon Sergeant Sergeant   Motorcycle
       
Fitter, NZEME Private    
Range-taker Private    
Orderly (2) Private    
Mortarman (5) Private    
Driver in Charge Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge Private   3-ton lorry
       
Mortar Section (3) each      
       
Mortar Detachment (2) each      
       
Commander Sergeant *    
Driver-mechanic Private   Universal Carrier
Mortarman (3) Private    

Notes

* first Detachment in each Section commanded by Sergeant, second Detachment commanded by Lance-sergeant

Platoon Weapons;

Pistol    (1);    Thompson machine carbine   (8);    Rifle (35)

3-inch mortar (6) (one per Universal carrier)

Carrier Platoon

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       

Platoon HQ

      
       
Platoon Commander Sergeant Pistol  
Driver-mechanic Private Thompson Universal Carrier
       
Driver-mechanic Lance-corporal Thompson Universal Carrier
Driver-mechanic (2) Private Thompson Universal Carrier
       
Driver-mechanic Lance-corporal Thompson Wasp *
Driver in Charge Private Rifle  
       
Driver-mechanic (2) Private Thompson Wasp *
Driver in Charge (2) Private Rifle  

Notes

* Wasp is Universal Carrier fitted with flamethrower.

Platoon Weapons;

Pistol    (1);    Thompson machine carbine   (7);    Rifle (3)

Provisional allocation shown above, as no clue to the official issue is given in the War Establishment table.

Anti-tank Platoon

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       

Platoon HQ

      
       
Platoon Commander Subaltern Pistol  
Batman-driver Private Thompson 5-cwt Jeep
Orderly Private Rifle Motorcycle
       
Platoon Sergeant Sergeant Rifle  
Ammunition duties Private Rifle  
Fitter (gun) Private Rifle  
Fitter (MV) Private Rifle  
Driver-mechanic Private Thompson 15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge (2) Private Thompson 3-ton lorry
       
Anti-tank Section (2) each      
       
Commander Sergeant Rifle  
Gun Number Corporal Rifle  
Gun Number (3) Private Rifle  
Driver in Charge Private Thompson 3-ton Portee
       
Commander Sergeant Rifle  
Gun Number Corporal Rifle  
Gun Number (3) Private Rifle  
Driver-mechanic Private Thompson 3-ton Portee

Platoon Weapons;

Pistol    (1);    Thompson machine carbine   (8);    Rifle (25)

Provisional allocation shown above, as no clue to the official issue is given in the War Establishment table.

Bren light machine gun

Projector, infantry, anti-tank (4)

6-pr Anti-tank gun (4) (one per 3-ton Portee)

Administrative Platoon

Unit Rank Weapon Vehicle
       
Transport Officer Subaltern   Motorcycle
Transport Sergeant Sergeant   Motorcycle
Batman-driver Private   5-cwt Jeep
       
Quartermaster Captain    
Batman-driver Private   15-cwt truck
Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant Warrant Officer II    
Driver in Charge Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge (2) Private   15-cwt water truck
Driver-mechanic Private   15-cwt truck
Driver in Charge (17) Private   3-ton lorry
Driver-mechanic Private   3-ton lorry
Motor Mechanic Corporal    
Motor Mechanic Private    
Carpenter and Joiner (3) Private    
Pioneer (4) Private    
Postman Private    
Butcher Private    
Equipment Repairer Private    
Water duties Private    
Sanitary duties (3) Private    
Clerk (2) Private    
Storeman Private    
Technical Storeman Sergeant    
Technical Storeman Corporal    
Technical Storeman Private    
Officers' Mess Orderly Private    
Cook (2) Sergeant    
Cook Corporal    
Cook (12) Private    
Shoemaker (NZOC) Corporal    
Armourer (NZEME) Sergeant    
Fitter, MV (NZEME) Sergeant    
Fitter, MV (NZEME) Lance-corporal    

Notes

The War Establishment allowed for seven Corporals in the Administrative Platoon, but only identifies one; some ranks have been carried across from British equivalent, leaving four unaccounted for.  

Platoon Weapons;

Pistol    (2);    Thompson machine carbine   (19);    Rifle (49)

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