The New Zealand Expeditionary Force
In World War II
Authors: Wayne Stack Barry O’Sullivan
Illustrator: Mike Chappell
This 48 page paperback is number 486 in the Men-at-Arms series of books published by Osprey Publishing.
In 1939 more than 140,000 New Zealanders enlisted to fight overseas during World War II. Of these, 104,000 served in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Initially thrown into the doomed campaign to halt the German blitzkrieg on Greece and Crete (1941), the division was rebuilt under the leadership of Maj Gen Sir Bernard Freyberg, and became the elite corps within Montgomery’s Eighth Army in the desert. After playing a vital role in the victory at El Alamein (1942) the ‘Kiwis’ were the vanguard of the pursuit to Tunisia. In 1943–45 the division was heavily engaged in the Italian mountains, especially at Cassino (1944); it ended the war in Trieste. Meanwhile, a smaller NZ force supported US forces against the Japanese in the Solomons and New Guinea (1942–44). Fully illustrated with specially commissioned color plates, this is the story of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force’s vital contribution to Allied victory in World War II.
The contents of this book are;
- Introduction
- Commanders
- Organization
- 2nd NZ Division in the Mediterranean
- 3rd NZ Division in the Pacific
- Uniforms and Equipment
- Select Bibliography
- Plate commentaries
- Index
This is an excellent reference source for the historian, modeler, wargamer, or figure painter looking for information on this little covered subject. The reader is told the story of these brave men and their uniforms as the units are brought to life with photographs and artwork illustrating their uniforms.
