1939 - 1946 World War II

1939: 3 September; New Zealand joined Australia, France, India, and the United Kingdom in declaring war on Germany at 2130 hours on 3 September 1939 (New Zealand time).
1939: 12 September; New Zealand; Voluntary enlistment opened for the Special Force. On the first day enlistments totaled 5,419.
1939: 5 October; New Zealand; By 5 October 1939 the total number of volunteers for the Special Force had reached 14,938.
1939: 9 October; New Zealand; Recruiting began for 28 (Māori) Battalion on 9 October 1939. Enlistment for the Māori people was to remain voluntary throughout the war.
1939: 11 December; New Zealand; The advance party of the First Echelon of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force left for Egypt, via Australia, where it linked up with the advance party of the Australian Imperial Force.
1940: 5 January; New Zealand; The main body of the First Echelon, comprising 354 officers and 6,175 soldiers, sailed for Egypt on 5 January 1940.
1940: 2 May; New Zealand; The Second Echelon (428 officers and 6,410 soldiers) sailed bound for Egypt. En route, its destination was changed to the United Kingdom.
1940: 11 June; New Zealand declared war on Italy on 11 June 1940.
1940: 18 June; The National Service Emergency Regulations were issued. Men were eligible for call-up in the armed forces for service in New Zealand or overseas. During five years of conscription 306,000 men were called up.
1940: 17 July; United Kingdom; The Second Echelon came under control of the Commander-in-Chief Home Forces. It was part of a counter-attack force formed to repel a possible German invasion of south-east England.
1940: 22 July; New Zealand; The last day for voluntary enlistment for overseas service was 22 July 1940. A total number of 59,644 had volunteered by this date.
1940: 28 October; New Zealand; The first elements of the newly-raised 8th Infantry Brigade Group left Auckland for Fiji where they arrived four days later.
1941: 12 January; United Kingdom; The Second Echelon sailed from Belfast Lough for Egypt on 12 January 1941.
1941: 3 March; Egypt; The Second Echelon arrived in Egypt on 3 March 1941. The bulk of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary force was now concentrated in the Middle East for the first time.
1941: 6 March; Greece; Germany invaded Greece on 6 March 1941. Its troops threatened to outflank the New Zealanders to the west and thus precipitated a fighting withdrawal 320 kilometres down the eastern seaboard of the Greek mainland. 4 Brigade and 5 Brigade were evacuated over the period 24-27 April 1941 to Crete and 6 Brigade was evacuated on 28 April and 29 April directly back to Egypt.
1941: 31 April; Crete; Major General Freyberg was appointed General Officer Commanding ‘Creforce’ which included a total of 28,600 Australian, New Zealand, and British troops.
1941: 20 May; Crete; The Germans launched their airborne invasion of Crete from bases in Greece. Within 10 days the Germans had taken Crete and General Freyberg had lost over 13,000 men dead or taken prisoner. The New Zealanders, on the north-western edge of the island, had absorbed much of the initial brunt of the attack and had been forced to withdraw over a mountain chain to ports in the south for evacuation.
1941: 31 July; New Zealand; Formal approval was given to the formation of the 1st New Zealand Army Tank Brigade.
1941: 18 November; Western Desert; The New Zealand Division crossed the Libyan frontier into Cyrenaica at the start of the 8th Army’s Operation CRUSADER, which aimed to entrap the German Afrika Korps. The Germans escaped entrapment but were forced to withdraw west to El Agheila. After three weeks of hard fighting the division was withdrawn from the battle having suffered heavy casualties.
1941: 5 December; Mediterranean; The CHAKDINA, carrying wounded from Tobruk to Egypt, sank on 5 December 1941 with the loss of 80 New Zealanders.
1941: 8 December; A state of war existed between New Zealand and Japan from 1100 hours on 8 December 1941. The Japanese shelled Ocean Island in the Pacific, where a radio station was manned by New Zealand civilians.
1941: 10 December; Gilbert and Ellice Islands; Four New Zealand soldiers were captured by the Japanese at Butaritari Atoll in the Northern Gilbert Islands on 10 December 1941.
1942: 6 January; Fiji; B Force of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force assumed the status of a two-brigade (8 Brigade and 14 Brigade) division. Major General W.H. Cunningham was appointed General Officer Commanding in Fiji.
1942: 24 January; Egypt; The Women’s War Service Auxiliary (Hospital Division) was formed as a unit of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
1942: 20 February; Egypt; Headquarters “A” (New Zealand) Squadron of the Long Range Desert Group was formed on 20 February 1942.
1942: 23 February; Egypt; Advance elements of the New Zealand Division started deploying to Syria. The Division was attached to the British 9th Army and occupied positions in northern Syria until June 1942.
1942: 8 March; New Zealand; An aircraft from a Japanese submarine made a reconnaissance flight over Wellington on 8 March 1942.
1942: 13 March; New Zealand; A second aircraft from a Japanese submarine made a reconnaissance flight over Auckland.
1942: 14 May; Fiji; B Force of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force was renamed the 3rd New Zealand Division. At this stage the United States Army took over responsibility for the defence of Fiji and the 3rd New Zealand Division was returned to New Zealand during June and July 1942.
1942: 14 June; Egypt; The 8th Army’s armour was decisively defeated by the Axis forces. The New Zealand Division was recalled from Syria.
1942: 19 June; Egypt; By 19 June 1942 the advance party of the New Zealand Division had reached Mersa Matruh, after covering 1,450 kilometres in four days and 15 hours;
1942: 22 June; Egypt; The remainder of the New Zealand Division was in position by 22 June 1942.
1942: 27-28 June; Egypt; The New Zealand Division was surrounded by Axis forces at Minquar Qaim. During the night 27/28 June the Division executed a fighting withdrawal through enemy positions to the Alamein Line.
1942: 29 June; Egypt; The New Zealand Division formally became the 2nd New Zealand Division on 29 June 1942.
1942: 14-15 July; Egypt; The 2nd New Zealand Division captured Ruweisat Ridge after a night attack and an advance of over nine kilometres. The ridge was gained by daybreak on 15 July 1942, but the division remained unsupported by artillery or amour. They held the ridge until dusk before being forced back. The cost was 1,405 casualties, of whom all except 290 were killed or captured.
1942: 22 July; Egypt; On the night 21/22 July 1942 attempt to seize the El Mreir Depression was made by 6 Brigade, but lack of armoured support caused it to be overrun. Two battalions were destroyed with a loss of about 900 men.
1942: 17 August; Mediterranean; The Italian transport NINO BIXIO was torpedoed while carrying British prisoners of war from North Africa to Europe. Among those lost were 120 New Zealanders, most of them had been captured on 22 July 1942 in the El Mreir Depression fighting.
1942: 13-14 September; Libya; A New Zealand patrol of the Long Range Desert Group destroyed 23 enemy aircraft on the ground at Barce during a night-time raid.
1942: 7-14 October; Norfolk Island; “N” Force was deployed from New Zealand to Norfolk Island and numbered 62 officers and 1,402 other ranks.
1942: 22-27 October; Tonga; “T” Force was deployed from New Zealand to Tonga; it numbered 41 officers and 702 other ranks.
1942: 23 October; Egypt; The 2nd New Zealand Division took part in the historically important battle of El Alamein. This battle occasioned the withdrawal of Rommel’s forces.
1942: 29 October; New Zealand; The advance party of the 3rd New Zealand Division departed from Wellington bound for New Caledonia. By the end of February 1943 over 13,000 New Zealanders had been transported to New Caledonia.
1942: 11 November; Western Desert; The last of Rommel’s forces crossed the Egyptian frontier back into Libya on 11 November 1942. It was the beginning of the end for the Axis forces in North Africa.
1942: 11-17 December; Libya; The 2nd New Zealand Division endeavoured, unsuccessfully, to outflank the German Afrika Corps at El Agheila.
1943: 12 January; Tunisia; A New Zealand patrol of the Long Range Desert Group became the first 8th Army unit to enter Tunisia. This patrol also discovered a pass through the hills that was later used by the temporarily formed New Zealand Corps to outflank the German Mareth Line.
1943: 23 January; Tripoli; New Zealanders were included in the part of the 8th Army that entered the city of Tripoli, exactly three months after the start of the battle of El Alamein during which time the 8th Army had advanced 2,253 kilometres.
1943: 25 February; New Zealand; Japanese prisoners of war mutinied at Featherston Camp on 25 February 1943 – 48 were killed and 61 wounded. One guard died of his wounds and 17 were wounded.
1943: 26 March; Tunisia; The New Zealand Corps broke through the Axis line at the Tebaga Gap.
1943: 29 March; Tunisia; The New Zealand Corps entered Gabes, the first allied town to be liberated by the 8th Army.
1943: 13 May; Tunisia; The Axis forces surrendered in North Africa on 13 May 1943.
1943: 18 September; Solomon Islands; Part of the 3rd New Zealand Division, mostly 14 Brigade, arrived on Vella Lavella to relieve United States Army units on the island and to clear it of Japanese. The island was declared secure on 9 October 1943.
1943: 9 October; Italy; The first elements of the 2nd New Zealand Division arrived in Taranto on 9 October 1943.
1943: 27 October; Solomon Islands; The 8th Brigade of the 3rd New Zealand Division landed on Mono and Stirling Islands on 27 October 1943.
1943: 14 November; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Division assumed responsibility for a sector of the 8th Army’s front near the Adriatic coast on 14 November 1943.
1943: 27-28 November; Italy; In a night assault, the 2nd New Zealand Division crossed the Sangro River.
1944: 12 February; Italy; The New Zealand Corps relieved the 2nd United States Army Corps at Cassino. After the destruction of the famous monastery on 15 February, the New Zealand Corps waged an intense offensive to capture the town and monastery but by 23 March had to give up the attempt.
1944: 15 February; Solomon Islands; The 3rd New Zealand Division and United States Army units landed on Nissan Island. Organised Japanese resistance ended on 20 February but mopping up operations continued until the end of the month.
1944: 25-26 March; New Zealand; The decision was made to withdraw the 3rd New Zealand Division from the Pacific to provide extra manpower for essential industries in New Zealand, and reinforcements for the 2nd New Zealand Division.
1944: 12 July; Solomon Islands; All New Zealand troops had been withdrawn from the Solomon Islands to either New Caledonia or to New Zealand by 12 July 1944.
1944: 22 July – 4 August; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Division took part in the advance on Florence.
1944: 11 September; New Zealand; On 11 September 1944, the War Cabinet approved the disbandment of 3rd New Zealand Division and that the 2nd New Zealand Division be left in Europe until the end of hostilities.
1944: 26 November – 16 December; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Division took part in the offensive against Faenza.
1945: 9-10 April; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Division took part in the assault to cross the Senio River over the period 9-10 April 1945.
1945: 18-19 April; Italy; In its last set-piece battle of the war the 2nd New Zealand Division defeated German parachute units at the Gaiana River.
1945: 20 April; Italy; The spearhead of the 2nd New Zealand Division crossed the Idice River on 20 April 1945.
1945: 25 April; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Division crossed the Po River on 25 April 1945.
1945: 28 April; Italy; New Zealand troops entered Padua on 28 April 1945.
1945: 1 May; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Division advanced north across the Isonzo River on 1 May 1945 heading for Trieste.
1945: 2 May; Italy; On 2 May 1945 the 2nd New Zealand Division entered Trieste where the Germans were still holding out against the Yugoslavs.
1945: 7 May; Western Europe; The German High Command surrendered all land, sea, and air forces unconditionally to the Allies. The surrender became effective at one minute past midnight on 9 May 1945.
1945: 15 August; Pacific; All offensive action against Japan ended on.
1946: 20 January; Italy; Headquarters 2nd New Zealand Division was disbanded on 20 January 1946.
1946: 21 February; Japan; Jayforce, 4,320 strong, raised from the 9th Brigade of the 2nd New Zealand Division, sailed from Naples on 21 February 1946 and arrived in Kure, Japan, on 19 March. The deployment formed part of a 40,000 strong Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. The original members were replaced by drafts from New Zealand in July 1946 and the Force was maintained in Japan until being finally withdrawn between July and October 1948, except for some officers who were not withdrawn until early 1949.
1946: 26 February; Italy; The 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force was disbanded on 26 February 1946.
1948: 21 April; New Zealand; the Cabinet decided, on 21 April 1948, to withdraw New Zealand’s forces from Japan.

This page was last reviewed on 19 December 2008 and is current.

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1939 - 1946 World War II