28th Maori Battalion, 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division

Discussion in 'New Zealand' started by DavidW, Sep 3, 2011.

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  1. DavidW

    DavidW Well-Known Member

    Guys,

    Was the 28th Maori Battalion a "normal" New Zealand Infantry battalion in the period 1940 - 1942? Did it conform to the contemporary War Establishment?

    It wasn't a machine gun Battalion was it?

    Thanks in advance.:)
     
  2. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    David -
    as far as I am aware the 28th Maori's were "normal" - that is a regular fighting bde and not a support bde. Main trouble appeared to be that fact that they all mainly knew each other having come from nearby villages and thus any casualites were hard to absorb and the mourning was intense.

    My last regiment 16/5th Lancers supported them at the Cassino Station in the second battle where they lost heavily-

    This was where one of them wandered over to a Tank Crew to ask "why do you think that we are called "KIWI's"..... no answer so he went on- "it's because we cannot fly - we cannot see - and we are fast becoming extinct up here "

    Cheers
     
  3. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    It was an infantry battalion and it was added to the 2nd NZ Division as extra battalion (so Division had 10 infantry battalions instead of 9, at least before the First Alamein battle)
     
  4. DavidW

    DavidW Well-Known Member

    Main trouble appeared to be that fact that they all mainly knew each other having come from nearby villages and thus any casualites were hard to absorb and the mourning was intense.



    Just like the "Pals" in WWI. Very sad.

    Thanks to you both.
     
  5. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Sol -
    while that is true of the 28th before El Alamein when they joined 5th Inf Bde from Div support - at Cassino the 22nd Batt had disappeared and thus the divison reverted to six infantry battalions when the Kiwi's were made into a corps

    Cheers
     
  6. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    22nd April 1943, 5th Camerons were spectators watching the Maori's storm and take the heights of Takrouna in broad daylight. The defenders were the Italian Foglore Division (paratroops) probably their best troops in Africa. The Camerons were glad they only had to relieve the Maoris next day and not attack the place.
     
  7. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Tom, during the First Battle of Alamein, division temporally lost its 4th Brigade. It was recreated as Armoured brigade with three armoured regiments (former infantry 18th, 19th and 20th Battalion) and one motor battalion, 22nd Battalion. 28th Maori Battalion took their places in 5th Brigade.
     
  8. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Sol
    by the time Cassino came up the Kiwis were conforming to the established British Armoured Divs such as Brit.6th Armoured -1st Brit.Armoured- and 5th Canadian Armoured along with the Polish Armoured bde we essentially had 4 Armoured divs and and four Armoured Bdes with nearly 2000 Tanks when the crying need was for INFANTRY - of which we never had enough - thus the 1st Armoured Div and 25th Tank Bdes were broken up along with some Tank battalionsas well as AA units navy and Airforce units
     
  9. andy007

    andy007 Senior Member

    Guys,

    Was the 28th Maori Battalion a "normal" New Zealand Infantry battalion in the period 1940 - 1942? Did it conform to the contemporary War Establishment?

    It wasn't a machine gun Battalion was it?

    Thanks in advance.:)

    Hi David,
    Agree with everything that has been said so far. However, I think it is important to add that the 28th Maori Battalion was a wholly volunteer unit. Where as the rest of the 2NZEF was made up if volunteers and conscripted men.
     
  10. kiwi craig

    kiwi craig Member

  11. Wills

    Wills Very Senior Member

  12. Chesson

    Chesson Junior Member

    CHAPTER 2 — England | NZETC

    Partway down page 28. the farm my dad lived in was requisitioned & the officers lived with my Grand father & family :)

    I have never found this anywhere before.

    Apparently the guys made a carving on a tree & it is still visible today!.:lol:




    The weather, which had been perfect, broke after a few weeks, and early in October the men moved from their muddy tents to billets—C Company to Wichling, B Company to Doddington, D Company into the hospital, A Company to Eastling, and Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company to Stalisfield. They were all villages in 7 Brigade's area.
     
  13. andy007

    andy007 Senior Member

    What a great story Chesson, do you have a photo of the carving by chance?
     
  14. Chesson

    Chesson Junior Member

    Hope to take a picture of it soon :)
     
  15. andy007

    andy007 Senior Member

    Great stuff! Looking forward to seeing it :)
     

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