A brief history of Freyberg's 2nd New Zealand Division in WW2
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Bernard Freyberg's 2nd New Zealand Division was an essential unit in the Battles of Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy during the Second World War. This video will provide a brief history of the unit.
This video is discussing events or concepts that are academic, educational and historical in nature. This video is for informational purposes and was created so we may better understand the past and learn from the mistakes others have made.
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📚 BIBLIOGRAPHY / SOURCES 📚
Official New Zealand history nzetc.victoria...
Baker, J. “War Economy: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1965.
Davin, D. “Crete: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1953.
Freyberg, P. “Bernard Freyberg, V.C.: Soldier of Two Nations.” Hodder and Stoughton, 1991.
Kay, R. “Italy Volume 2: From Cassino to Trieste. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1967.
McClymont, W. “To Greece: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1959.
Murphy, W. “The Relief of Tobruk: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1961.
Phillips, N. “Italy Volume 1: The Sangro to Cassion. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1957.
Scoullar, J. “Battle for Egypt: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1955.
Stack, W. & O’Sullivan, B. “The New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War II.” Osprey Publishing, Kindle 2013.
Stevens, W. “Bardia to Enfidaville: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1962.
Walker, R. “Alam Halfa and Alamein: Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45.” Historical Publications Branch, 1967.
Full list of all my sources docs.google.co...
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ABOUT TIK 📝
History isn’t as boring as some people think, and my goal is to get people talking about it. I also want to dispel the myths and distortions that ruin our perception of the past by asking a simple question - “But is this really the case?”. I have a 2:1 Degree in History and a passion for early 20th Century conflicts (mainly WW2). I’m therefore approaching this like I would an academic essay. Lots of sources, quotes, references and so on. Only the truth will do.
My grandfather served with the NZ 21 Battalion.He fought at Halfaya Pass,nicknamed Hellfire Pass.He never returned home as he was killed in action there.He was 36 years old leaving behind my grandmother and my dad who was only 10 years old.His final resting place is the Commonwealth War Cemetery of Halfaya Sollum in Egypt.
So very sad, may he Rest in Peace.
My Dad served in Argyll &Sutherland Highlanders in 51st Dtvn. Served in the desert and in Italy at Monte Cassino, he was "A D Day Dodger" (sung to the tune of Lili Marlene)
New Zealander here. Thanks for making this TIK!
New Zealander here, thank you for this! Was not taught this during school so I’m glad I have a fair idea of what our people contributed. Cheers
At Beaucourt where Freyberg won the VC in November 1916, he was severely wounded and considered stricken but later someone decided there might be hope for him and he recovered. At a military meeting in Egypt in WW2 he heard another senior officer speaking and asked him if he had been at Beaucourt after the assault and if he had tended some wounded. The officer said he had and this it was deduced as he recognised the voice, was the man who had intervened and saved his life.
Crete?
Medals are not won, they are awarded.
Great comment.
To “win” implies a contest, Freyberg was simply awarded the VC for valour.@Vecturion
Kia ora TIK, honestly thankyou for covering not just NZ military involvement throughout the whole war, but also the Māori battalion as well, you might be the first to go into this much detail about it and I'm glad to see this after having followed you for several years now.
🇳🇿
As a New Zealander, Army veteran and Freyberg Scholarship recipient I was quite tensed up going into this video. Damn, you knocked that out of the park Tik and validated once again why I recommend your content to anyone who will listen. Fair and balanced and I was again lucky enough to learn a few new things.
My Grandfather served with the 2nd NZ Div during Nth Africa & Italy as a truck driver (4 6 RMT), I never really got to talk to him about his experiences and according to my mother didn't really talk about it. I do know he drove his truck into a minefield and when told, reversed out, was often tasked with collecting the dead after a battle, and also drove Ambulances. And probably most importantly in the family somewhere is a key to the brewery in Cairo. Kia Kaha Tik.
I worked with someone whose squad accidentally drove into a minefield in Afghanistan. He said he had to restrain his troops from throwing the driver out.
@@michaelpalmer4387That was really funny. You picked up my spirits. Thank you.
Bernard Freyberg was Rupert Brooke's immediate commanding officer in the Royal Naval Division on the voyage out to Gallipoli and was also his cabinmate aboard ship. He was the one who decided that after Brooke died of septicemia on a French hospital ship there was time to row his body ashore and buried him on Skyros, otherwise he would have been buried at sea. As a consequence "there is some corner of a foreign olive grove that is forever England."
im english born live in nz since age of 7 years old the kiwis were involved not just in the army, there was a kiwi in charge of battle of britain air group under sir keith park later in charge of malta, also kiwis were third biggest group of pilots in battle for britain air war. And vice admiral conningham [not cunningham] in charge of allied navy in the invasion of italy campaign. nz also had a third division that fought in the pacific campaign but later was disbanded due to lack of man power.
Chur Bruh fascinating brilliant knowledge Pride of our Lads 28th Maori best battalion during WW2 🫶🏾🇳🇿💯
In New Zealand there are a lot of street name after Freyberg. In fact the street I live on is a Freyberg Street.
it is a german name
And the swimming pool at Oriental Bay in Wellington.
I work at Freyberg Pool, so interesting hearing about his legacy.
i went to a Freyberg high school!
@@BackoftheLsame lol 2011
TIK ... I am a kiwi ... your coverage here is brilliant... thank you so much
we are a small country ... but we have a history of ... doing our bit
Typical kiwi thinking?....you would be staring at a mountain and a kiwi would say, hmmm? BIT of a bump.
My Dad fought with the 2nd NZEF.
I'm typing this as his campaign medals incl LRGD Cap Badge hang on the wall beside me.
Thanks for this video, great research!
Thank you for this video TIK, I'm a NZer and loved your Crusader Battlestorm series, and your channel in general, especially the economic ones on oil, food and trains. My step-Grandpa fought at Monte Cassino and lost most of his hearing there. I have had the pleasure of visiting the location and seeing the defensive undulating terrain. Tough Old Gut is right.
I really appreciate you putting the time in for this video. I've learned a lot that I didn't know about my own country's adventures in WW2, and am looking forward to your Crete Battlestorm. I hope you include Dual VC Charles Upham's exploits, running around Crete with an onion sack of grenades taking out MG nests with a Bren gunner for support. His book Mark of the Lion was a short and gripping read for me.
I've heard that Crete delayed Operation Barberossa, and cost Germany precious weeks which would have come in handy in front of Moscow later in '41. I don't know how much of all that I believe but I would love to hear your take on it.
Very much appreciate your sincere attempt at an unbiased view on these things. Excellent work here TIK.
I never thought The big lez show would have a crossover with TIKhistory
@@posham219 Yea just lay of the drugs alright mate
I’m not even of the commonwealth, I’m American, but I am so fascinated with the British Army in North Africa before the US got there. Most especially with the New Zealanders, it sounds like they were absolute badasses on the battlefield. I’m glad they’re an ally of Britain and by extension an ally of the US, you guys are awesome
While 2nd Div was fighting in Africa, New Zealand was used extensively as a base for the American build up in the Pacific. Many Americans took home a kiwi bride after the war. Aside from a few upset longshoreman, Americans were very welcome and many of us don't forget the appreciation for America leading the charge in defeating the Japanese. My Grandpa was in the home guard and traded whiskey for chocolate with an American soldier so as to woo my Grandma. I have that to thank America for as well. Lest We Forget.
The Kiwis are still a *direct* ally of the US... on their own, not through the UK.
There is the "ANZUS" treaty... Australia, New Zealand, US, from which it derives its name.
@@rebdomine1 you're leaving out "The Battle of Manners Street", a riot between US and Kiwi soldiers in Wellington in 1943.
Indeed.
@@Nyet-Zdyes NZ was kicked out of ANSUS in 1984/5 after refusing entry into NZ waters of a US warship, which refused to answer questions about her armaments, due to the NZ governments nuclear free stance.
I didn't know that Freyberg had his hands tied over Ultra in Crete. Good episode.
Plus a lot of outstanding flyers including Keith Park (of BoB fame), Les Munro (one of the 'Dambusters') and 'Cobber' Kain and Al Deere (both high-scoring fighter aces).
As a New Zealander, I’m more than thankful for this documentary providing extensive coverage of my country's involvement in WWII.
As you’ve mentioned in the video, I’d love to see a BattleStorm documentary on the Battle of Crete. I think Monte Cassino will make a brilliant BattleStorm video too.
Thank you!
The Battle of Crete has long been fascinating to me, and Freyburg is one part of the reason why. An interesting example of how someone can be so "stuck in his ways" that he wasn't able to understand that the invasion he was tasked with repelling was coming entirely from the air, not the sea, despite clear intelligence telling him all he needed to know to win a great victory. At least, that was "the official version of history" I'd been told. Interesting to think maybe that was "not the case." Good work, as always TIK!
french- our neighbour- Harold Addis was in crete war. he had been in w.w.1. and lied about his age too be in w.w.2.- when he got back too n.z. in 1947 he was 60 years old.
He was told by British intelligence weeks before the landing that it was going to be 30,000 strong with 10,000 coming by sea.
Thank you. My father served in the 2nd NZ Division in both North Africa and Italy. I believe he was in the Division's HQ Coy. He didn't like to talk much about the war but he did tell me a couple of funny stories (non combat related). He kept a Diary during the war (written in pencil) which I now have.
Dad didn't either.
New Zealand ran the NZ railway Company in Egypt, these were men recruited from New Zealand Railways, this group also ran barges in support of the Aussies at Tobruk and ran the port.
Read Desert Railway by Brendon Judd.
I’m glad you did a breakdown of New Zealand. I really like the Polynesian culture. I gained a real appreciation for them when I was Stationed in Hawaii and get to learn about their cultures. I can still preform a Hakka and find their culture very unique.
"As a [British] Commonweath nation, New Zealand didn't technicaly need to enter the [Second World] War." (1:15)
I wanted to explain that statement for my fellow Americans.
The moment the Prime Minister of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" (U.K.) declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 (with the approval of the Parliament of the U.K.), all the British Colonies (for example, Jamaica) were automatically at war with Germany.
By the 1931 Treaty of Westminster, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa (the country) were no longer "British colonies"; they were members of the British Commonwealth of Nations which meant they had a whole lot more independence than a colony. Unlike a colony, they each had a respective prime minister, and a respective parliament. When faced with the question of individually declaring war on Germany, their respective parliaments voted YES! And subsequently, their respective prime ministers publically announced a respective declaration of war against Germany. As swiftly, as it could be done, the Prime Minister of New Zealand declared war on Germany, within 48 hours of the time the Prime Minister of the U.K. declared war on Germany.
Note: I think today's date in the U.K. is tomorrow's date in New Zealand because of time zones and the international date line.
The Parliament of New Zealand could have voted NO! And the Prime Minister of New Zealand' could have declared neutrality; therefore, "New Zealand didn't technically need to enter the war."
After the Second World War, the "British Commonwealth of Nations" was renamed "The Commonwealth of Nations". Jamaica established its respective parliament, and prime minister, and became a memember of the Commonwealth of Nations, as did many former British colonies.
My grandad was in the Royal Engineers... he used to recover the knocked out tanks. Many times they would be straffed or bombed and would shelter under the armoured vehicle. He said it was certain the enemy knew that the repair vehicle was the most important piece of kit and likely even had a picture of it in their squadron rooms. When he recovered armour they would most often have to pop the turret to allow scraping of brains etc from the turret ring as this was a common result of enemy hits. Flies were everywhere and in everything. He developed tuberculosis and eventually near the end was transfered home where he recovered in time to return as part of the rebuilt unit during the Normandy landings. After the war his son, who had been an apprentice in peterhead shipyard went over as part of the relief so that chaps like him could go home. He died when I was 10yo. Gassed to death by peterhead power station which burnt unfiltered high sulphur gas for its first 2 years of operation. Also burning my lungs and leaving me with asthma. I only worked out that last bit years later. The British government will find some way to do you in eventually.
Is the sulphur from the coal?
Probably a gas turbine from the sounds of it.
@@asumazilla This sounds like it might be hydrogen sulfide gas. It's common in some formations... not in other... but I don't think coal has anything to do with it.
The gas itself is just (IIRC), "H2S".
According to "goggle", it's caused by *bacterial* break-down of organic matter... including sewage, for example.
@nyetzdyec3391 Sulphur can produce different acids. After burning SO3 can react with water vapour to make sulphuric acid. A bigger chimney could disperse it further if there is any wind, or these days you can react this with material in the chimney (use a cleaner coal too). It's similar pollutant as smog from lots of wood and coal burning in towns.
@@asumazilla So you're saying it was the sulfates produces, rather than naturally existing hydrogen sulfide.
Okay.
Great topic!! I am immensely fascinated with Britain and her empire. It’s really cool to see a video on one of her offspring nations. Thanks for your hard work
The lioness roars and the cubs come to her aid.
Both insulting comments to this Kiwi. Why not grow up just once piddlers. Unless ya want us Kiwis to laugh directly in your face.
As a New Zealander- whose grandad was English and fought for the Brits, the most moving grave I've ever been to was at Monte, seeing all these blokes my age dead with last names I recognised- seeing the hill and thinking about that slog literally brought me to tears.
British General: I say Freyberg, why don't your troops salute their superiors?
General Freyberg: Oh, I think if you give them a wave they'll wave back.
Ka pai Tik ...Thank you for this, my uncle's fort in the 28 Maori battalion will..n.z
There is a beautiful book, ake ake, about the 28th. Highly recommended
Ngati toma tuenga eh!
A New Zealand history video made by TIK, as a Kiwi it's a dream come true
Outstanding Tik. Kiwis like to think we “punch above our weight” in sport, diplomacy, and obviously war. Your highlighting of the high number of casualties and disproportionately high percentage of troops (especially volunteers) relative to its population is also spot on. As is the Labour government’s charter negotiated with Churchill which enabled Freyburg to successfully insist on the division to be 1. operated independently and 2. as a unit. There was mutual respect between the New Zealanders and Rommel who you noted regarded the 2nd Division - essentially a citizen army as an elite unit he would rather not have to face, especially the 28th Māori Battalion. He is reputed to have said that if he had an army of Māori battalions, he could conquer the world. The Māori took extremely high casualties - not least because of their martial culture as evidenced by following up unnerving haka war
dance with a fixed
bayonet charge and hand to hand combat. My dad was a Vickers gunner in the 27th (Machine Gun) Battalion which as you noted had companies assigned to other larger units including the 28th ie Māori battalion. I grew up with a busy of Monty on the mantlepiece of our living room. Dad (Mick O’Donoghue) was invalided back home after been run over by a military truck. When the doctors wanted to amputate his left leg, Nana wrote to the Labour Minister for Defence who forbade it. The doctors made a subsequent effort but Montgomery was making a postwar tour of the Dominion and Nana marched up to him and said, They want to take my son’s leg off. Monty intervened and that saved my dad’s leg. He married my mother June Mears in 1953. I don’t know if she would have so keen on a one legged husband so in a way I’m only here on this earth thanks to Monty. My dad used to joke, I may not have won the war,but I shortened it by one day!
One thing - a major issue is the ‘furlough mutiny’ - the only one by British or Empire/Commonwealth forces on the war. Troops sent home on leave after 3 years of tough exhausting fighting, refused to go back to Italy once they saw life was carrying much as usual, and other men eg in essential occupations. There was widespread deep protest in the press, demonstrations, petitions to parliament and a case taken to the high court.
I think that in view of the above fact it was the only mutiny (but with popular support), in the British Empire, it would be worth a video of its own.
Once again, thanks for this splendid detailed recognition of New Zealand’s major contribution to overall Allied victory.
PS: the so-called side show drew German major crack units away from the Eastern Front)
Bollocks, the Kiwis, and South Africans had a habit of running away in the north African campaign. They were very good at administrative bullshit for their covering up their battle reliability. Broken square! Broken square!
@aussiviking604 ..perhaps Rommel was misguided in his praise for 2 NZ Div? I'm sure a few NZ and SA vets would love to have a sporting conversation with you on the matter, it's a pity they have all passed on now. Or perhaps some Afrika Korps or Fallschirmjager anecdotes might shed some light on the fighting prowess of the Boks and the Kiwis, for your delight and enlightenment?
@juliusschwencke142 Yeah, start a fight, then run away! Sounds about right! That being said NZ artillery was excellent and spot on. As long as you had Australian infantry and engineers to make sure they don't run away! 🤣
Let me guess what nationality you are...
@@aussiviking604 do you have any proof/ sources nz and sa ran away from fighting in North Africa? I personally haven’t heard a single thing about that happening ( I’m not saying it’s not true and I’d love to be proven wrong but I think your full of crap). Just one reputable source would be great. A “trust me bro” like you have commented so far wont suffice
My father was a tank commander in the 18th Battalion, Armoured Corps Regiment, 2NZEF. He was of the opinion that had the Division had any other commander than Freyberg a lot more of them would not have come home. Freyberg was always aware that, unlike most of the combat nations in the War, the New Zealand Army did not have the "luxury" of a large population base at home to draw on when making up for casualties. He therefore, when planning a campaign, set an upper casualty figure and if that figure was reached before the objective was attained, he would call it off. This happened a few times.
Kia Ora, great episode. To add, Brig Hargest (Crete) actively resented Freyberg, an MP he had expected command of 2NZDIV. At 1st Alamein, June '42, Brig Kippenberger (CO, 5th Brig) pleaded with the British tanks to follow orders & support 4th Brigade, but they sat 2 miles away watching it's capture, whole. Initially having replacements, a 2nd NZ Div was planned, but scrapped due to months (Nov '41-July '42) of heavy casualties. April '45: Trieste had been part of Yugoslavia, with destroyed railways (tunnels!) post-WW2 its deep water port supplied & kept Austria in the West. 2NZDIV just beat Tito there, a standoff ensued, T-34s surrounding the Kiwi HQ. The Brit 9th Armoured Brigade still carries the NZ Silver Fern on its vehicles to remember its time under NZ command having charged 88s to achieve the breakthrough/win at Alamein.
PS the main Kiwi camp near the Pyramids, Maadi, had 18 rugby pitches surrounding it.
Great video, two of my great-grandfathers were in the 22nd Battalion, I've got the battalion history book with a little certificate from when it was given to one of them, plus his partly-completed war diary from 1941 which starts when he was in training in NZ, and the last entry is the unit finally moving out from Ismailia into the desert at Qattara (which they called Kaponga) in September.
Thanks Tik. My Grandfather was a territorial before the war and was one of the first to join up in 1939 and sailed with the first echelon to Egypt. He was in the 19th (Wellington) Battalion/Armoured Regt. He was sent home in early 1945 having risen to Technical Quarter Master Sergeant, and was even acting RSM at one point, so was a senior NCO. He only missed one major engagement and that was Cassino, arriving back from furlough just after the division was withdrawn. He survived Greece, Crete and the battles before El Alamein that nearly destroyed the battalion. He qualified on Shermans, but I've not been able to work out if he ever commanded one in battle. He was only 5 foot 4, so I think those 6 foot plus German supermen just couldn't see him to shoot him. Probably also made him perfect for tanks. He used to fly planes and beat up 6 foot tall scottish paratroopers in his free time....
ahh had a uncle in 2nd division who was born 4 months premature in 1915, near opotiki. He told me shockers about the italy campaign and Eygypt.
My Popa was in the same Battalion, fought the same battles up until he was captured in the 1st battle at El Alamein, no doubt they would have met, if not known each other well. Some of the sporting antics the Kiwi's participated in back at the Maadi camp caused him to be sent to the medics more than the fighting ever did! 5/6 of his recorded hospital visits were Football related, the 6th was rumoured to be a jeep racing incident... I can't imagine what your grandfathers scotts boxing related hospital records would have looked like!
They saw a lot of horror, the silly antics at camp must have gone a long way to keeping them human. From what I have learnt the antics didn't stop in the POW camps either.
@@NaysWays Do you know what company he started in? Have you read the Battalion history? My Grandfather wasn't a boxer, just a tough as nails plumber. For all we Kiwis bristle at the criticism, our soldiers were no angels. They did some bad stuff from time to time, and at other times were incredibly undisciplined. I'm not going to judge them though; they were fighting the German army in really cr*ppy conditions. WW2TV has a really good episode on Crusader, which has extensive photos of the ground they had to fight over.
Big thanks for this, i loved it, more sites to visit on my next travels, and yes please, would love to see a video on Monte Cassino.
Italy has important lessons to be learned in it and should still be studied in depth. Well done again TIK
Thankyou Tik, appreciated. My grandad never spoke about his time in Greece through to Italy just about the places he had visited and he was sent home before Monte Cassino.
this is a welcome gift for Monday thanks Tik
Good listen on the eve of ANZAC day. Thank you for the history lesson.
Kippenberger is an interesting Kiwi commander to look in to. He took over the division at Casino when Freyberg took command of the corps. He never got a chance to prove himself as a division commander because he stepped on an anti personnel mine the night before the attack, when doing the rounds at the start line.
I'm quite fortunate to have a book written by my great-grandfather who fought in the 21st Battalion of the 2 NZEF since I never got to meet him.
nah never forget the greatest marvel of wartime engineering ever, the bob semple tank. it was legitimately the biggest contribution possible.)
not a single bob semple tank was ever destroyed in combat or on the way to the front. All this talk about the superiority of german or British, American or soviet tanks but do they have to track record of the bob sample tank?
@@posham219Was the Bob Semple sample a simple tank?
@@posham219 The Germans had to send an entire company of Tigers just to knock out 1 Semple
Fear of the Semple is why Japan never invaded.
Thank you, thank you thank you for creating this vid on NZs contribution. A recent publication on the 2 Division came out in 2016 - A bloody road home by Christopher Pugsley. Highly recommend.
As a Brit, I've always been deeply appreciative of the New Zealanders, the Australians, the Canadians, South Africans, Indians, and any other that fought alongside the British. They tended to be better than most British units partly because they were mostly volunteers rather than conscripts, but consequently just like the best British divisions (1st - 5th BEF, Guards Division, 43rd Glosters, 51st Highland, 15th Scots, 49th West Riding, 50th Northumbrian etc), they were relied upon repeatedly at the sharp end because they were good.
Rommel clearly rated the 2nd NZ Division and so did his veteran Chief of Staff Siegfried Westphal who rated 2nd NZ Division along with British 7th Armoured Division as the best and toughest to oppose.
Hi TIK I appreciate your video on Freyberg and the Kiwis contribution on the war from 1941 till 1945. As an Italian from Trieste I know well the end of the conflict and the final rush from Venice to Trieste.There is a good book "the run to Trieste" that narrated how the Freyberg, instead resting in Venice (a good spot indeed!) ordered his division to run, even when they were challenged by Tito,s army in the small town of Monfalcone some 20 km before Trieste. Here the communist commisars tried to convince Freyberg to stop saying that Trieste was already fully occupied by Tito' army, that was not tue, just some small contingent arrived in the city earlier and they were still fighting the German garrison and the bands of local partigiani who had insurrected. Fryberg cunningly left in Monfalcone a motorised platoon with some officers to deal with the commisars and ordered the rest of his motorised companies with tanks to run the last leg to Trieste where they arrived just on time to confront with the newly arrived russian tanks of Tito army. Immagine that, Tito,s as a communist leader wanted to gain as much territory in Italy including Trieste, claiming that it belongs to Yugoslavia, Churchill gave to General Alexander, commander of the allied army in Italy to do the possible to get as much under the allied control. Alexander ordered Freyberg to do that, and he did! This could be a story to tell in another video, the importance of which, beside saving Trieste from the communist control ( they remained for 40 days confronting peacefully but not so much the Allied before going back) is that the vital city port of the north Adriatic rested in Allied control. As Churchill later said "now there is an Iron Curtain in Europe from Lubeck (Poland) to Trieste (Italy). Thanks and honour to Freyberg and the New Zealander troops for their valour and courage, my grandfather told me many good stories about their occupation time. PS: the Allied Government or AG remained in Trieste till 1955.
Dad, and my maternal uncle made it to Trieste. They were both truck drivers. My uncle drove a gasoline truck.
My Grandfather fought in the 2nd Div, 14th Light Anti Aircraft regiment. Thanks for making this video, we appreciate it.
I have been a GP in NZ for nearly 40 years and in my first 15 years of practice I had many veterans from WW2 from all theatres and services. I would draw them out regarding their wartime experiences which I could relate to thanks to my military history interest. I have several tales.
One who served through the desert and Italy at the Po had an 88 shell pass between his legs and was unscathed - one can imagine the ribbing he would have got from his mates at the time. He loaned me a copy of his battalion history and what staggered me was that the casualties over the course of the war, about 1800 men and the total number who served was about 3200 so 4-5 times the list strength
My late father in law was a doctor with the NZ div in the same theatre and the story goes that during one of the battles their field hospital was over run I'm not sure it was during Crusader or the retreat to the El Alamein line but any way whilst they were in German hands they were inspected by Rommel and he ordered them to "carry on" as casualties from both sides were being treated. He was also wounded with a bullet in the buttocks the receipt of which caused great ribbing for the rest of life.
My Uncle told me that in Italy His company had 120 men and 20 off them committed suicide. - ''One put a German anti - infantry mine too his chest too kill himself and my Uncle- Denis O'Dwyer tryed to save his life but the other company troops , were yelling at him too let the ''bastard'' die for doing the deed.
Love your work TIK, keep it up!
Many place names and personal names from the countries that New Zealanders served in are to be found here. New Zealander's also served in numbers in the Royal navy, Bomber Comand and fighters.
This really is an excellent video. Too many people ignore the fact that in Crete they had left behind a lot of weapons in Greece. Artillery would have been useful against landing planes. Your compliments are authentic eg the Rommel 'elite' one, and not the stupid ones going around (like Anzacs capturing hell and Maori conquering the world). Regarding Monte Cassino, a 2 division frontal attack would never take that hill. It required a multi-divisional attack on many fronts but Freyberg was never given that level of command. I must compliment you on the quality of your work.
my grandfather used a German machinegun that handily dropped next to him, to shoot paratroopers that were falling down around him.
@@jamestwilkins875 having fled Greece in a fishing boat, and camping without tents for a few weeks, he was just happy to return some of their ammo back to them.
Kia ora in an Aussie accent. Always liked working with NZ forces in my time in the green machine.
Superb presentation, well done TIK.
Considering the constraints placed on Freyberg in Crete, it becomes difficult to criticise any decision on the defence.
Wonderful gallantry shown by members of 28th Bn in the debacle of the Greece campaign. SS Hellas was severely damaged at wharf in Piraeus during the evacuation. One source has 5 direct hits (including an incendiary) on the ship, with another 3 hits on the wharf amongst the evacuees & wounded waiting to be loaded. A large proportion of passengers were refugees. With the only gangway destroyed, members of the Maori battalion were jumping into an inferno to rescue children.
Great episode, nothing wrong with episodes on so-called side shows, people were bleeding there too apart from being a very interesting story.
Thanks so much for focusing on Freyberg. He was one of those rare people who stand out head and shoulders above the masses. I previously was aware that he was the first commander in history to face an airborne invasion so always gave him the benefit of the doubt regarding Crete. To find out that he was ordered not to act on the ULTRA intelligence is vindication that he did the best with what he had.
My father was one of the first to join up, and was there from begining to end, including Casino where he was saved after being buried alive. He never liked talking about the war, understandably. They went through a lot
Thank you so much for this history of my fellow countrymen, no matter how brief. I once heard that the reason the break out from Minqar Qiam was so successful was because the New Zealanders were basically told to break out to the east but because there was a burning tank in that direction the entire Division passed within a few hundreds metres of that spot.
They broke out successfully because their lives and NZ division was surrounded, and were about to be destroyed the following day. This under-reported story is one of the most seminal of the desert campaign, after the Aussie 7th Divisions brilliant defence of Tobruk.
@@ABCBUGGYNZ Also it's underreported that Rommel drove the afrika corp into the ground, the average German soldier was out on his feet even after the Gazala battles. At Mersa Matruh maybe it was worse. Rommel won a lot of battles by bluff and the psychological weakness of his enemies going back to ww1. All it took was for a concerted will to fight from the allies and Rommel pushing his troops over and beyond would reap good rewards.
I very much appreciate your insight and knowledge of the history and philosophies related to the causes of world conflicts. I have watched a good number of youe excellent videos, those that piqued my interest. Thank you. My comment regarding this video. You have due to the comment of a patreon given some background to New Zealand's contribution to WW2. This brought something to mind. I am constantly surprised and somewhat offended that South Africa's contribution to ground and air forces in WW1 and WW2 are generally ignored by many historians. It seems that just because of our nationalist government with its race policies which is anathema to many, we are now ignored. That government came into power three years after WW2 for heavens' sake. I have a family member who joined at 18 and fought in North Africa and Italy. And who was present at Monte Cassino. Over 330 000 South Africans volunteered and took part. Our population at the time was around 12 million, more than half of who were rural peasants or anti British due to the recent Boer War. So a pretty good show of volunteers under the circumstances.
Kia Ora,I always thought South Africa was neutral.I heard a story that NZ troops on leave in Capetown, the Maori Battalion were required to stay on ship.I asked my Dad-2NZEP,and he said NO.P.S.next battle 2027 World Cup!!
Someone worth mentioning as part of the 2nd NZ Division is Captain Charles Upham, the only combat soldier (the other two were British medics) to win the Victoria Cross twice. Mark of the Lion and Searching for Charlie are two excellent books about him.
A very humble man.
He would have failed OCS if it weren't for the lack of officers.
He was captured by the Germans, and after he was liberated by the Americans, he insisted on joining them to continue the fight. Until his superiors found out and insisted the Americans return him immediately.
Sir Bernard Freyberg later became appointed Governor General of NZ, I remember him visiting my high school made more memorable by him awarding us the afternoon off school! Our family, later, had possession of a spare set of his ribbons curtesy of his ex batman who was a family friend.
A bit of an amusing story for you. New Zealand troops were viewed with great wariness by their allies, particularly in Italy due to their light-fingered nature. Even the Germans joked, "Surrender to an American, you lose your life. Surrender to a New Zealander you lose your watch.
New Zealand often has had to filch supplies from allies and enemies alike to keep fully equipped
Freyberg's special charter is now regarded as a pivotal moment in New Zealand's development as an independent nation. Churchill hated it, the British often struggled with the idea NZ might be something more than a colony. The wisdom of the special charter is clear when you consider the losses of New Zealanders in bomber command, where in a throw back to the first world war NZ airmen were fully integrated into the incompetently prosecuted night bomber offensive. Of all New Zealanders serving with the RAF, 3,285 (27%) died, if only we'd had our squadrons with their own charter! The RNZAF served as an independent force in the Pacific. Both NZ and Aussie tend to gloss over the combat performance of their ground forces after Cassino/Kokoda respectively. Both countries expeditionary forces were worn out by then. In Italy post Cassino the 2nd NZ division lacked sufficient infantry (one brigade was armoured remember) and many of its veterans had become a little too "canny". The same phenomena of course became apparent in storied British formations in Normandy like the 7th Armoured and 52nd Infantry division. It wasn't until the much needed 3rd div guys showed up that the division recovered it's elan. The division had become notorious for bad march discipline and looting. In retrospect, the 2nd NZ division should have been withdrawn to NZ in the second half of 1943 as the manpower would have been better employed in war production to support the war effort.
Much of this is a disgruntled ANZAC trope some of a certain ilk bleat on about. The air war was brutal. It transcended nationality. If NZ had their own squadron to pick and choose operational scope (nonsensical in the context of the air war in Britain when you really think about it) it would've been a truly ineffective squadron. I doubt they would've flown much and developed a reputation for hesitance to fight.
@@ThyCorylus There were several New Zealand squadrons serving in the R.A.F. 75 squadron was formed in 1939 from the airmen sent to crew Wellington's New Zealand had ordered for it's own airforce. These were offered to and accepted by R.A.F. upon the outbreak of war. Perhaps that was for the best as I can not imagine those aircraft performing well in the Pacific campaign. Then there were the Article XV squadrons, 485,486, 487,488, 489, 490. 488 had a bad time in Singapore. 487 is perhaps more famous as one of the participating squadrons of the Amiens raid. 486 for dealing with the V1 flying bombs. 485 was a fighter squadron, being involved in the Channel Dash, Dieppe and D-Day beaches among other things. 489 was a torpedo bomber squadron, 490 a flying boat squadron. But thats how you integrate a smaller force into a larger one, much the same thing happened in the Solomon Islands where R.N.Z.A.F. units worked side by side with U.S. forces.
I'm curious, how do you knowledgeable Kiwis feel about MacArthur...?
(I know he was basically an ego-on-legs... but a lot of generals were, back then.)
@@Nyet-Zdyes who? Bugout Doug!
@@Colonel_Blimp Yes, I know that was a pretty common nickname among US troops.
I also know that it's understandable, but *also* not fair.
Hi TIK, as a proud Kiwi thanks for this brief history of the 2nd NZ division I really enjoyed it
along with all your other Battle Storm videos, keep up the great work ,cheers.
My Grandfather and his three brothers all joined the 2NZDF in early 1940 and were shipped off to England. My grandfather was assigned to the 23rd Battalion, he fought in the early battles of North Africa but was wounded during Operation Crusader and spent much of the remainder of the war in hospital. One of his brothers was a Lieutenant in the 21st Battalion and fought all the way from North Africa to Italy. He was taken prisoner in Monte Cassino and served out the remainder of the war as a POW. I'm still researching the other brothers. All four brothers survived the war and returned home to NZ. I have a collection of my grandfather's photos that he took during this time and a blood-stained german eagle insignia taken from the sleeve of a dead or wounded soldier.
My grandfather was one of the last men killed in Italy, killed an hour after the Germans surrendered... he was accidentally killed by partisans that mistook him for one of Titos partisans... his death is mentioned in one of the historical accounts of the 2NZEF. I think its called One last river to cross (or something like that). He was buried in the town of Garzia.
Oh man I can’t wait to watch this - from long time NZ fan (hoping you weren’t too hard on Crete and Monte Cassino 😊)
Bernard Freyberg commandeered the hotel in Venice when he accepted the German surrender that was where he had stayed for his honeymoon in 1922. He made the mistake in Rome of organising a hotel and leaving it- so the Americans bribed the Italian management while he was away and he did not make that mistake in Venice! Paul Freyberg was in the LRDG and was also under his father's command for a while in North Africa and was also listed as missing at Anzio.
My grandfather was a staff officer in Venice in '45 and '46. Apparently he fathered a child with a British nurse while there, I have a lost aunt or uncle out there
My father was CQMS at both the Hotel Baglioni in Florence 1944 and also at the Hotel Danieli in Venice 1945 - both used as NZ Forces Clubs!
My Grand father was in the 27th Machine Gun Battalion in Greece, he missed out on Crete because he was held behind to destroy transport and got a later ship that went to Alexandria, and then he got transferred to an Ambulance driver, I also went to a High School named after Brigadier James Hargest who was just under Freyberg
an Invercargill lad I see
Murphy, The Relief of Tobruk (Official History of New Zealand in WW2) - what an amazing book. Professional military analysis while also being easily readable for casual enthusiast. Available online for free.
You should do a detailed video on Monty. I don't understand where all the hatred for him comes from. He (and Bill Slim) were among the better British commanders of WW2. His ego aside, most of his decisions (leaving aside Market Garden) were to avoid unnecessary casualties. He listened to the troops on the ground and made required changes for proper combined arms warfare which was notably lacking in his predecessors.
It's mainly his personality, with a dash of nationalism on the part of both the British and the Americans.
Good points about monty:-
1/ extremely detailed planning that did a very good trick at marshalling his strength and mostly keeping casualties low (compared to other commanders).
2/ excellent grasp of theatre logistics that meant few of his formations ran out of ammunition or fuel while fighting.
However his bad points were intrinsically linked to his strengths:-
1/ being a micromanaging sort, almost a control freak. This often meant once he had WON a battle he failed to allow his formations to carry out an unordered pursuit, and thus the defeated enemy managed to withdraw and regroup. And thus needed to be defeated again a few weeks later.
2/ his logistics fetish meant that he often wouldn't launch an operation until he felt it was ready, this frequently allowing Germans to reinforce or dig in this making the offensive harder than it possibly should have been.
@@TheImperatorKnight I'm an American (but not a Yank)... and I've got no problem with Monty.
Of course, I might be a wee bit biased, since I think we're distantly related.
It comes from Hollywood. Even his supposedly difficult personality is exaggerated. The fact is he even got on fairly well with MOST American commanders he served with. A very small number bitched about him post war and unfortunately this gave the false impression it was the norm.
"Monty" was an unrelenting "British war general" in pre WW2 peacetime and the outstanding performance of his division in France pre Dunkirk was a reflection of his correct but unpopular priorities. A dozen more like him scattered throughout the British Army could have made a huge difference in the chaotic early days when one of the critics of the desert war likened the performance of his peers there "as closer to running feudal levies with "leaders" more intent on winning their personal battles back in London than defeating the Axis. The "Auk", being career Indian Army, had no such allies.
Thank you for a concise presentation of the New Zealanders in North Africa and Italy and beyond.
Thanks TIK, for bringing forward some off the lesser known facts and history!!
As someone who had several great-uncles and distant cousins in the 2NZEF during the Second World War - all serving from Egypt right through Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy to Trieste without a scratch mind you - thank you for this video Tik :)
Dad, two maternal uncles, and a maternal cousin.
Even the NHS is quicker than TIK at responding to questions
Privatize TIK!
Quick, maybe, but are they any good with the research ?
At least you have an NHS. be grateful
@L_Train No I won't be grateful as it took the NHS 1 year just to confirm I had an appointment and it took the private sector 1 week to give me an appointment. The NHS is a disaster. The only problem with american healthcare is the gov runs the healthcare industry
@panzerdeal8727 No they such as research which is why the US is disproportionately responsible for healthcare research and American have the highest access to drugs and new treatment. Anyone with money gets private care or goes to America for treatment.
A wonderful historical coverage video about New Zealand 🇳🇿 troops and theirs commanders freybreck in Northern Africa . Thank you (TIK ) for sharing
@mohammedsaysrashid3587 - It's *Freyberg*, not "Freybreck". You're welcome.
Did not expect this video, cheers TIK
I’d love to see some Canadian content! Never the less, I absolutely love this channel and your content. So detailed. Never stop mate
The Regular Force was very small, but there was also a Territorial Army that was the cadre for each of the nine battalions that were raised immediately upont the start of the war. They supplied around 1/5th of the battalion strength at the start of the war. There's quite a lot of detail about it, along with lots of detail on how the Div was stood up in Eygpt, in Denis McLean's biography of Kippenberger.
As an aside, when the NZ Div shipped back to NZ from Trieste, they numbered just over 22,000 men - over TOE strength for an "infantry" division at that point of the war. But the amusing part is that while they shipped ~3500 vehicles back to NZ *they also dumped almost 18,000 vehicles in Italy*. They had had a reputation since North Africa as thieving bastards. By 1945 they had somehow managed to "acquire" more than 1 vehicle per person in the division.
Now we need history of 5th South African brigade led by TIKs favorite general (after his beloved Franz Halder) Dan Pienaar, perhaps the finest general known to humanity whose vim and Ginger in battle are covered in the Crusade battle storm series
we need TIK to cover Dan Pienaar's war career from 1939 to 1945
Regarding the tale of Dan Pienaar, I ran across a good book about the South African forces in the North African campaign after TIK's epic about Operation Crusader, "South Africans versus Rommel" (Casemate, 2017) by David Brock Katz. Katz served fairly recently an officer in the South African military and got himself a solid academic background, so he seems reliable. The impression I retain (I read this book in 2019) is that Peinaar was as stubborn as a mule, even in regards to the SA command structure, and basically had the reputation of comporting himself like the last Boer Kommando leader. He was well loved in his own service, but Pretoria recognized that for the sake of better relations with London Pienaar had to be kicked upstairs.
Here we go. Funny how this always seem to happen. Whenever Kiwis get mentioned anywhere on RUclips, you can count on some weird Saffa going on about doing them next. I've never come across a nation like Saffas that have another nation like us Kiwis. Living 24/7, permanently in their heads. I guess it shows what affectionate? Or just a chip the size of Table Mountain forever set on one shoulder. Iddaknow. But it's pretty weird.
Fantastic review of a great unit with huge contributions and significant sacrifices that I never would have heard of except through TIK. Glad I invested the time in this video. Thanks TIK.
Excellent video Tik, greatly appreciate your talking about the 2NZEF. I appreciate that this might be a bit off but there's two details that add to your talk.
The first is that NZ troops in Britain in 1940 were positioned in such a way that if the Germans had gone through with Sealion, the kiwis would have been the first troops they would have encountered in Kent.
The Second point is NZ's reputation for warcrimes amongst German and Allied troops right up until after the breakout at Minqar Qiam where Rommel himself sent a note to Freyburg stating that if NZ troops continued their wilful slaughter of German prisoners/medical staff then NZ troops would not be allowed to surrender and would instead be shot on sight. NZ troops have never been caught committing warcrimes since. There is even a photo of Rommel speaking to Brigadier Clifton of the NZEF, and Rommel also mentions the incident in his personal papers.
Just some notes to add to your very informative comment. 1) The 2nd Echelon were sent to Britain for precisely that purpose of assisting in their defence after Dunkirk and the building up of the home army.
2) Specifically at Minqar Qiam is where these accusations of atrocity emanated, no-where else. The fact being that during the hectic night-time breakout the NZ Division ran over hospitals and sleeping combatants. The bayonet was used sparingly that night, which added to the horrors of the German soldiers. Personally, I think the NZ soldier was the most feared adversary in the desert campaign.
Thank you for confirming the first point, it is genuinely appreciated.
There are however reports, particularly from the Greek campaign of warcrimes against German prisoners of war being committed, the first instance that comes to mind would be the incident of German POWs being found at the base of a cliff with their hands tied behind their backs, those prisoners having been in the care of NZ units.
I completely agree that Minqar Qiam being sheer chaos would be a suitable reason for the running over of wounded. The finding of bound remains in burnt out trucks with their limbs tied together however (though this is admittedly from only German sources) speaks of deliberate malice. Certainly the NZers were feared, particularly after how close they came to routing falschirmjager forces with repeated bayonet attacks at Malenme Airfield on Crete. German Abwher reports from the Italian campaign make the observation that NZ pockets of resistance would most often have to be wiped out to a man. @@ABCBUGGYNZ
@@daniTise3270 Thankyou for your detailed reply. I've never heard or read of these instances you raise above. I've learnt something today...
@@daniTise3270 You got a source for these war crimes in Greece? What numbers are we talking about? I've read a lot of stuff about the Greek campaign and there are instances recorded of POWs being killed on both sides as in any campaign, but nothing like what you've described.
Unfortunately, it was a long time ago that I read that particular claim. I do remember it was from a German source.
You're certainly right though, acts like that are indeed committed on the regular in conflict, much as they shouldn't. @@lanceyoung9955
Always nice to see another video that focuses on North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Makes me proud to be a Kiwi 🥝
I had 3 relatives in the 2nd NZ division and they all survived the war. Didnt know the full story of what they'd been through until now
My mother,s only brother was with the NZ division in the Western Desert, he was 24 years old, and he was killed in 1943,buried in Commonwealth Cemetery in Sfax,broke my grandmother,s heart.My father's youngest sister, married an American, who fought at Guadalcanal, he was a lovely man!
interesting I hadnt heard the bit about Freyberg being limited in his use of the intelligence at the battle of Crete, instead he was just blamed very harshly for ignoring the intelligence. Alot of things just arent as they seem once theyre looked at a little deeper
Not forgetting they'd left everything in Greece. The troops were only in Crete to speed up the evacuation. They had 2 tanks, almost no arty, AAA or any vehicles. There was supposed to be a squadron of Hurricanes, but the RAF reneged at the last minute, probably the right choice but the troops & navy were hammered without them.
He failed appallingly
@@DaveSCameronnever trust the words of a Cameron.. Deceitful bunch of connivers they are. 🖕 Yeah, that means you Dave.
@@DaveSCameronwas going to disagree (heart, I'm an NZer), but yeah he did. Mainly by tolerating shit Brigade COs
"Alot of things just arent as they seem once theyre looked at a little deeper".... you will never make a supervisor/boss role with that attitude, you got to be able to blame people as arrogantly as possible with as little understanding as possible..... (i do wish that was hyperbole, but sadly no)
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this to you - I have just started watching. Just a little correction - There was no 'Commonwealth' at the time of WWII. New Zealand was a 'Dominion' and part of the British Empire (which was still a 'thing' at the time). The then King of the UK King George VI was our Sovereign and head of state - just as King Charles is today.
Thank you for the video. Great detail and analysis. My grandfather John Charles White was Freyberg's AdC throughout the whole WW2 campaign. There is a book called Freyberg's War by a NZ historian Matthew Wright which you might find interesting. All the best.
first video of yours I've seen, really excellent stuff, thanks mate
Thankyou for this info, especially regarding Freybergs knowledge because of "Ultra". My mother's uncle John who was born in Britain, but moved to NZ when he was 6 years old, volunteered early on and ended up in the NZ 18th battalion, he fought in Greece before being evacuated to Crete and was involved in the battle for Crete May 1941, he was killed on the 22nd May 1941. It wasn't until years after the war, that my grandfather came across one of his mates who was also in the 18th Battalion, who informed him, that John wasn't killed by the Germans but actually killed accidently by one of his own, he was a scout, scouting ahead in a vineyard during the German invasion, he popped his head up and one of his own accidently shot him in the head. Obviously a very scary time for those boys with confusion all around.
As always TIK an enjoyable synopsis of an aspect of war. I do love your battlestorm productions and follow them at every opportunity. Keep going !!
Thanks Tik, good to see you make some noise for the ‘Silent Division’! Ka pai, e hoa!
Very cool man, and only commenting because you know your stuff. The silent division was from WW1 when the Aussie troopships yelled and cheered after the sinking of a German ship, but the Kiwi's offered a solemn silence. Pretty funny eh, how we're so similar but then very different to our okker cuzzies.
@@ABCBUGGYNZ you are correct, sir! I kinda got the wrong World War there …. Thanks for your post.
From reading about the Casino battle, Freyberg seems to be an outstanding general, one of the best allied generals who should have been promoted.
Actually he was a very good divisional commander but was not sucessful on the two occasions when he was promoted to command a larger group in Crete and at Cassino. He was probably given these two promotions as he was the most senior general(by service years) in the British army and was favoured by Churchill.
Great video TIK!
I can recommend "Where The Flaming Hell Are We" by Craig Collie for the New Zealanders' experiences of Greece and Crete.
Sooo glad we're back to military history TIK. I've read a lot of negative about Freyberg, so, it's good to some he wasn't that bad. Looking forward to seeing your analysis of Sir Bernard 💋
Thank you my bro, been wanting some YT videos of my countrymen in ww2.
I thought you did rather well on this topic for the limited time limits. I think it is common for ''side-show'' events and smaller contributions to be overlooked; though reasonable to wonder if all the 'main events' would have been as conclusive without them.
It would be wonderful to see a grunty doco on the Kiwis but understand that this would be in a very long queue. Still, excellent subject matter for a definitive internet source, and long overdue. If you believe in the Kiwis, you will inherit the gifts of the Kiwis :)
Thank you, TIKhistory.
Kia ora TIK. On behalf of rellies who fought and died there, thanks mate.
Cassino is pretty straight forward: Freyberg asked for a strike on the hill. Mark Clark, the US commander who was more interested in his press clippings and his post-war political ambitions, didn't like the fact that the NZ Division had a "right of refusal" to any order he gave and that they had done so on several occasions over the previous months, so he turned the strike into a large attack - far larger than Freyberg asked for and far larger than was appropriate for the target, actually making it *harder* to conduct the attack because the building was now in a better state for defense *and* the ground all around had been ruined by the bombers, making movement even harder than it was before.
Excellent and balanced report of the Kiwi Div actions through WW2.
Thank you. NZ would have been awesome in Europe. Those commanders that had served in WW1 excelled.
Been a big fan for a long time and seeing you make content on my country is great 🤙🏽 chur
A refreshing change of topic, i love it