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    The New Zealand Railway Group : their contribution in the North African Campaign, 1940-1943 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Judd, Brendon
    This thesis examines the role of the New Zealand Railway Group and its associated problems during the North African Desert Campaign (1940-1943). It also assesses the Group's contribution to the defeat of the Axis forces in this theatre of the war and why it disbanded and returned to New Zealand in 1943. The specialist Railway Group was formed at the behest of the British Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, Anthony Eden, on 19 November 1939 , Letter from The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the Governor-General of New Zealand, Documents, Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939-45, Volume I, Wellington: War History Branch, 1949, p.212. following New Zealand's offer of assistance to Britain after the declaration of war against Nazi Germany. Britain requested New Zealand to form the following railway companies: one Headquarters Maintenance and Construction Group, one Railway Survey company and four Railway Construction companies, all of which were to be attached to the Royal Engineers . Ibid. The New Zealand Government responded positively, but only promised one construction company, and not four as asked. However, New Zealand eventually provided seven railway companies. The first three were 9 Railway Survey Company, comprised of seven officers and 66 other ranks; 10 and 13 Railway Construction and Maintenance Company, comprised of six officers and 273 other ranks respectively; and Headquarters, Railway Construction and Maintenance Group, comprised of three officers and 22 other ranks. These three companies were later joined by 16 and 17 Railway Operating Companies, comprised of seven officers and 355 other ranks respectively; and Headquarters Company, Railway Operating Group, comprised of four officers and 24 other ranks. The Railway Group's complement was 40 officers and 1,368 other ranks; 1,408 men in all.
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    A battle to win : an analysis of combat effectiveness through the Second World War experience of the 21st (Auckland) Battalion : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies at Massey University, New Zealand.
    (Massey University, 2012) Wood, Peter William
    This study analyses the Second World War experience of the 21st (Auckland) Battalion to create a combat effectiveness model of unit-level ground combat for modern application. Most of the literature concerning combat effectiveness of land forces, and why combatants win or lose, has analysed very large military organisations, often of American, British or German origin. Little analysis has been set at battalion level or lower, and none on New Zealand troops. Much of the most important research has emphasised formulae, factors and coefficients to construct a mathematical model of combat to either account for victory in past battles, or to predict it for those in the future. This approach provides realism to computerbased simulations and games and is of assistance to Operations researchers, but it does not help historians or the general reader account for victory, nor does it help soldiers prepare for combat in the future. This research uses combat analysis methodology to examine eight battles fought by the 21st (Auckland) Battalion in Egypt, North Africa and Italy between April 1941 and December 1943. It found that the 21st (Auckland) Battalion was raised specifically for war service, and was prepared for combat largely by its own men, some of whom had a modicum of inter-war Territorial army service, and a very few had First World War combat experience. It found that the battalion was ineffective in its earlier battles, but as it gained in experience, its combat effectiveness improved, despite changes in personnel due to casualties and furlough drafts. The research shows that novice Italian and German infantry units exhibited the same lack of combat effectiveness as the 21st (Auckland) Battalion did in its initial battles. The study found that no battle examined was alike. Each was a battle to win, despite the odds. Superior strength was found to be a reasonable determinant of victory, but leadership and will to fight, along with the tactics employed and the terrain over which the battle was fought, all impacted significantly on the outcome of the battles analysed. The study found that the 21st (Auckland) Battalion, as a microcosm of all of the 2nd New Zealand Divisions infantry units, evolved towards a preference for night operations as a means of reducing vulnerability to enemy small arms fire, and as a way of achieving surprise over the enemy. It discovered that the willingness of New Zealand infantrymen to take over, rather than take cover, once their leaders had become casualties, was also a significant contributor to combat effectiveness.
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    Kiwi 'drivers' and 'lookers' : an analysis and examination of the significant contribution of New Zealand Fleet Air Arm Aircrew, of the British Pacific Fleet, to Allied Naval Operations 1944-1945 : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Thomson, Patrick Jeremy Lyon
    This thesis addresses a neglected and under-researched area of New Zealand historiography in World War II: the contribution of New Zealand Fleet Air Arm aircrew serving with the British Pacific Fleet (BPF), from December 1944 to the end of hostilities with Japan in August 1945. The operational experiences, services and sacrifices of these airmen are examined within the wider context of New Zealand’s diplomacy and strategy for the Pacific war. Three research questions are posited. First, what were New Zealand’s different responses to Japanese military aggression in the Pacific, from 1941 to 1944, particularly in association with its allies? Second, what was the genesis of the British Pacific Fleet, and what were its structures and strategic functions? Third, in what ways did New Zealand aircrew contribute to the British Pacific Fleet’s Air Arm operations from 1944 to 1945?
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    Memory, history, nation, war : the official histories of New Zealand in the Second World War, 1939-45 : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirement of the Doctor of Philosophy in History, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2012) Bell, Rachael Elizabeth
    The Official Histories of the Second World War are the largest historiographical project in New Zealand's history. They are still used as core reference texts for individual battles and for the war as a whole. The War Histories were intended to fill a wide range of roles. They were to be 'at once a memorial, a souvenir, an interpretation of events and a record of experience in certain specialised fields'. The conflicting nature of these roles created a double dichotomy within the War History project, between an affirmative national memory and an empirically accurate history on the one hand and between the critical evaluation of campaigns and the recognition of service and sacrifice on the other. This thesis examines this dichotomy through a framework of memory, history, nation and war. It uses four case studies from the War History series, Journey towards Christmas, by S.P. Llewellyn, 23 Battalion, by Angus Ross, Crete , by Dan Davin and Battle for Egypt, the Summer of 1942, by J.L. Scoullar, to consider the extent to which the tensions between the roles of the Histories influenced their production and their place as contemporary histories in post-war New Zealand. While the War Histories represent the largest repository of information on New Zealand in World War Two, the thesis contends that to use the series now as reference works only is to miss a significant opportunity. The War Histories were Official, but they were also contemporary and collective in their production. Each volume in the series is a valuable historical text in its own right, and can be read and deconstructed as representative of both the individual and society that produced it.
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    Sustained effort : the life of Sir Leonard Isitt : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Defence Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Sutcliffe, Devon
    This thesis examines the life of Sir Leonard Isitt, and his contribution to New Zealand aviation, first from a service perspective, and then considers his involvement with commercial aviation. Isitt commenced his military career as a foot soldier, serving first in Egypt during 1915, and then on the Somme, where he was seriously wounded in September 1916. While convalescing he arranged a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps, where he trained as a pilot, before undertaking two tours of duty on the Western Front. After the War Isitt remained in the United Kingdom undertaking various courses, before returning in late 1919 to join the embryo New Zealand Air Force. He became the first Commanding Officer at Wigram, and then took command of the operational station at Hobsonville. When the Royal New Zealand Air Force was created in 1937, he became the first Air Member for Personnel on the Air Board, and oversaw the build-up of personnel in anticipation of the Second World War. With the declaration of war, Isitt was posted to Canada to monitor New Zealand’s contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme, and was subsequently posted to Washington and London before returning to New Zealand as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff in early 1943. In mid-1943 he was appointed Chief of the Air Staff, the first New Zealander to hold this position, and saw the RNZAF build its strength to 20 active squadrons, equipped with over 1300 aircraft and supported by 45,000 staff. At the end of the War, Isitt was chosen to sign the Japanese Surrender Document on behalf of New Zealand at a ceremony on USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Isitt was knighted in 1946 and retired from the RNZAF to become Chairman of Directors of the nationalised airline New Zealand National Airways Corporation. He also became Chairman of Tasman Empire Airways Ltd and served as New Zealand nominee on the Board of British Commonwealth Airways Ltd. Isitt finally retired in 1963, after spending over forty years in the forefront of New Zealand aviation, and during this period arguably had a greater influence in this sector than any other person.
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    New Zealand's forgotten warriors : 3NZ division in the South Pacific in World War II : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) Newell, Reginald Hedley
    This thesis examines the origins, deployment, operations and demise of 3NZ Division. It argues that the forces that became the Division were sent to Fiji because of a perceived strategic threat, particularly from airpower, if the islands were seized by the Japanese. The Division was relieved in Fiji by the Americans but returned to the Pacific in 1943 because New Zealand wanted to earn a place at the peace table and the Americans lacked troops in the theatre. Whether the Division was primarily an offensive or garrison unit remained unclear throughout its existence and influenced its constitution. Major General Harold Barrowclough, its commander from 1942 to 1944, had somewhat different strengths from his fellow divisional commander Major General Bernard Freyberg, and operated in a very different environment, with amphibious operations at brigade level. Furthermore, his division operated in an area dominated by the United States Navy rather than the more familiar culture of the British Army. More generally, the relationship between the New Zealanders and the Americans in the South Pacific was complex, generally symbiotic but occasionally unfriendly and even lethal. The perception in New Zealand that service in the South Pacific was less onerous than service in the Mediterranean ignores the often unpleasant and even deadly conditions faced by the soldiers of 3NZ Division. The Division’s combat operations contributed significantly to the neutralisation of the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul. Except for a brief period in 1942, 3NZ Division took second place in New Zealand’s war effort to 2NZ Division. This reflected Wellington’s general inclination to favour Commonwealth over local defence, and, despite some wavering, New Zealand declined to follow Australia and focus its efforts in the Pacific. Lack of manpower to field two divisions resulted in 3NZ Division having only two brigades and growing demands from the Air Force, industry and agriculture ultimately led to its disbandment. Thereafter it faded from the public consciousness and its contribution disregarded. The men and women of 3NZ Division have undeservedly become New Zealand's forgotten warriors.