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Italy declared war on Britain and France
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New Zealanders in Greece
NZ soldiers saw their first action of WWII in Greece. They were outgunned and outnumbered, and were forced to conduct a fighting withdrawal south through Greece. In this brief campaign nearly 300 New Zealanders were killed and 1800 captured. -
Appointment of Freyberg
New Zealand Gerneral Bernard Freyberg was appointed over-all commander of the Allies ('Creforce') in Crete. His leadership has been under considerable amount if criticism, particualrly for the Allied fairlure in Crete. -
The Battle of Crete
One of the most slignificant battles of WWII for New Zealanders. The bulk of NZ's Second Division (known as 'Creforce') were sent to defend the island from German invasion. For 12 dramatic days New Zealanders, British, Australian and Greek troops, assisted by Cretan civilians, tried to repel a huge airborne assault by the Germans. They almost succeeded. -
German Victory
Soldiers left behind in Crete formally surrendered to the Germans. Many New Zealanders made it off Crete, but thousands were left behind: more than 2000 were taken prisoner; 671 died. -
Operation Crusader begins
Operation Crusader was a large-scale infantry and armoured offensive designed to crush the Afrika Corps (German troops) and lift the siege of Tobruk designed by General Claude Auchinleck, C-in-C Middle East. The New Zealand Division attacked German-Italian strongpoints near the Libyan border, fighting their way westwards towards Tobruk. As a result NZers licked their wounds back in Egypt. With 879 dead and 1700 wounded, the New Zealand Division had fought its most costly battle of the war. -
NZ involved in the first Western Desert Offensive
On 23 November 6th Brigade suffered heavy casualties trying to capture Point 175, with 25th Battalion losing over 100 men – the worst casualties suffered by a New Zealand battalion in a single day during the whole war. -
NZ troops move to Syria to recover
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First battle of El Alamein
The New Zealanders seized their objectives after successful night assaults. But on both occasions they were left unsupported by British armoured units, and when German tanks appeared they had no choice but to surrender. -
Second Battle of El Alamein
New Zealanders along with South African, Australian and British divisions, were to 'break in' through the enemy defences, which were covered by deep minefields. At 9.40 p.m. the skies around El Alamein lit up as around 900 guns opened fire on known Axis positions. Twenty minutes later the infantry began their assault, advancing forward under a First World War-style creeping barrage. While the New Zealanders seized their objectives, the overall battle did not develop as Montgomery expected. -
NZ forces enter Tripoli
Following the breakthrough at El Alamein, New Zealanders troops enterede the city of Tripoli. They were the first Commonwealth troops to do so. Allied troops unloaded supplies needed to help with the advance into Tunisia. -
German-Italian forces surrender to the Allies
On 13 May 1943 around 238,000 Germans and Italians laid down their arms in North Africa. As temporary corps commander, Freyberg accepted the surrender of Marshal Giovanni Messe, commander of the 1st Italian Army, and Major General Kurt von Liebenstein, commander of the German 164th Light Afrika Division. -
NZ troops of the Second Division arrive at Taranto
The crucial political decision to send New Zealand troops to Italy had been made in Wellington in 1943, it ensured that the bulk of New Zealand's active soldiers would see action there until the end of war in Europe. heir first port of call was Taranto before they moved on to assemble in Bari, which would serve thereafter as the main staging base for New Zealand troops arriving in Italy. -
Offensive on the Sangro River
The New Zealand 8th Division were assigned the task of joining the Allied effort to breach the Gustav Line by attacking its eastern margins and traversing the Sangro River with the hope of initiating an advance to Rome. They made good initial progress, suffering about 150 casualties, but capturing several hundred Germans and skilfully using Bailey bridges to ford the Sangro. -
Decision to move NZ troops to Cassino, Italy
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First attack towards Cassino
With winter deepening, the whole Allied offensive ground to a halt and spirits were low amongst the New Zealanders when they were finally withdrawn from the stalled front line in January 1944 after suffering some 1600 casualties during their first two months of combat in Italy. -
Bombing of Monte Cassino
The subsequent allied aerial bombardment on 15 February laid waste the historic monastery of Monte Cassino and its environs. Tragically for the waiting New Zealand soldiers, most of the German defenders survived and exploited the ruins to create an even more formidable set of defences. -
Further Allied bombing on Cassino
After another heavy bombardment, New Zealand forces fought their way into the devastated town on 15 March. Once again, the Germans put up tenacious resistance from hidden positions in the maze of rubble that was once Cassino. -
NZ Corps ceased advance on Cassino
After eight days of fighting, Freyberg decided the cost was proving too high and he ordered his troops to cease seeking to advance. Shortly afterwards in early April, the New Zealand Division withdrew from the Cassino area, having suffered almost 350 deaths and many more wounded. -
NZ Second Division enters Trieste
The 'Div' crossed the Izonso River on 1 May and reached Trieste the next day just as the German forces in Italy surrendered unconditionally.
