23rd Battalion (New Zealand)

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23rd Battalion
Active1939–1945
Country 
Second World War

The 23rd Battalion, also known as the Canterbury-Otago Battalion, was an infantry battalion of the

Burnham Camp the battalion sailed from New Zealand on 1 May 1940. The battalion saw action in Greece, Crete, North Africa, and Italy
.

History

Formation and training

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the New Zealand government authorised the formation of the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF), for service at home and abroad.[1] Following consultation with the British government, it was decided that the main New Zealand contribution to the war effort would be in the form of an infantry division, the 2nd New Zealand Division, under the command of Major General Bernard Freyberg. The new division would require nine battalions of infantry[2] and consequently, several infantry battalions were formed from 1939 to 1940 with New Zealand volunteers.[1]

The 23rd Battalion,

Canterbury, Southland, Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast and Otago districts.[7]

After completing rudimentary training, the battalion embarked for England in May 1940 as part of the

Fall of France.[9]

Commanding officers

The following officers served as commanding officer of 23rd Battalion:[10]

  • Lieutenant Colonel A. S. Falconer (January–August 1940; March–May 1941);
  • Lieutenant Colonel D. F. Leckie (August 1940–March 1941; May–June 1941);
  • Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Romans (June 1941; July 1942–April 1943; August–December 1943);[Note 3]
  • Lieutenant Colonel C. N. Watson (June–July 1942);
  • Lieutenant Colonel J. R. J. Connolly (April–May 1943; December 1943–May 1944);
  • Lieutenant Colonel M. C. Fairbrother (May–August 1943);
  • Lieutenant Colonel W. B. Thomas (December 1943; June–August 1944; October 1944–May 1945);
  • Lieutenant Colonel E. D. Blundell (May 1944);
  • Lieutenant Colonel E. A. McPhail (May–June 1944; August–October 1944);
  • Lieutenant Colonel D. G. Grant (May–September 1945);
  • Major D. P. W. Harvey (September–December 1945).

Notes

Footnotes
  1. Territorial Force. The 23rd Battalion was the sixth such unit of the 2NZEF, preceded by the 18th to 22nd Battalions.[3]
  2. ^ The other two infantry battalions were the 21st and 22nd.[5]
  3. ^ Romans had the rank of major during his first period in command of the battalion.[10]
Citations
  1. ^ a b Pugsley 2014, p. 16.
  2. ^ Pugsley 2014, p. 19.
  3. ^ Pugsley 2014, p. 21.
  4. ^ Ross 1959, pp. 3–4.
  5. ^ a b Ross 1959, p. 1.
  6. ^ Ross 1959, pp. 2–3.
  7. ^ Ross 1959, p. 6.
  8. ^ Ross 1959, pp. 10–13.
  9. ^ Ross 1959, pp. 17–19.
  10. ^ a b Ross 1959, p. 493.

References

  • ISBN 978-0-143-57189-6
    .
  • Ross, Angus (1959). 23 Battalion. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945. Wellington, New Zealand: Historical Publications Branch.
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