9th Brigade (New Zealand)
9th Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | 1945–1948 |
Country | New Zealand |
Branch | New Zealand Military Forces |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Brigade |
Part of | 2nd New Zealand Division |
Engagements |
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | William Gentry Leslie Potter |
The 9th Brigade was a formation of the
History
Formation
9th Brigade was initially formed only "on paper" as part of the Operation Cascade deception scheme in 1942. Thomas and Lord, Part One, page 50, say that HQ NZ Maadi Camp was allocated the deception identity "HQ 6 NZ Division," the NZ Infantry Training Depot became notionally "9 NZ Infantry Brigade;" and the Northern, Central, and Southern Companies became 31, 32, and 33 "Battalions."[1] The deception identities lasted until 1944.
The brigade was formed as a real formation for the first time in Italy in early 1945 for service in the last stages of the campaign and placed under the command of Brigadier William Gentry. The Divisional Cavalry Regiment,[2] 22nd (Motor) Battalion[3] and the 27th (Machine Gun) Battalion became the brigade's three battalions.[4] All three units lost their respective specialist roles and were reorganised as regular infantry battalions.[5][Note 1] During the final offensive in Italy in April 1945, a number of additional units were also temporarily placed under the direct command of 9th Brigade. These units included 19th Armoured Regiment (equipped with Sherman tanks); C squadron, 4th Hussars (Kangaroo armoured personal carriers); and 31 Battery, 7th Anti-Tank Regiment (M10 Tank Destroyers and towed 17-pounder anti tanks guns).[7]
World War II
The first engagement of the 9th Brigade was during
The brigade returned to the front on 27 April, by which time the Allies had crossed the river Po and bridged the Adige.[18] 9th Brigade passed through 6th Brigade and rapidly advanced eastwards facing little resistance.[19] It reached Mestre by the 28th, crossed the Piave river on the 30th and arrived in Trieste in the afternoon of 2 May, the German surrender in Italy having come into effect at midday.[20]
Postwar
Following the
Distinguishing Patch
The distinguishing patch of 9th Brigade was a red diamond worn on the left shoulder. In 1947 the 22nd and 27th battalions were respectively designated as the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the New Zealand Regiment.[25][26] The red diamond continued to be worn by these battalions, although they were subsequently disbanded in 1948. The patch returned when the 2nd battalion was reformed in 1959 and from 1964 was worn as a dress distinction for personnel posted to 1st and 2/1st battalions of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Since 2007 the patch has been awarded to all personnel who successfully complete combat corps training.[27]
Notes
- Footnotes
- Citations
- ^ Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, 'New Zealand Army Distinguishing Patches 1911–1991,' Published by Malcolm Thomas & Cliff Lord, Wellington, 1995, Part One, p.50.
- ^ Loughnan 1963, pp. 381–385.
- ^ Henderson 1958, pp. 416–417.
- ^ Kay 1958, pp. 463–467.
- ^ Kay 1967, pp. 384–389.
- ^ Loughnan 1963, p. 383.
- ^ Kay 1967, pp. 403–538.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 406.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 422.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 427.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 443.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 462.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 465.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 475.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 478.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 480.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 481.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 513.
- ^ Kay 1967, p. 518.
- ^ Kay 1967, pp. 520–542.
- ^ Brocklebank 1997, p. 55.
- ^ Brocklebank 1997, p. 220.
- ^ Brocklebank 1997, pp. 141–144.
- ^ Brocklebank 1997, p. 207.
- ^ Henderson 1958, p. 460.
- ^ Kay 1958, p. 514.
- ^ New Zealand Defence Force (2020-07-21). "Journey to the Red Diamond: From basic training to Infantry — Part One". New Zealand Defence Force. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2021-12-26 – via Medium.
References
- Brocklebank, Laurie (1997). Jayforce. Auckland: Oxford University Press. )
- Henderson, Jim (1958). 22 Battalion. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch.
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ignored (help) - Kay, Robin (1958). 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch.
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ignored (help) - Kay, Robin (1967). Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch.
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ignored (help) - Loughnan, R. J. M. (1963). Divisional Cavalry. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch.
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:|work=
ignored (help) - "Second World War - The Army". 1966 Encyclopedia of New Zealand - Te Ara. Retrieved 3 January 2021.