The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45'' is a 48-volume series published by the War History Branch (and its successors) of the
Department of Internal Affairs
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), or in te reo Māori, is the public service department of New Zealand charged with issuing passports; administering applications for citizenship and lottery grants; enforcing censorship and gambling la ...
which covered
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
involvement in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The series was published during the period 1949 to 1986. A collection of booklets entitled ''Episodes and Studies'' were also published between 1948 and 1954. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45'' was the largest publication project undertaken in New Zealand.
Background
It had long been felt in New Zealand that the four-volume 'popular' history of the
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
, the ''
Official History of New Zealand's Effort in the Great War
The ''Official History of New Zealand's Effort in the Great War'' is a four-volume 'Popular History' series which covered the New Zealand involvement in the First World War. Aimed at presenting the efforts of the New Zealand Military Forces durin ...
'' which had been published a few years after the First World War ended, had not matched the standard set by the ''
Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918
The ''Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918'' is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by C.E.W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes and was published between 1920 ...
'', edited by
Charles Bean
Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean (18 November 1879 – 30 August 1968), usually identified as C. E. W. Bean, was Australia's official war correspondent, subsequently its official war historian, who wrote six volumes and edited the remaining six of ...
. In 1940, with a view to the production of an official history of New Zealand's contributions to the Second World War, an archivist was appointed to the headquarters of the
2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
(2NZEF) to ensure the preservation of important documentation and records. He was joined by
Eric McCormick
Eric Hall McCormick (17 June 1906 – 23 March 1995) was a New Zealand teacher, critic, historian, university lecturer and biographer.
Life and career
McCormick was born in Taihape, Wanganui. He attended Wellington College, Wellington, as a boa ...
, a published literary and art historian, in 1941. After he became aware of the progress made on the
Australian official history, McCormick pushed for progress on New Zealand's own efforts in this regard. By 1944, the New Zealand government had decided to appoint an official historian who would be editor-in-chief of an
official history An official history is a work of history which is sponsored, authorised or endorsed by its subject. The term is most commonly used for histories which are produced for a government. The term also applies to commissions from non-state bodies includin ...
which would cover the military contribution to the war effort and the efforts of the New Zealand people.
McCormick was recalled to New Zealand from 2NZEF headquarters and appointed Official War Archivist. He set about collecting and cataloging documents necessary for the official history. To produce the official history, an appropriate organisation was required and accordingly the War History Branch (later to become the Historical Publications Branch) of the
Department of Internal Affairs
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), or in te reo Māori, is the public service department of New Zealand charged with issuing passports; administering applications for citizenship and lottery grants; enforcing censorship and gambling la ...
was established in 1945. McCormick would run the War History Branch until an Editor-in-Chief was appointed. To lead the War History Branch,
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Howard Kippenberger
Major General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, (28 January 1897 – 5 May 1957), known as "Kip", was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces who served in the First and Second World Wars.
Born in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, Kippe ...
was approached in April 1945. A former commander of the
2nd New Zealand Division
The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...
, he had been identified the previous year by New Zealand's prime minister,
Peter Fraser
Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand La ...
, as being the ideal candidate for the position. Kippenberger, a keen student of military history, was working in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on the repatriation of former prisoners of war to New Zealand when the position was first offered. Although he accepted the offer, he did not return to New Zealand to start work on his new role until mid-1946.
Preparation of the series
![War History Branch conference, 1946](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/War_History_Branch_conference%2C_1946.jpg)
The principle of the official histories was to tell the story of New Zealand at war, which involved a multifaceted approach covering the armed services, the battles in which they fought as well as the civilians contributing on the home front. The plan for the official histories, based on a proposal by McCormick, was to encompass three main series, plus three volumes of documents. The series was on the New Zealand People at War, which covered politics, diplomacy, economy, the home front, medical, navy and air force operations. The second was a series of histories for the units of the 2NZEF that fought in the African and Italian theatres (the units that fought in the Pacific were already the subject of unofficial unit histories, commissioned by the commanding officer of the 3rd New Zealand Division,
Harold Barrowclough
Major General Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough & Bar, (23 June 1894 – 4 March 1972) was a New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice from 1953 to 1966.
Born in Masterton, Barrowclough commenced legal studies in 1913 and joined the ...
). The third was a series of campaign histories, covering the main campaigns of the 2NZEF. A series of booklets, entitled ''Episodes and Studies'' aimed at general readers was also planned.
Using documentation archived to date and material solicited from the public, professional historians at the War History Branch prepared brief narratives. There was also cooperation with war historians of other countries working on their official histories. Authors were then contracted to produce each volume based on the narratives prepared by the War History Branch. Many of the authors had recently served with the 2NZEF and included a former commanding officer of Kippeneberger, Sir
Edward Puttick
Lieutenant General Sir Edward Puttick, (26 June 1890 – 25 July 1976) was an officer who served with the New Zealand Military Forces during the First and Second World Wars. The first New Zealand-born soldier to reach the rank of lieutenant ge ...
, as well as
William George Stevens, administrative officer of the 2NZEF. Other potential authors were journalists, such as
Stephen Peter Llewellyn or academics. Kippenberger had informally started the recruitment process for writers while he was based in England, sounding out
Dan Davin
Daniel Marcus Davin (1 September 1913 – 28 September 1990), generally known as Dan Davin, was an author who wrote about New Zealand, although for most of his career he lived in Oxford, England, working for Oxford University Press. The themes o ...
and
Geoffrey Cox as potential authors. Davin produced the campaign volume on the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...
and Cox started work on an account of the Libyan Campaign but had to later drop it to pursue his career. Staff were poorly paid, with many going several years without a salary increase.
Kippenberger set a high standard for the official histories; as well as disavowing any censorship, he diligently read every draft of every volume produced under his editorship, providing extensive feedback to the authors. Despite stressing the need for objectivity, he had to struggle with his own views on battles in which he had been involved. The volume on the Battle of Crete proved to be particularly difficult to produce and he struggled with the critical analysis of the leadership of some of his friends during the battle.
Leslie Andrew
Brigadier Leslie Wilton Andrew, (23 March 1897 – 8 January 1969) was a senior officer in the New Zealand Military Forces and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award of the British Commonwealth for gallantry "in the face of t ...
, former commander of the
22nd Battalion, was one who took offence at the account of his handling of the battle. The official histories had on occasion been threatened with political interference, particularly after a change in government in 1949. Kippenberger, a person of high standing with the government and the ordinary New Zealander, was a strong advocate for the project and convinced the new government of the merits of the official histories. Other problems arose when authors were unable to complete their contracted volumes due to other commitments, poor health or one case, death. It was often necessary for the War History Branch staff to step in and complete the outstanding work.
When Kippenberger died in 1957, his position as editor in chief was taken over by Monty Fairbrother, who had been associate editor of the War History Branch. By 1963, staff numbers at the War History Branch had fallen to seven, from its peak of fifty in 1946. The branch was soon be renamed the Historical Publications Branch. Public and governmental interest in the project faded after Kippenberger's death. Although most volumes had been published by 1960, it was not until 1986 that the final two volumes as originally planned, relating to the Home Front in New Zealand, were published. With its 48 volumes and 24 booklets, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45'' was the largest publishing project ever undertaken in New Zealand.
Volumes
Unit histories of 2 NZEF
* ''18 Battalion and Armoured Regiment'' - W. D. Dawson (1961)
* ''19 Battalion and Armoured Regiment'' - D. W. Sinclair (1954)
* ''20 Battalion and Armoured Regiment'' - W. A. Glue; D. J. C. Pringle (1957)
* ''21 Battalion'' - J. F. Cody (1953)
* ''22 Battalion'' - J. Henderson (1958)
* ''23 Battalion'' - A. Ross (1959)
* ''24 Battalion'' -
R. M. Burdon (1954)
* ''25 Battalion'' - E. Puttick (1960)
* ''26 Battalion'' - F. D. Norton (1952)
* ''27 (Machine Gun) Battalion'' -
R. L. Kay (1958)
* ''28 (Maori) Battalion'' - J. F. Cody (1956)
* ''4th and 6th Reserve Mechanical Transport Companies'' - J. Henderson (1954)
* ''Journey Towards Christmas: History of the 1st Ammunition Company, Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 1939-45'' - S. P. Llewellyn (1949)
* ''Supply Company'' - P. W. Bates (1955)
* ''Petrol Company'' - A. Kidson (1961)
* ''2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery'' - W. E. Murphy (1966)
* ''Divisional Cavalry'' - R. J. M. Loughnan (1963)
* ''Divisional Signals'' - C. A. Borman (1954)
* ''New Zealand Engineers, Middle East'' - J. F. Cody (1961)
* ''Medical Units of 2 NZEF in Middle East and Italy'' - J. B. McKinney (1952)
The size of New Zealand's military contribution was such that it favoured the production of battalion and in some cases, company level unit histories. By 1946, some units had already begun work on unofficial histories. When Kippenberger became Editor-in-Chief, he met with all the senior former commanding officers of each unit to ensure a co-ordinated approach to each unit history. Each serving member of a unit or the next of kin of a member who had died in service with the unit, received a copy of the official history of the unit.
Campaign histories
* ''To Greece'' - W. G. McClymont (1959)
* ''Crete'' - D. M. Davin (1953)
* ''The Relief of Tobruk'' - W. E. Murphy (1961)
* ''Battle for Egypt'' - J. L. Scoullar (1955)
* ''Alam Halfa and Alamein'' - R. Walker (1967)
* ''Bardia to Enfidaville'' - W. G. Stevens (1962)
* ''Italy Volume I: The Sangro to Cassino'' - N. Phillips (1957)
* ''Italy Volume II: From Cassino to Trieste'' - R. L. Kay (1967)
* ''The Pacific'' - O. Gillespie (1952)
The New Zealand People at War
* ''Political and External Affairs'' -
F. L. W. Wood (1958)
* ''War Economy'' - J. V. T. Baker (1965)
* ''The Home Front: Volume I'' - Nancy Margaret Taylor (1986)
* ''The Home Front: Volume II'' - Nancy Margaret Taylor (1986)
* ''Chaplains'' - Sydney D. Waters; John Ross; Rev. Michael L. Underhill; N. E. Winhall (1950)
* ''Prisoners of War'' - W. Wynne Mason (1954)
* ''War Surgery and Medicine'' -
T. Duncan M. Stout (1954)
* ''New Zealand Medical Services in Middle East and Italy'' - T. Duncan M. Stout (1956)
* ''Medical Services in New Zealand and The Pacific'' - T. Duncan M. Stout (1958)
* ''The New Zealand Dental Services'' - T. V. Anson (1960)
* ''New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force: Volume I'' - H. L. Thompson (1953)
* ''New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force: Volume II'' - H. L. Thompson (1956)
* ''New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force:Volume III'' - H. L. Thompson (1959)
* ''Royal New Zealand Air Force'' - John Ross (1955)
* ''The Royal New Zealand Navy'' - S. D. Waters (1956)
* ''Problems of 2 NZEF'' - W. G. Stevens (1958)
Documents
* ''Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume I'' (1949)
* ''Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume II'' (1951)
* ''Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume III'' (1963)
Episodes and studies
* ''Guns Against Tanks : L Troop, 33rd Battery, 7th New Zealand Anti-Tank Regiment in Libya, 23 November 1941'' - E. H. Smith (1948)
* ''Achilles at the River Plate'' - S. D. Waters (1948)
* ''Women at War'' - D. O. W. Hall (1948)
* ''The Assault on Rabaul : Operations by the Royal New Zealand Air Force December 1943—May 1944'' - J. M. S. Ross (1949)
* ''Long Range Desert Group in Libya, 1940–41'' - by R. L. Kay (1949)
* ''Prisoners of Japan'' - D. O. W. Hall (1949)
* ''Troopships'' - S. P. Llewellyn (1949)
* ''Prisoners of Germany'' - D. O. W. Hall (1949)
* ''Prisoners of Italy'' - D. O. W. Hall (1949)
* ''German Raiders in the Pacific'' - S. D. Waters (1949)
* ''Wounded in Battle'' - J. B. McKinney (1950)
* ''Long Range Desert Group in the Mediterranean'' - R. L. Kay (1950)
* ''Aircraft against U-Boat'' - H. L. Thompson (1950)
* ''Early Operations with Bomber Command'' - B. G. Clare (1951)
* ''New Zealanders in the Battle of Britain'' - N. W. Faircloth (1951)
* ''Leander'' - S. D. Waters (1951)
* ''Malta Airmen'' - J. A. Whelan (1951)
* ''Takrouna'' - I. McL. Wards (1951)
* ''Coastwatchers'' - D. O. W. Hall (1951)
* ''The Royal New Zealand Air Force in South-East Asia 1941–42'' - H. R. Dean (1952)
* ''"The Other Side of the Hill"'' - I. McL. Wards; W. E. Murphy; R. Walker; R. L. Kay; A. G. Potheroe (1952)
* ''Special Service in Greece'' - M. B. McGlynn (1953)
* ''Point 175: The Battle of Sunday of the Dead'' - W. E. Murphy (1954)
* ''Escapes'' - D. O. W. Hall (1954)
"Episodes and studies" was a series of 36 page booklets with a focus on certain aspects of the New Zealand war effort. The booklets were intended for the wider public and were often provided to secondary schools.
Reception
The series was well received by the public and each volume usually sold out. Dan Davin's ''Crete'' had a print run of 4,000 when published in 1953 and promptly sold out. Some volumes received critical praise; ''Journey Towards Christmas'', one of the earliest volumes published, was particularly singled out for its narrative style. Its author, journalist Peter Llewellyn, was contracted to produce another volume but slow progress resulted in the cancellation of his contract; other volumes were thought to be turgid and stilted. Since 1993, some volumes have been reissued by
Willson Scott Publishing and
The Battery Press, with the co-operation of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Notes
References
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External links
New Zealand Electronic Text Collection: HTML versions of the series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45
History books about World War II
Series of history books about World War II
Military history of New Zealand during World War II
New Zealand books
Official military history books
Book series introduced in 1949