Major Major, No. 1 Dog, 2NZEF, a member/mascot of 19 Battalion since 1939, died of sickness in Italy. He was buried with full military honours at Rimini.
Italian Campaign
Events In History
15 March 1944
6 New Zealand Brigade attacked the Italian town of Cassino as part of the Allies‘ advance on Rome. By the time 2 New Zealand Division was withdrawn in early April, 343 New Zealanders had lost their lives.
22 November 1939
British-born but New Zealand-raised, Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg was a charismatic and popular military leader who later served as governor-general.
Articles
War oral history programme
Information about the now completed From Memory oral history project, including advice on how to interview war veterans Read the full article
Page 8 - Notes and questions, Italy
Questions for oral history interviews with veterans of the Italy
The Italian Campaign
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders fought their way up the boot of Italy from 1943 to 1945 as part of the vast multinational force assembled to roll back Axis aggression in far-flung theatres of war across the globe Read the full article
Page 1 - The Italian campaign
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders fought their way up the boot of Italy from 1943 to 1945 as part of the vast multinational force assembled to roll back Axis aggression in
Page 2 - Into action at the Sangro River
The 'Div' was soon in action at the end of November. The New Zealanders were assigned the task of joining the Allied effort to breach the Gustav Line by attacking its eastern
Page 3 - Prelude
The Allied decision to invade Italy arose from a combination of opportunism, misplaced hopes and coalition
Page 4 - Cassino
The Division was to enjoy only a brief respite before being called upon to participate in a new attack on a strong point which would prove the most tragically elusive prize of the
Page 5 - Faenza, Trieste and home
After a period of rest and recuperation, the 'Div' was back in action again in July as part of the Allied effort to breach the Germans' new so-called Gothic Line running from Pisa
Page 6 - Italian campaign timeline
A brief outline of the key events of the Italian Campaign, particularly focusing on the involvement of New
Page 7 - Kiwi stories
Discover the stories of some of the New Zealanders who served in the Italian Campaign,
Page 8 - Further information
Further reading on the New Zealander's campaign in Italy during the Second World
Biographies
A First World War hero and commander of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Bernard Freyberg proved to be a charismatic and popular military leader who would later serve a term as Governor-General
Leader of the 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade in the North African desert campaigns of 1942 and 1943, Kippenberger was New Zealand’s most popular military commander, and perhaps its most talented.
Main image: Bailey bridge in Sangro River area
A prefabricated Bailey bridge crosses a ravine in the Sangro River area during the Italian Campaign.
