Able Seaman Joseph Pedersen, RNZN 2337, joined the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy in 1940. In 1942 he was posted to the destroyer, HMS Lookout on which he served in the Mediterranean and in the Allied invasion of Sicily in September 1943 as he describes here.
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
Once 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
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 margins and traversing the Sangro River with the hope of initiating an advance to Rome
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 entire campaign for the New Zealanders.
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 to Rimini in the northern Apennines.
After the end of the Allied campaign in North Africa the New Zealand Division (2NZEF) set off for Italy in October 1943, landing at Taranto before setting up base camp near Bari. The men were in action by November 1943 when they were assigned the task of attacking and crossing the Sangro River with the hope of starting an advance on Rome.
