Battle of the River Plate
New Zealanders in the Pacific War
New Zealand and the Second World War
Our part in a global conflict
The Second World War was the greatest conflict ever to engulf the world. It took the lives of 50 million people, including one in every 150 New Zealanders, and shaped the world that we have lived in ever since.
Prisoners of War
During the Second World War New Zealanders in large numbers became prisoners of war, or went 'into the bag' as they popularly called it. One in 200 of New Zealand's population of the time were held in captivity—over 8000 people. This compares with around 500 POWs in the First World War.
