New Zealand's involvement - NZ and the Malayan Emergency

New Zealand's early involvement

New Zealand's first involvement in Emergency operations occurred in 1949 following the deployment to Singapore of a flight of 41 Squadron's Dakotas in response to the threatening situation in Hong Kong. Attached to the British Far East Air Force, these aircraft were used, as a secondary task to their flights to Hong Kong, to drop supplies to forces engaging the MRLA. One aircraft was stationed in Kuala Lumpur to carry out this role. By the time the flight was withdrawn in December 1951, it had carried out 211 sorties, dropping 284,000 kilograms of supplies.

Several New Zealand Army officers served in Malaya while on secondment with British units from 1949. In January 1951 ten officers and fourteen NCOs also went there with 1st Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel R.A. Tinker initially, this unit gained a high reputation for effectiveness in operations against the guerrillas. By the time it was withdrawn in 1956 about forty New Zealanders had served with it, and two had been accidentally killed. In 1954 an RNZN frigate, HMNZS Pukaki, carried out a bombardment of a suspected guerrilla camp, while operating with the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet. This was the first of a number of bombardments by RNZN ships over the next five years.

The Far East Strategic Reserve

New Zealand became more directly involved in Emergency operations in 1955, following its decision to contribute forces to the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve. The Reserve's primary role was to deter communist aggression against South-east Asia, and to provide a capacity for the immediate implementation of defence plans in the event that deterrence failed. As a secondary role, the forces committed to the Reserve were permitted to take part in actions against the guerrillas.

The Army's initial contribution to the Reserve, a Special Air Service Squadron commanded by Major Frank Rennie which formed part of 22nd SAS Regiment, was particularly suited for such operations, which now consisted of seeking out the guerrillas in their jungle sanctuary. From April 1956 it deployed in the Fort Brooke area bordering the states of Perak and Kelantan and in a series of operations eliminated the local MRLA organisation, at a cost of one fatal casualty. During 1957 the squadron operated in Negri Sembilan in an area dubbed Mountainous by the guerrillas, between the towns of Seremban, Kuala Pilah, and Tampin. Again it was successful in destroying the local MRLA group. In 1965/6, during Confrontation, SAS squadrons mounted cross-border operations in Borneo.

RNZAF's role

Meanwhile RNZAF units in the Strategic Reserve were also operating against the guerrillas. On 1 May 1955 Vampires of 14 Squadron carried out the RNZAF's first operational strike mission since the Second World War and the first in jet aircraft. Between April 1955 and March 1958 the squadron, now equipped with Venoms, mounted 115 strike missions, which fell into two categories - 'Firedogs' (pre-planned bombing, strafing, and rocket attacks against suspected guerrilla targets) and 'Smash Hits' (immediate on-call strikes against opportunity targets in response to a guerrilla raid or 'hot' information). The Canberras of 75 Squadron, which replaced 14 Squadron in the Reserve in July 1958, were also used on bombing missions.

While the effectiveness of the air strikes against targets in the jungle was inevitably limited, they provided much valuable training experience to the pilots. In July 1955 41 Squadron, half of which was deployed in the Strategic Reserve, had resumed supply dropping operations in support of anti-guerrilla forces using the highly effective Bristol Freighter.