The Divisional Cavalry Regiment (Div Cav) was an armoured cavalry regiment of the 2nd New Zealand Division during the Second World War and was New Zealand's first armoured unit. It served as a reconnaissance force for the 2nd New Zealand Division. Formed on 29 September 1939, the regiment embarked for Egypt on 4 January 1940. It fought with the division, as part of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy. The regiment formed part of J Force, New Zealand's contribution to the occupation of Japan at the end of the war.

Initially stationed at Maadi, the regiment was moved to Garawla in July and participated in the defence of the Baggush Box two months later. In January 1941, it moved to Helwan for training. In March, the regiment became part of W Force, the British contingent sent to Greece to defend the country from Nazi Germany. It took up positions on the Aliakmon Line before the regiment was scattered during the British retreat from the country. Most of the regiment ended up in Crete, where it faced a German paratroop attack in May and evacuated with the remainder of the British force.

After spending several months re-equipping, Div Cav fought in Operation Crusader and was the first unit to enter Bardia in January 1942. After returning to Maadi, the regiment was sent to Syria with the 2nd New Zealand Division to prevent an Axis attack from Turkey and was sent back to Egypt after the British rout in the Battle of Gazala. It fought at the first and second battles of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa. The regiment pursued retreating German troops and fought at the Battle of El Agheila. In January 1943 it was based at Castel Benito, and participated in the Battle of the Mareth Line in March. After the German surrender in Tunisia on 13 May, the regiment moved back to Maadi for refitting.

In September the regiment was sent to Italy with the rest of the division and fought in the Moro River Campaign on the Adriatic coast in December. The division fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, for which Div Cav provided support. The regiment then participated in the drive on the Gothic Line, where elements entered Florence in August. In October it was reorganised as the Divisional Cavalry Battalion, an infantry unit, because its armoured cars were unsuitable for Italian terrain. The battalion fought in the final Allied offensive in Italy, Operation Grapeshot, during early 1945. It reached Trieste in the first week of May and was stationed there until February 1946. That month the Divisional Cavalry deployed to Japan, once again as a regiment. Stationed in southern Kyushu, it was disbanded on 1 September 1947.

Formation After the beginning of the Second World War, the government of New Zealand authorised the formation of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2 NZEF). Following discussions with the British government, it was decided that New Zealand's contribution to the war would be an infantry division, the 2nd New Zealand Division. The Divisional Cavalry Regiment was formed to provide a reconnaissance force for the division. It was New Zealand's first armoured unit.

The regiment was mobilised as part of 2 NZEF in September 1939 and was issued with six Bren gun carriers. It had a headquarters, a headquarters squadron and a machine-gun squadron; the structure was soon changed to conform with that of the British Divisional Cavalry Regiments, which included three fighting squadrons and a headquarters squadron. The regiment was established from 27 to 30 September at Ngāruawāhia Military Camp, except for No. 3 Squadron (later C Squadron), which was formed at Narrow Neck. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Caro Pierce, a World War I veteran and Military Cross recipient. The squadrons at Ngāruawāhia were visited by Governor-General George Galway on 30 November. A special march through Auckland Domain was held on 3 January; the next day, the regiment (except for C Squadron) embarked for Egypt aboard the troopship RMS Rangitata. They arrived at Port Tewfik on 13 February. The regiment disembarked the following day and entrained for the New Zealand base camp at Maadi, the central depot and training area for 2 NZEF in the Middle East. In March, twelve Bren gun carriers and five Light Tanks Mark III arrived, and tank-gunnery training began on the range at Abbassia; the regiment participated in brigade manoeuvres at El Saff the following month. On 19 June, the regiment experienced its first fatality when Trooper Vincent Thompson died of meningitis.

C Squadron completed its training in New Zealand and was attached to the Second Echelon of the 2 NZEF, in adherence with plans to send one squadron of the regiment to Egypt with the Second Echelon. The squadron was diverted to Britain, while en route to Egypt, when Italy entered the war, and arrived on 16 June. The squadron was based near Aldershot and conducted further training there. C Squadron became part of the Second Echelon's Headquarters Covering Force, defending Britain against German invasion. In early September, the squadron was moved to Westwell, Kent; it underwent further training and was sent back to Aldershot in November. C Squadron left Britain for Egypt on 4 January 1941.

In July 1940, the 2nd New Zealand Division was sent to Mersa Matruh. The cavalry regiment, camped at Garawla, dug the outer anti-tank ditch along the Wadi Naghamish (later known as the Kiwi Canal). That month, volunteers from the regiment joined the Long Range Desert Patrol, and the regiment's base came under air attack. In the pre-dawn darkness of 15 July, Italian bombers attempting to bomb the NAAFI dump were driven off by anti-aircraft fire from the regiment. During the night of 18 July, regimental anti-aircraft guns mistakenly fired on a damaged Bristol Blenheim. The regiment received orders to move to Baggush and build fortifications, completing the move on 1 September; the following day, it began constructing defences at Maaten Baggush. After finishing the task within a week, it was transferred to the rear area at El Daba. The regiment defended No. 2 sector of the Baggush Box. After Operation Compass, the Allied offensive against Italian positions in Egypt and Libya, began on 9 December, several Italian Fiat M11/39 tanks were left behind at Nibeiwa. The regiment was ordered to salvage the tanks and on 15 December, Lieutenant H. A. Robinson led a party of 25 other ranks to Nibeiwa for the task. Div Cav received Marmon-Herrington Armoured Cars, replacing its obsolete Light Tanks Mk II and Mk III, and was transferred to Helwan in January 1941. The mortally ill Pierce was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Carruth on 22 February and C Squadron joined the regiment at Helwan on 5 March.

Greece In early March 1941, the 2nd New Zealand Division (including Div Cav) was earmarked for W Force, the British Commonwealth force sent to Greece to bolster its defence against imminent German invasion. The regiment embarked for Greece on 18 March 1941 on the Greek ship Ionia, with its vehicles aboard the cargo ship Anglo-Canadian. The ships arrived at Piraeus on 21 March and the troops stayed at the transit camp at Kifisia. The regiment advanced northward, reaching its position on the Aliakmon Line near Katerini on 26 March. Its mission was to destroy the Aliakmon River bridges, delaying the German advance. E Troop of the 5th Field Regiment and O Troop of the 7th Anti-Tank Regiment were attached to the regiment. On 4 April, the regiment sent two troops of Marmon-Harrington armoured cars to reinforce the British 1st Armoured Brigade on the Macedonian plain; in exchange, the regiment received seven cruiser tanks. The two troops withdrew with the 1st Armoured Brigade when it retreated on 8 April and reached Perdikkas by the following day. The regiment and E Troop, 5th Field Regiment, were the only units left on the plain between Mount Olympus and the Aliakmon on 8 April. The next day, A Squadron demolished the main bridge across the Aliakmon, after the 1st Armoured Brigade had withdrawn southward.

German forces reached the regimental positions on 12 April; the following day, their attempts to cross the river in assault boats were repulsed. During the evening, the regiment disengaged and fell back to Kolindros; it was attacked by German tanks and infantry on 14 April. Boys anti-tank rifles were useless against the German tanks, although Bren gun fire was effective against the German infantry. When its positions were flanked by tanks, the regiment retreated to Olympus Pass and was ordered to take up positions at Deskati Pass as a rearguard. The pass, a possible withdrawal route for the 1st Armoured Brigade, was reached on 15 April. On the 17th, division commander Major General Bernard Freyberg dispersed the regiment to screen the rear of his retreating troops. The next day, A and C Squadrons withdrew from Olympus Pass and Eleftherochorion after a German tank attack. B Squadron fought a rearguard action at Tempe, retreating down the Volos road and losing several carriers.

The regiment, reunited on the Volos road, retreated to the Thermopylae Line. On 21 April it was ordered to patrol Euboea but its vehicles were too badly damaged to do so. The regiment, less A Squadron, was instructed instead to screen Kriekouki under Lieutenant Colonel Clifton, to cover the retreat of the 4th NZ Brigade; A Squadron was detached to screen the withdrawal of the 1st Armoured Brigade at Chalkis. By the evening of 25 April, Div Cav had fulfilled its mission and retreated beyond the village of Mazi. In the evening, Div Cav was ordered to guard the Corinth Canal bridge; A Squadron retreated with the 1st Armoured Brigade to Malakasa. A and B Squadrons retreated to Rafina Beach, embarking on the supply ship . One hundred and fifty men from the regiment were left behind and were taken out by on the night of 27 April. C Squadron, caught in the German paratroop attack on Corinth, was forced to abandon its vehicles. It marched to Nafplion for embarkation but the ship they were scheduled to board was full and the squadron instead set off for Crete in caïques.

Crete

The evacuation of Greece divided the regiment: regimental headquarters and most of HQ Squadron were sent to Egypt and most of the other three squadrons remained on Crete. A total of 194 soldiers from the regiment were on the island, with several wounded men evacuated to Egypt; A, B and C Squadrons trained and re-equipped. The troops of the regiment on the island, commanded by Major J. T. Russell and renamed Russell Force, joined the ad-hoc 10th NZ Brigade under newly promoted Acting Colonel Howard Kippenberger and was positioned on the road from Chania to Alikianos. Russell Force was moved to Aghya in early May 1941.

German paratroops attacked Crete on 20 May. Many paratroopers landed near the Div Cav positions and were beaten back. Cut off from the 10th Brigade headquarters, Russell followed Kippenberger's orders and withdrew to Galatas in Chania, to reinforce a Greek unit south of the village. At dusk, the regiment dug in near a stone wall. B Squadron held the right flank and C Squadron the centre; A Squadron and the 19th Battalion held the left, with the Greek unit in reserve.