The 36th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Military Forces, which served during the Second World War. Attached to the 8th Brigade, New Zealand 3rd Division, the battalion was formed in late 1941 and saw service in the Pacific against the Japanese. They were initially used for garrison duties on Fiji and Norfolk Island before being committed to the fighting in the Solomon Islands in 1943. The battalion was disbanded in late 1944 as part of a partial demobilisation of New Zealand forces, which saw some of its personnel being returned to civilian employment while others were sent to Italy as reinforcements for the New Zealand 2nd Division.
History
Formation The battalion was formed on 29 December 1941 at Papakura, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Barry,O'Neill 1948, p. 10. in response to Japan's entry into the war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the invasion of Malaya.O'Neill 1948, p. 9. With the possibility of a Japanese advance south through the Pacific, the New Zealand government decided to raise a force of three infantry battalions to bolster the garrison in Fiji. The 36th Battalion was one of these units; the others being the 35th and 37th Battalions.Gillespie 1952, pp. 45–46. Upon formation, the majority of the battalion's other ranks were drawn from men from the Central Districts who were originally intended to be sent to the Middle East as reinforcements for the New Zealand 2nd Division,Gillespie 1952, p. 46. while officers were mainly sourced from armoured formations such as the Tank Brigade and the Divisional Cavalry Regiment. Upon establishment, the battalion consisted of a headquarters company, three rifle companies and a machine-gun/support company.
Fiji and Norfolk Island After less than a month, the battalion began moving overseas. In early January 1942 they were sent to Fiji, where they were billeted outside of Suva.O'Neill 1948, p. 11. Shortly after their arrival, the 36th Battalion became part of the 8th Brigade along with the 29th and 34th Battalions.O'Neill 1948, pp. 9–10. Later this brigade became part of the New Zealand 3rd Division.O'Neill 1948, p. 11. During their stay on Fiji, the 36th Battalion was employed in defensive duties, constructing fixed positions at key locations as the island was prepared for a possible Japanese invasion.O'Neill 1948, p. 13–14.
In early March, the battalion began nightly alerts and training exercises were undertaken as the threat of Japanese invasion increased. In May, following the Battle of the Coral Sea,O'Neill 1948, p. 16. the alerts came to an end but the exercises continued throughout the battalion's time on Fiji. These were punctuated by ceremonial duties in June when New Zealand, Fijian and Free French forces paraded together in Suva,O'Neill 1948, p. 18. Finally, in July, it was decided that the responsibility of the defence of Fiji would be passed to the United States and the majority of the New Zealand force would return to New Zealand.Gillespie 1952, pp. 55–56. On 5 August, the 36th Battalion boarded the transport ship President Coolidge and departed five days later.O'Neill 1948, p. 21.
They disembarked at Waitematā Harbour on 14 August and after a brief return to Papakura, the battalion received 14 days' leave. Following this, the battalion was assigned to the role of mobile reserve and was moved to Avondale in Auckland.Gillespie 1952, p. 71. At this time the battalion received a draft of reinforcements as soldiers over the age of 40 were discharged from the service before the battalion was detached from the 8th Brigade and sent to Norfolk Island in October 1942, where they relieved Australian forces that had been stationed there. Supported by a number of attached artillery and engineer units, the 36th Battalion formed the core of N Force, tasked with the responsibility of defending the island.O'Neill 1948, p. 23.Gillespie 1952, pp. 82–83. They remained there until late March 1943, when the 36th Battalion was relieved by the 1st Battalion, Wellington-West Coast Regiment and rejoined the rest of the New Zealand 3rd Division in New Caledonia.O'Neill 1948, pp. 29–30.Gillespie 1952, p. 83.
New Caledonia, New Hebrides and Guadalcanal The 36th Battalion disembarked at Noumea on 31 March 1943. After moving to Bouloupari, the battalion rejoined the 8th Brigade, now under the command of Brigadier Robert Row.O'Neill 1948, p. 31. An advanced party set up camp near the Ouenghi River and after the main body of the battalion arrived on 7 April they began to receive new equipment and stores and undertook jungle warfare training and a series of exercises in preparation for employment on future operations.O'Neill 1948, pp. 32–34. At the end of May, the battalion was converted to a 'jungle establishment' which saw it lose a number of its heavy weapons to the brigade-level machine-gun company and the conversion of the support company ('D' Company) into the battalion's fourth rifle company.O'Neil 1948, p. 37.
In early June, the battalion took part in a week-long brigade-level exercise. Afterwards the news was announced that the commanding officer, Barry, was relinquishing command due to poor health. The battalion second in command took over temporarily before a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel K. B McKenzie-Muirson, arrived in July. At the same time, a draft of 89 reinforcements arrived to replace men that had been transferred, discharged or promoted.O'Neill 1948, p. 38. Throughout August preparations were made for the battalion to move once again and it was at this time that they were formed into a "battalion combat team" with attached artillery, engineers and logistics support.O'Neill 1948, p. 39.
The task of packing stores and equipment then began and on 2 September the battalion boarded the American transport President Jackson at Noumea, bound for the New Hebrides.O'Neill 1948, p. 40. They arrived at Vila Harbour on 5 September and over the course of a week, they conducted a number of amphibious exercises before proceeding on to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.O'Neill 1948, p. 42. They conducted a non-tactical landing on 14 September and unloaded stores before moving inland and began to set up camp.O'Neill 1948, p. 43. After the camp was established, for the next month the battalion was employed mainly in unloading stores from ships and carrying out training.O'Neill 1948, p. 44. During this time training was focused on patrolling and jungle survival techniques. They also spent some time learning how to conduct infantry operations with close armoured support.Gillespie 1952, p. 143.
In mid-October training came to an end and the battalion prepared to move again as orders were received that the 8th Brigade was finally to be committed to a combat role. A short time thereafter, they conducted a brigade-level landing rehearsal along with the 29th Battalion on Florida Island, about from Guadalcanal.O'Neill 1948, pp. 45–47. Following this, the 36th Battalion was involved in the 8th Brigade's landing on Mono Island as part of the plan to secure the Treasury Islands in order to conduct future operations on Bougainville,O'Neill 1948, p. 48.Gillespie 1952, p. 147. in the first opposed amphibious landing carried out by New Zealand troops since the Gallipoli campaign in 1915.Gillespie 1952, p. 144.Crawford 2000, p. 153.
Treasury Islands
The embarkation was undertaken in two waves. 'C' and 'D' Companies boarded Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) vessels at Kukrum early on 25 October, while 'A' and 'B' Companies boarded High speed transports (known as APDs) the following day.O'Neill 1948, p. 49. In the early hours of 27 October, following a naval bombardment of the Japanese positions around the village of Falamai on the southern coast of Mono IslandO'Neill 1948, p. 51. the 36th Battalion went ashore on the left flank of the 29th Battalion.Gillespie 1952, pp. 145–146. 'A' and 'B' Companies landed unopposed to the west of Falamai in between the Saveke River and Cutler's Creek at 6:26 am and after organising themselves on the beach, they advanced inland in order to vacate the beach for the 'D' Company, which came ashore in the second wave at 6:46. While these forward companies moved inland, 'C' Company began the task of unloading stores on the beachhead. This was completed within 20 minutes.
The advance from the beachhead proved slow in the thick undergrowth, nevertheless 'A' Company managed to locate the Japanese headquarters about west of the Saveke River,Gillespie 1952, p. 150. and while the defenders' fire was suppressed with mortars, the company commander, Captain K. E. Loudon, led the New Zealanders across the river and undertook a series of flanking moves in order to surround, and subsequently capture, the Japanese position. For this action Loudon later received the Military Cross.O'Neill 1948, p. 52.
Following this a perimeter was established about from the beach and the Landing Ship Tank (LST) vessels arrived to begin unloading more stores and equipment. While this occurred, small details of New Zealanders set about the task of rooting out individual Japanese soldiers that had remained hidden during the initial advance inland.Gillespie 1952, p. 151. Shortly after 7:00 am, the Japanese began to attack the beach with artillery and mortar fire, while a group of Japanese in previously undetected pillboxes began pouring machine-gun fire on to the LSTs, causing a number of casualties amongst the 36th Battalion. By mid-morning the location of the Japanese observation post was discovered and two platoons were sent out by the carrier platoon and 'A' Company. One of these platoons, under Second Lieutenant L. T. G. Booth, subsequently managed to capture two 75 mm guns and a 90 mm mortar after fighting their way up a high point west of the river.O'Neill 1948, p. 53. Booth was subsequently awarded the Military Cross for his leadership.O'Neill 1948, p. 107.
Meanwhile, the rest of the battalion continued the slow advance inland. By 2:30 pm they had advanced north of Falamai and the decision was made to establish the battalion perimeter, set up headquarters and send out patrols.O'Neill 1948, p. 54. The attached engineers began cutting roads and supplies were subsequently brought up as the battalion prepared for its first night ashore. During the night, the battalion's position was attacked from the air and by indirect fire, while small parties of Japanese attempted to infiltrate the perimeter in an effort to reach the food stores that they had left behind during their retreat inland.Gillespie 1952, p. 153.