N Force
Encyclopedia
N Force was a small New Zealand Army
unit which garrisoned Norfolk Island
between October 1942 and February 1944. N Force was formed by detaching units from the 3rd New Zealand Division. As Norfolk Island never came under attack N Force did not see action.
At its peak in October 1942, N Force consisted of 1,488 New Zealanders under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Barry. At this time N-Force consisted of:
The 36th Battalion left Norfolk Island
to rejoin the 3rd New Zealand Division
on New Caledonia
at the end of March 1943. The Battalion was replaced by the 2nd Battalion, Wellington-West Coast Regiment
.
New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...
unit which garrisoned Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
between October 1942 and February 1944. N Force was formed by detaching units from the 3rd New Zealand Division. As Norfolk Island never came under attack N Force did not see action.
At its peak in October 1942, N Force consisted of 1,488 New Zealanders under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Barry. At this time N-Force consisted of:
- 36th Battalion36th Battalion (New Zealand)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...
(InfantryInfantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
) - 152nd Heavy Battery (four 155mm guns)
- Independent Field Artillery Troop (four 25 pounder guns)
- 215th Composite Anti-Aircraft Battery (four 3.7-inch anti-aircraft and eight 40-millimetre guns)
- Engineer, Army Service Corps and Ordnance detachments
The 36th Battalion left Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
to rejoin the 3rd New Zealand Division
New Zealand 3rd Division
The 3rd New Zealand Division was a division of the New Zealand Army. Formed in 1942, it saw action against the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean Areas during the Second World War. The division saw action in the Solomon Islands campaign during 1943–44, but was later disbanded in October 1944...
on New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
at the end of March 1943. The Battalion was replaced by the 2nd Battalion, Wellington-West Coast Regiment
Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment
The Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment is a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1948 by the amalgamation of two separate regiments:...
.