World War 2 In Review

Major Rutherford's Valentine Mark III CS loading for "Operation Squarepeg" on Guadalcanal on the 11th of February 1944. by J. E. Plowman The 1st New Zealand Tank Brigade, trained in New Zealand for service in the Middle East, was destined never to see service as a whole unit. It and its component units were successively broken up until only one squadron remained, the 3rd New Zealand Division Special Tank Squadron Group. This unit had been assembled from 2 Tanks Battalion Group in July 1943 and readied for service with 3rd Division in the Pacific. Its commanding officer was Major T. C. Wallace (former commanding officer of 2 Tanks) and second in command was Captain R. J. Rutherford (former commanding officer of A Squadron). The establishment of the squadron differed from squadrons of normal battalions for in effect it was a miniature battalion. Squadron Headquarters: two Valentine IIICS and two Valentine III tanks; Reconnaissance and Intercommunications Troop: 13 s...

Valentine IIIs of I Troop in the Jungle somewhere in the Pacific. The 1 Troop number is carried prominently on the locker on the turret rear. Note the use of the Stuart grouser box on the rear of the track cover for extra stowage on the tank. When the 1st NZ Army Tank Brigade was broken up in December 1942, 2 Tanks Battalion Group was reorganized along the lines of an Armoured Regiment with two squadrons of Stuart Hybrids and one of Valentine Mk II and IIIs. It was designated to provide armored support for the 3rd Division then moving back to the Pacific, however, in June 1943 the requirement for armored support for 3rd NZ Division was reduced to a squadron sized unit and so 2 Tanks was broken up the bulk going to provide reinforcements for 2nd NZ Division while the rest were formed into the 3rd NZ Division Special Army Tank Squadron Group. The Tank Squadron was dispatched to the Pacific two echelons. The first, including the Recce troop, left from Auckland for New Caledonia. The b...