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Frank Rennie
Colonel Frank Rennie (9 August 1918 – 17 November 1992) was a career soldier in the New Zealand Army, holding every rank between private and colonel, and founder of the New Zealand Special Air Service. Early life and army service Rennie was born on 9 August 1918 in Christchurch, New Zealand. At age 13 he suffered a slipped upper femoral epiphysis of the hip, which resulted in his spending nearly 20 months in hospital. Rennie later wrote in his autobiography that after spending so long bedridden believing he would be crippled, he felt compelled to "prove to myself that I could do anything most others could do", and viewed the Army as a way of achieving this. He subsequently joined the Canterbury Regiment of the Territorial Force at age 16, before joining the New Zealand Army in late 1936. After completing basic training at Trentham Military Camp Rennie was first posted to the Royal New Zealand Artillery, but did not enjoy it and was "first in the queue" to transfer to the Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over half a million. It is located in the Canterbury Region, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula. The Avon River / Ōtākaro, Avon River (Ōtākaro) winds through the centre of the city, with Hagley Park, Christchurch, a large urban park along its banks. With the exception of the Port Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average around above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being an English New Zealanders, English city, with its architectural identity and nickname the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Māori Battalion
The 28th (Māori) Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion (), was a light infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. The battalion was formed following pressure on the Labour government from some Māori Members of Parliament (MPs) and Māori organisations throughout the country wanting to see a full Māori unit raised for service overseas. The Māori Pioneer Battalion was formed to serve in the First World War (1914–1918). Māori wanted the formation of a distinct military unit in order to raise their profile, and to serve alongside their European compatriots as part of the British Empire. It also offered Māori the opportunity to prove themselves and potentially secure autonomy.. In 1940, the 28th Maori Battalion was established as part of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). The battalion was attached to the 2nd New Zealand Division and moved between the division's three infantry brigades. The batt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land border, as well as List of islands of Italy, nearly 800 islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares land borders with France to the west; Switzerland and Austria to the north; Slovenia to the east; and the two enclaves of Vatican City and San Marino. It is the List of European countries by area, tenth-largest country in Europe by area, covering , and the third-most populous member state of the European Union, with nearly 59 million inhabitants. Italy's capital and List of cities in Italy, largest city is Rome; other major cities include Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, and Venice. The history of Italy goes back to numerous List of ancient peoples of Italy, Italic peoples—notably including the ancient Romans, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2nd Division (New Zealand)
The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-General Bernard C. Freyberg. It fought in Greece, Crete, the Western Desert and Italy. In the Western Desert Campaign, the division played a prominent role in the defeat of German and Italian forces in the Second Battle of El Alamein and the British Eighth Army's advance to Tunisia. In late 1943, the division was moved to Italy, taking part in the Eighth Army's campaign on Italy's Adriatic coast, which ground to a halt at the end of the year. In early 1944, the division formed the nucleus of the New Zealand Corps, fighting two battles attempting unsuccessfully to penetrate the Gustav Line at Monte Cassino. The division saw further action on the Gothic Line in 1944 and took part in the Allied 1945 Spring offensive, which led to the su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Division (New Zealand)
The 3rd New Zealand Division was a division of the New Zealand Military Forces. 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 1943–1944, during which it undertook landings on Vella Lavella, the Treasury Islands and the Green Islands. Due to manpower shortages, for most of its existence the division consisted of only two infantry brigades in addition to support personnel, with its third brigade being disbanded shortly after formation. In 1944, manpower shortages in the New Zealand economy became acute, leading to the disbandment of the division. The majority of its manpower was returned to civilian employment, although around 4,000 men were sent to Italy to reinforce the 2nd Division, seeing further action before the end of the war in May 1945. History Formation The 3rd New Zealand Division began forming from New Zealand Military Forces units in Fiji in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th Vice President of the United States, vice president under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961, and also as a United States House of Representatives, representative and United States Senate, senator from California. Presidency of Richard Nixon, His presidency saw the reduction of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, ''détente'' with the Soviet Union and China, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and the establishment of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Nixon's second term ended early when he became the only U.S. president to resign from office, as a result of the Watergate scandal. Nixon was born ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John F
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died ), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (died ), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * Pope Jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nissan Island
Nissan Island (also Green Island or Sir Charles Hardy Island) is the largest of the Green Islands of Papua New Guinea. It is located at , about 200 km east of Rabaul on New Britain and about 200 km north-west of Bougainville. The island is administered under Nissan Rural LLG in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Nissan island, along with other nearby islands, has been described as a "stepping stone island" and it is believed that this island plays an important role in helping various plant and animal species spread throughout the region. History Based upon pottery fragments discovered in archeological excavations researchers have determined that the inhabitants of this island commonly engaged in trade with the inhabitants of Buka Island. Commonly traded items would have included pigs, pottery, and shell money. British and American whaling vessels visited the island in the nineteenth century for food, water and wood. The first on record was the ''Addison'' in 183 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
30th Battalion (New Zealand)
The 30th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand 3rd Division, raised for service during the Second World War. After being raised in late 1940, the battalion undertook garrison duties in Fiji and on New Caledonia during the early part of the war, before undertaking combat operations during the latter part of the Solomon Islands campaign, landing on Vella Lavella and the Green Islands in 1943–1944. The battalion was disbanded in mid-1944 to return manpower to the New Zealand economy and to provide reinforcements to the New Zealand 2nd Division, which was fighting in Italy. History Formed in September 1940, and drawing personnel from the Canterbury and Otago districts, the 30th Battalion was initially assigned to the 8th Brigade, before eventually becoming part of the 14th Brigade, which served in the Pacific. Shortly after its establishment, the battalion undertook garrison duties on Fiji to defend against a possible Japanese attack, before handing over to US tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Officer (armed Forces)
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an Military, armed force or Uniformed services, uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent contextual qualification, the term typically refers only to a force's ''commissioned officers'', the more senior members who derive their authority from a Commission (document), commission from the head of state. Numbers The proportion of officers varies greatly. Commissioned officers typically make up between an eighth and a fifth of modern armed forces personnel. In 2013, officers were the senior 17% of the British armed forces, and the senior 13.7% of the French armed forces. In 2012, officers made up about 18% of the German armed forces, and about 17.2% of the United States armed forces. Historically armed forces have generally had much lower proportions of officers. During the First World War, fewer than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about . The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts, either in the capital city of Suva, or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi (where tourism is the major local industry) or Lautoka (where the Sugarcane, sugar-cane industry is dominant). The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain. The majority of Fiji's islands were formed by Volcano, volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago. Some geothermal activity still occurs today on the islands of Vanua Levu and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
37th Battalion (New Zealand)
The 37th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces, which served during the Second World War. Attached to the 14th Brigade (New Zealand), 14th Brigade, 3rd Division (New Zealand), New Zealand 3rd Division, the battalion was formed in late 1941 and saw service in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific against the Japanese. They were initially used for garrison duties on Fiji and New Caledonia before being committed to the fighting in the Solomon Islands in 1943. Returned to New Zealand in late 1944, the battalion was disbanded in early 1945 as part of a partial demobilisation of New Zealand forces. Many of its personnel returned to civilian employment while others were sent to Italian Campaign (World War II), Italy as reinforcements for the 2nd Division (New Zealand), New Zealand 2nd Division. The battalion was awarded four battle honours for its various engagements during the war. History Formation The battalion was formed on 29 December 1941 at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
