N Force was a small

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

unit of infantry and artillery that garrisoned the Australian territory of

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

between October 1942 and February 1944, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The island was considered strategically important due to the cable station there that linked Australia and New Zealand. N Force was formed by detaching units from the 3rd New Zealand Division. An airfield was also constructed for use by

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

(RNZAF) personnel. 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 Battalion (

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

) * 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 to rejoin the 3rd New Zealand Division on

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

at the end of March 1943. The battalion was replaced by the 2nd Battalion, Wellington-West Coast Regiment. Meanwhile, the strength of N Force was subsequently reduced, and in February 1944 responsibility for Norfolk Island was taken over by the RNZAF. The last New Zealand forces were withdrawn from Norfolk Island in July 1946.

Notes

References

* *

External links

NZ Artillery of World War 2 in the Pacific – Royal New Zealand Artillery Old Comrades' Association
Military units and formations of New Zealand in World War II Military history of New Zealand during World War II Military history of Australia during World War II History of Norfolk Island Australia–New Zealand military relations {{NewZealand-mil-stub