Eddie Norman and 25 Battalion by Elizabeth Kay

$40.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military

When World War Two broke out, three theological students left their college in Auckland to the sound of bagpipes and volunteered to fight. Eddie Norman, aged 22 from Hawke's Bay, was one of them. A natural leader, his first experience of action was at El Alamein in 1942 as a platoon commander, and durin g the Italian campaign he quickly rose to command 25 Battalion. Under Eddie, the battalion was responsible for the division's sole success at Cassino, almost single-handedly smashed the German defensive line south of Arezzo and led the advance across the Senio to the Sillaro River. He was awarded the Military Cross, Distinguished Service Order and American Legion of Merit. Eddie's regular letters home to his new wife, Margaret, described daily army life during the desert fighting in the Middle East and the wet winter campaign in Italy when the men were holed up in the ruins of Cassino and pursued the enemy through Tuscany to the Adriatic Coast. Eddie returned home to Margaret and his studies for the Anglican priesthood, eventually becoming Anglican Bishop of Wellington in 1973 and knighted. Eddie Norman and 25 Battalion is told by Eddie's daughter Elizabeth Kay using his letters and other writings, 200 images and a series of custom-made maps. ...Show more

Walter Callaway: a maori warrior of the Boer War [Freight charge may apply] by Mike Dwight

$32.99 NZD

Category: NZ Military

Walter Callaway was among the first ever to fight abroad for New Zealand. Being Māori, he defied the British dictum of the day that “no natives could fight in a white man’s war.’ Brushing aside these bigoted attitudes, he excelled as a soldier in the harsh Southern African conditions and was eventually promoted to lieutenant – making him one of the first Māori to become an officer in the NZ Army. This came though at a great personal cost. While galloping to the rescue of an Australian in dire danger, he was shot and almost fatally injured. From that moment, his life changed irrevocably. This true story reveals a forgotten hero in what many term as ‘New Zealand’s Forgotten War.’ It tells not only about a remarkable soldier, but also highlights the horrors and hardships of a war, which a later British Prime Minister described as ‘infamous, criminal and wholly indefensible.’ Callaway’s biography is the first published account of a Māori in the South African War (1899-1902) and also includes a supportive foreword by New Zealand’s Chief of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General Mateparae. It is a story that must be told. ...Show more

Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Maori in the First World War by Monty Soutar

$69.99 NZD

Category: Māori Military History

This major publication about Maori participation in the First World War is written by NZ's leading Maori military historian Dr Monty Soutar, author of the award-winning Nga Tama Toa C Company, Maori Battalion. A fascinating look at the Pioneer Battalion (the Battalion created for Maori to serve) that wi ll shed light on the reasons why some men signed on to serve, and others staunchly resisted the call to join the imperial conflict. As with Dr Soutar's first book, it combines the story of the war and the role of Maori in it, with the words and thoughts of the men themselves, as well as those back home. Over 300 images, many from family collections and not published before. ...Show more

Artillery at Anzac: Adaptation, Innovation and Education by Chris Roberts

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ Military

This meticulously researched book provides the first comprehensive study of the employment of artillery and naval gunfire support at Anzac. Faced with huge difficulties on inferior ground the Australian, New Zealand, Indian, and British gunners quickly adapted to a hostile environment, employing innovat ive techniques to counter superior numbers of Ottoman artillery and provide fire support to their infantry and light horse colleagues. How well they performed is a central theme of The Artillery at Anzac. Using a host of primary sources including official manuals, war diaries, operation orders, letters, and private papers the authors trace the story of this neglected feature of the Gallipoli campaign. Commencing with an evaluation of the nascent pre-war Australian and New Zealand artillery, they take the reader through the testing introduction to the realities of modern warfare, the trials and difficulties the gunners experienced throughout the campaign, to the phased evacuation in December, without alerting the Ottomans to the reduced number of guns. Along the way, they challenge a long held controversy concerning the light horse charge at the Nek, and evaluate the effectiveness of the fire support provided to the infantry attacks, including that at Lone Pine, the attacks on the Sari Bair Range, and at Hill 60. In doing so, the authors illuminate long-buried information to provide new and penetrating insights into the campaign at Anzac. The Artillery at Anzac reveals a largely unknown aspect of the campaign, deepening our understanding of it, and providing a new perspective that is of value not only to Gunners past and present, but to historians, and the wider public. Although occurring over a century ago the experience at Anzac offers lessons to today's Gunners. ...Show more

Scouts and Spies Soldiers by Cliff Simons

$55.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military

As interest in the New Zealand Wars grows, Soldiers, Scouts and Spies offers a unique insight into the major campaigns fought between 1845 and 1864 by British troops, their militia and Maori allies, and Maori iwi and coalitions. It was a time of rapid technological change. Maori were quick to adopt west ern weaponry and evolve their tactics and even political structures as they looked for ways to confront the might of the Imperial war machine. And Britain, despite being a military and economic super power, was challenged by a capable enemy in a difficult environment. ...Show more

With Them Through Hell by Rogers Anna

$65.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military | Reading Level: near fine

The thousands of New Zealand men who fought in the First World War went through hell. And right beside them was another fighting force, armed with scalpels, bandages and drugs. Hundreds of doctors, nurses, stretcher-bearers, orderlies and ambulance drivers,dentists, chiropodists, pharmacists, physiother apists and chaplains cared for the sick and wounded, often at great personal risk. Veterinarians did the same for horses, camels and other animals. The challenges were enormous - horrific injuries, gas and deadly diseases, especially the influenza of 1918. There were some astonishing successes - most famously by plastic surgery pioneers Harold Gillies and Henry Pickerill - but the price was high, for patients and carers. The skilled, compassionate and courageous New Zealand medical personnel of the Great War have not always received the attention they deserve. Anna Rogers tells their remarkable story. ...Show more

Bravo Kiwi by Craig Wilson

$19.99 NZD

$39.99 (50% off)

Category: NZ Military

Major Craig Wilson is a decorated former SAS member, and has been in more combat zones than any other Kiwi soldier. He was the commanding officer of Bravo Company, which lost 2 soldiers when they went to the aid Afghan police at Baghek in August 2012. Craig was left injured, shot in the shoulder, and wa s Medevac'd to a German hospital. There he heard 3 more of his team had died in an explosion. This is the story of Craig Wilson and the men and women of Bravo Company. It starts in 2010 at Burnham army base and includes infantry preparations for; Christchurch earthquake; planning for Afghanistan; life in Bamiyan; the battle at Baghek and its aftermath. ...Show more

The Great War For New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000 by Vincent O'Malley

$79.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

A monumental new account of the defining conflict in New Zealand history. It was war in the Waikato in 1863-64 that shaped the nation in all kinds of ways: setting back Maori and Pakeha relations by several generations and allowing the government to begin to assert the kind of real control over the coun try that had eluded it since 1840. Spanning nearly two centuries from first contact through to settlement and apology, Vincent O'Malley focuses on the human impact of the war, its origins and aftermath. Based on many years of research and illustrated throughout, The Great War for New Zealand is a groundbreaking book written in the conviction that a nation needs to own its history. ...Show more

Willie Apiata VC: The Reluctant Hero by Paul Little

$38.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military

'At 0900 on Sunday 01 July my CO handed me three letters to read. The first was from the Governor General, the second from the Prime Minister and the third was from the Minister of Defence. These letters informed me that I had been awarded the Victoria Cross for New Zealand (V.C.).' Cpl Bill (Willie) Ap iata, V.C. Corporal Willie Apiata became the first New Zealander since the Second World War to be awarded the Commonwealth's highest military award for his actions with the NZ SAS in Afghanistan. From his early life in small town East Coast New Zealand to his actions in the deserts of Afghanistan, this is his story in his words. This book will not only establish the place of Corporal Apiata in New Zealand's history but will give an insight into the nature of a man who is truly a reluctant hero. While to most of us his actions seemed extraordinary and heroic, Corporal Apiata felt he was an ordinary Kiwi just 'doing his job'. ...Show more

Dear Alison: A New Zealand Soldier's Story From Stalag 383 by Simon Pollard

$45.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military | Reading Level: very good

In July 1942 with a notebook and pencil he had bought from a German guard, Dudley Muff started Alison's Book. Dudley was 42 and a prisoner of war in Stalag XVIIIB in Germany and his niece Alison was four and living in Timaru. With humorous entries, sketches and what he called "little men" his story grew until it became an unbelievable account of his time served in two prisoner-of-war camps. Given to Alison when he returned to Christchurch after the war, she read it first as a child, purely for the excitement such a story could impart. Only later, rereading this as an adult, did she see through the veiled references to how life really was in the camps. After returning to Christchurch, Dudley added a one page postscript describing his journey to freedom. He finished the book with, "Now I shall tell you in three little words what all my travels have taught me, NEVER BE AFRAID. With all the love in the world from Uncle Dudley". Winner LIANZA Elsie Locke Award for Non Fiction 2010. Storylines Notable Non-Fiction 2010. ...Show more

Our First Foreign War: The impact of the South African War 1899-1902 on New Zealand by Nigel Robson

$55.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military

When war broke out between the British Empire and the Boer republics in 1899, New Zealand was among Britain's most enthusiastic supporters. The South African War was a chance for New Zealand to prove its military capabilities and loyalty to the Empire. There was a huge surge in nationalist feeling and i ntense interest in the fortunes of the imperial forces. Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith became household names. Fundraising events were packed, and as men enlisted in contingents and Volunteer corps, women and children joined patriotic groups and cadet corps. This is the first book to examine in detail the enduring impact of the country's first overseas war. ...Show more

Jack Hinton VC: a Man Amongst Men: A Man Amongst Men by MCDONALD, Gabrielle

$59.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military