Country New Zealand Type Artillery | Branch New Zealand Army Garrison/HQ Linton | |
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Active 1 September 1947 – present Role Field Artillery/Low Level Air Defence | ||
The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery is the artillery regiment of the New Zealand Army. It is effectively a military administrative corps, and can comprise multiple component regiments. This nomenclature stems from its heritage as an offshoot of the British Army's Royal Artillery. In its current form it was founded in 1947 with the amalgamation of the regular and volunteer corps of artillery in New Zealand. In 1958 in recognition of services rendered it was given the title the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery.
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Predecessors and formation
The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery's predecessor units in the Volunteer Force date from February 1866, when the first field artillery battery and naval artillery corps were formed. From 1878 the various field batteries were administrative grouped together as the New Zealand Regiment of Artillery Volunteers, and were designated alphabetically. The naval artillery batteries were grouped as the New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers in 1902. Meanwhile, the establishment of coast defences from the mid-1880s had necessitated the creation of a small permanent artillery force within the Permanent Military, which was designated the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) on 15 October 1902. Following the formation of the Territorial Force in 1911 the Regiment of New Zealand Field Artillery and the New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers became part of the New Zealand Artillery. During this time the permanent RNZA maintained an instructional and cadre role.
Between 2–5 August 1914 pre-war plans to establish harbour examination batteries and mobilise the then Royal New Zealand Artillery (active force) and New Zealand Garrison Artillery (territorials) were carried out. The examination batteries' task was to interrogate unidentified vessels entering port. The examination batteries at Fort Takapuna, Point Gordon in Wellington, Fort Jervois and Howlett Point at the entrance to Port Chalmers were manned around the clock until 15 March 1915. After that date guns and equipment were maintained at a high state of readiness, with battery personnel available at a few hours' notice.' During initial mobilisation for the First World War, it was intended that one six-gun 18-pounder battery would form part of the initial contingent of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Following large numbers volunteering for artillery, it was decided to raise the a brigade of three batteries, totalling twelve 18-pounders. The initial brigade departed with the rest of the Main Body on 16 October 1914. Eventually two New Zealand field artillery brigades (regiment-sized units) served with the New Zealand and Australian Division. Following the end of the war the New Zealand Artillery was renamed the Regiment of New Zealand Artillery.
During the Second World War, 4, 5 and 6 Field Regiments sailed with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force; initially also despatched was 7 Anti-Tank Regiment and 14 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. A number of artillery regiments and batteries served with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Pacific (2 NZEF IP), and 3rd Division. After the war ended, the Territorial Force was reconstituted in the late 1940s, and a number of field, mortar (5th Light Regiment RNZA), and coastal units were created. In January 1947 the Regiment of New Zealand Artillery was amalgamated with the RNZA.
Korean War
When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, a Regular Force regiment, 16th Field Regiment RNZA, was established as the core of New Zealand's deployed contingent, known as Kayforce, in January 1951. The 16th Field Regiment subsequently provided close support to the British Commonwealth infantry and was later awarded the South Korean Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951. Between 1951 and 1953 the regiment fire more than 750,000 shells, operating 25-pounders. Following the end of the war, the 16th Field Regiment RNZA was disbanded in 1954.
1950s
In 1955, the Regiment consisted of the following units:
The 1957 National Government defence review directed the discontinuation of coastal defence training, and the approximately 1000 personnel of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Coastal Regiments had their Compulsory Military Training obligation removed. A small cadre of regulars remained, but as Henderson, Green, and Cook say, 'the coastal artillery had quietly died.' All the fixed guns were dismantled and sold for scrap by the early 1960s. The three regiments survived on paper until 1967, 'each in its final years at an actual strength of a single warrant officer, the District Gunner, whose duties mainly involved taking care of the mobile 3.7-inch guns allocated for emergency harbour defences.'
In 1958 the Regiment was redesignated the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery. The 16th Field Regiment RNZA was reformed at this time as part of the Regular Force Brigade Group. In 1961 the last two anti-aircraft regiments were disbanded. Meanwhile, from 1963 Italian designed 105-mm L5 Pack Howitzers began replacing the 25-pounders. 5th Light Regiment RNZA was disbanded in 1964.
Vietnam War
A rotational RNZA battery was deployed to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery arrived in June 1965 and was attached as the third battery of the US 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment which had arrived in May, in support of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade along with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment which had been attached as the third infantry battalion of the 173rd Airborne in Bien Hoa until June 1966. Sergeant Alastair John Sherwood Don and Bombardier Robert White of 161Bty were the first New Zealand casualties of the Vietnam War when the front of their vehicle was blown up by a Vietcong command detonated mine on 14 September 1965 during Operation Ben Cat.
Under U.S command in their first year the battery took part in the Battle of Gang Toi during Operation Hump, Operation Crimp, Operation Entrée in general support of 1/503 US Infantry's operations, Battle of Suoi Bong Trang during Operation Rolling Stone in support of 1RAR, Operation Abilene in support of 1st US Infantry Division, Operation Denver as part of "Force Essex," and Operation Enoggera in support of newly arrived 6RAR.
With the formation of the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) in June 1966 in Phuoc Tuy Province, the New Zealand government was given the choice of allowing the battery to remain at Bien Hoa under U.S command with the 173rd Airborne or integrate the battery into the new Australian task force at Phuoc Tuy. The decision was made to integrate the battery into 1ATF under 105 Battery, Royal Australian Artillery which had arrived at the end of September 1965.
As part of 1ATF, the New Zealand battery is remembered well for its role in the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966, during which it played a key role in supporting the outnumbered Australian infantry from D Company, 6 RAR hold off an regimental sized Viet Cong force. The battery would continue to support allied forces throughout its entire time in Vietnam including participation in Operation Bribie in 1967, and Operation Coburg, the Tet Offensive, and the Battle of Coral–Balmoral in 1968.
In 1967 the battery's L5 howitzers were replaced by heavier and more robust American M2A2 Howitzers.
As Australian and New Zealand combat units began to be withdrawn in keeping with US troop reductions, the battery was withdrawn in May 1971. The battery was involved in 17 major operations during their time in Vietnam.
Approximately 750 members of the 161st Battery served in Vietnam with a loss of 5 casualties.
1980s–1990s
3rd Field Regiment RNZA was disbanded in 1990. Meanwhile, a range of new capabilities were introduced during this period. In 1986 the British designed, Australian produced 105-mm L119 Hamel Light Gun was introduced, while computerized artillery systems were introduced in 1989, and global positioning systems in 1997, which resulted in a significant increase in capability. In 1997 the French Mistral short range air defence missile was acquired, providing an anti-aircraft capability for the first time since 1961.
Twenty-first century
Today, the RNZA consists of a single regiment:
Members of the 16th Field Regiment formed part of the New Zealand Battalion deployed on peacekeeping operations in East Timor.
The School of Artillery is also active.
Territorial units
In addition, there are a number of Territorial Force artillery units; these were formerly units of the RNZA, but were moved into the structure of the TF battalion groups on the restructuring of the army in the late 1990s:
The Battle Honours of the above three Territorial Force artillery units are for South Africa, World War I and World War II.
Distinctions
A composite unit of the RNZA became the first specific New Zealand unit to mount the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace in 1964 (previously, the contingents sent to the Coronation had mounted the guard).
The South Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation 1st Class was presented to 161 Bty in 1977 for its service in the Vietnam War as part of the 1st Battalion Group, Royal Australian Regiment (see Non-U.S. recipients of U.S. gallantry awards).
In 1995 the unit received the Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) in recognition of its service with the United States 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War.
Uniform
The RNZA were distinguished by a blue and red puggaree around the traditional "Lemon Squeezer" hat of the New Zealand Army, until this headdress fell into abeyance in the late 1950s. It has subsequently been reintroduced for ceremonial use but the RNZA now wear the same red puggaree as most other corps and regiments. Artillery officers wore a dark blue jacket and trousers with red lapels and trouser stripes for mess dress but this is now being phased out in favour of a universal scarlet mess jacket for all branches of the Army. The traditional blue and red artillery colours still survive in the full dress of The Band Of The Royal Regiment Of New Zealand Artillery.