Friday, June 7, 2013

US military forces in New Zealand 1942-1945



Oriental Bay, Wellington, with American Marines, ca 1942. Reference Number: 1/2-045134-F. Alexander Turnbull Library.

Looking for stuff today, I found a Google Maps entry from nzhistory.net on Map of sites used by US military forces in New Zealand, 1942-45. Worth checking out, and a good overall summary for each site, including military camps, hospitals,commandeered/rented offices, storage areas, receiving and radio transmitting stations, and magazines.

4 comments:

  1. What a fabulous image and a reminder of how it was back during WW2 in NZ with the US forces there.

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  2. There were only three things wrong with the American servicemen being here (according to my dad) - they were over sexed, over paid and over here!

    My mother, on the other hand, thought the Americans were very handsome and very smartly dressed.

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  3. "My dear, I am not wasting time at the computer. I am looking for stuff." Hels, they were certainly much more smartly dressed than our own servicemen. I did not realise the US were in NZ in such numbers. Maybe a back up for when Australia fell.

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  4. This month marked the 71st anniversary of the first US soldier to step onto kiwi soil: Sgt Nathan E. Cook, 145th Regt., 37th Infantry Div. He was deliberately chosen to be the first, because of his surname - a doff of the hat to explorer Captain James Cook.
    It's likely Sgt Cook has 'passed on' by now...but I wonder what actually happened to him. Did he survive the war? Did he find a NZ sweetheart and live happily ever after? Is he happily blogging, somewhere in heartland USA?

    [http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/us-invades-new-zealand.html]

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