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Post by deanthemarine on Apr 29, 2012 11:07:30 GMT 12
Dean, you may not be aware, but the 2nd US Marine Division was based just out of Wellington during WW2. before leaving for Tarawa. For many years after some of them came back, annually for a reunion, right up to the late 70s early 80s. I recall one ANZAC Day when they marched in the ANZAC Day parade and received huge applause from the crowd. Rightly so! There is a plaque commemorating their being here on the Wellington Waterfront.The Marines gradually departed New Zealand to engage the invaders in places like Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Bougainville. Thousands of those Marines never made it home to America. Their temporary and important presence here continues to be commemorated in New Zealand through the efforts of the Kapiti U.S. Marines Trust, Old St. Paul’s, and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. A plaque left on the sea wall along Wellington’s Aotea Quay by the U.S. Second Marine Division Association nicely sums up the Corps’ great affection for New Zealand: “If You Need A Friend You Have One.” Phil Thank you for the history lesson. As a former Marine Drill Instructor and one who taught Marine Corps history to recruits I am ashamed to admit that I was not aware of the Marines being in New Zealand as I surely would have included that in my presentations especially since joining this forum and seeing the respect you have for Marines. I am quite humbled by it all. I think I may have to include a little tribute this year to New Zealand at our Marine Birthday. Thank you on behalf of all Marines past and present. |
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Post by phil82 on Apr 29, 2012 12:10:02 GMT 12
You have to put the Marine presence in NZ in perspective. They were here to prepare for the war in the Pacific, and at a time when the majority of New Zealand's fighting men were busy chasing Rommel around in North Africa, then Italy.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 29, 2012 12:57:27 GMT 12
They were here actually as a result of a deal struck between governments. New Zealand's politicians were fairly keen to pull the 2NZEF out of North Africa and bring them home (just as Australia did with their troops there) after the Japanese entered the war, for our own defence. However Churchill was totally opposed to losing the kiwis from the desert war as he knew that they were vital to the war effort there. He had a lot of respect for the New Zealander soldiers and their leader, General Freyberg. He convinced the NZ Govt to leave our troops there and for Roosevelt to send a Marine Division to Garrision New Zealand instead. That way the desert war was won and the kiwis went on to fight in Italy. The people of New Zealand remained safe from the Japanese as the Marines were here to add to our own defences (but were the ladies safe from the Marines?  ) And the Marines had a base to train and to return to after battles to recouperate, etc, just as other Marine Divisions did in Australia. There's actually a 1950's US-made film about Marines in New Zealand, called Battle Cry. It's not very realistic in terms of the NZ locations (California I guess) and kiwi accents but it's not a bad film for its time. www.imdb.com/title/tt0047860/ |
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Post by 14liney on Apr 30, 2012 8:25:33 GMT 12
"Battle Cry" is novel written by Leon Uris based on his experiences as a Marine in the Pacific. Well worth reading.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 30, 2012 9:41:14 GMT 12
Yes that's the one, they turned it into a film.
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Post by 14liney on Apr 30, 2012 9:43:24 GMT 12
"Everyone has to qualify on the Steyr every year and some on the Sig Sauer pistol (officers, aircrew and some other trades)" We qualified with this  and this  |
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Post by 14liney on Apr 30, 2012 9:47:49 GMT 12
"Thank you Dave. Nice to be here. Was directed to this thread by a friend of mine who served in the RNZAF and comes to our U.S. Marine Birthday bash every year."  |
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Post by jonesy on Apr 30, 2012 15:21:30 GMT 12
Ahh...annual qualification time! There was a 25 Yard range up behind Shelly Bay, and every year we "suits" from Wellington had to be checked out with the [then] Browning 9mm. You had to take a stance, feet apart, then bend the knees and get off two quick shots. So the order comes, I bend my knees, quick aim, and two shots, accompanied at the same time by a tearing sound as the back seam in my suit trousers split.. I had to borrow a long coat for the trip home! Yep, annual quals at OH was similar-except that one year we were the last ones there for the session and there was boxes of all kinds of ammo left over to use-7.62 and 9mm, and we werent going home till it was gone. We had an absolute blast (literally) and I realised that despite letting off about 6 or 7 mags with the pistols I couldnt hit anything further than 3 metres away! Remember my sore arm from all the SLR 7.62 we let off as well. Much more of a manly kick than the pussy Steyrs that turned up just as I was leaving.... |
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Post by Officer Crabtree on Apr 30, 2012 16:04:36 GMT 12
The U.S Ambassador is a nice guy, he gave us a talk when we went to the embassy for a social studies trip to Wellington.
You Marines have mirrors for shoes!
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Post by phil82 on Apr 30, 2012 17:13:02 GMT 12
Ahh...annual qualification time! There was a 25 Yard range up behind Shelly Bay, and every year we "suits" from Wellington had to be checked out with the [then] Browning 9mm. You had to take a stance, feet apart, then bend the knees and get off two quick shots. So the order comes, I bend my knees, quick aim, and two shots, accompanied at the same time by a tearing sound as the back seam in my suit trousers split.. I had to borrow a long coat for the trip home! Yep, annual quals at OH was similar-except that one year we were the last ones there for the session and there was boxes of all kinds of ammo left over to use-7.62 and 9mm, and we werent going home till it was gone. We had an absolute blast (literally) and I realised that despite letting off about 6 or 7 mags with the pistols I couldnt hit anything further than 3 metres away! Remember my sore arm from all the SLR 7.62 we let off as well. Much more of a manly kick than the pussy Steyrs that turned up just as I was leaving.... Oddly enough I always managed a 1st class rating with the FN, and Marksman later on with the Browning, though from what I here the later Glock and Sig-sauer were/are much better. The Browning was a noisy bugger, and not particularly accurate at any range. Throwing it might have been better! When I was posted to Singapore in 1965 a landrover picked us up at Changi, and I was in the back and had a loaded Sten thrust into my hands: "we've got the 14Sqn payroll and you're the guard". I can also recall manufacturing a marksman at Wigram after having been told they'd never had one and put money on it not happening. "Age and skullduggery wins ever time!" |
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Post by ngatimozart on May 5, 2012 20:23:18 GMT 12
Yep, annual quals at OH was similar-except that one year we were the last ones there for the session and there was boxes of all kinds of ammo left over to use-7.62 and 9mm, and we werent going home till it was gone. We had an absolute blast (literally) and I realised that despite letting off about 6 or 7 mags with the pistols I couldnt hit anything further than 3 metres away! Remember my sore arm from all the SLR 7.62 we let off as well. Much more of a manly kick than the pussy Steyrs that turned up just as I was leaving.... Oddly enough I always managed a 1st class rating with the FN, and Marksman later on with the Browning, though from what I here the later Glock and Sig-sauer were/are much better. The Browning was a noisy bugger, and not particularly accurate at any range. Throwing it might have been better! When I was posted to Singapore in 1965 a landrover picked us up at Changi, and I was in the back and had a loaded Sten thrust into my hands: "we've got the 14Sqn payroll and you're the guard". I can also recall manufacturing a marksman at Wigram after having been told they'd never had one and put money on it not happening. "Age and skullduggery wins ever time!" Sten or Sterling? I liked the FN SLR because it has more hitting power & longer range. We were taught when you shot the bad guy they went down and stayed down. Have fired the Steyr and ok it's lighter and ammo is lighter to carry, but I have to agree with Jonesy it is a pussy. Yep the Browning 9mm is noisy and the Navy ones in 1990 /91 were pretty buggered (worn barrels) so accuracy at 3m would have been a pretty big ask. I would presume RNZAF ones were the same. To be honest if you got killed by a round from an NZDF 9mm Browning you must've been the unluckest person in the world. The Sterling was a little ripper and ideal in close quarters but it had a cocking trick. You had to select fire to charge it so you couldn't do a Hollywood and pull the charging lever back and let it go. If you did the whole mag went off on auto. Just like the SLR did when you matchsticked it. There's always one on every course and on my Navy basic we had one who just had to let the Sterling charging lever go instead of gently putting it back into the firing position. Well the Sterling chatters and the GI's scream and yell. Highly entertaining and doubling around the parade ground at Tamaki holding a 4.5 inch shell casing full of concrete above your head is not fun. If it was me I would have rather have taken a hiding - been less pain. However we were at a stage on NZDF history where NCO's dishing out hidings was no longer tolerated at all. It was just before they were forbidden to swear at juniors. Annual musketry at Shelly Bay was a laugh especially when Blue Arthur was BWO. One year those who shot best in each group (of 3) got to fire a replica Kentucky Long Rifle that Blue had borrowed from a mate. My first experience of a black powder rifle. |
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Post by phil82 on May 6, 2012 4:35:07 GMT 12
There may be an armourer around here to correct me, but I don't recall the RNZAF ever using the Sterling!
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Post by jonesy on May 6, 2012 9:11:27 GMT 12
There may be an armourer around here to correct me, but I don't recall the RNZAF ever using the Sterling! I may not be able to correct you, but I'm sure we had a go with an SMG on my last annual shoot, along with the pistols and SLR's. And that was at Ohakea in the early 90's |
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Post by raymond on May 6, 2012 21:58:33 GMT 12
Before the Short Barrel Styer arrived I recall the SMG was the weapon for the Comms & MT types. Never had a blast with the SMG but did have some fun at Dip Flat with the GPMG (at the hip & shoulder!, wasted a few hundred rounds at pop up targets etc). Had a go with the 9mm Browning at WP and acheived "marksman" but only ever got 1st class with the SLR & Styer.
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