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Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume III

193 — The acting Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs — [Extract]

193
The acting Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
[Extract]

4 September 1941

2 The New Zealand Home Defence Forces are being reorganised and brought up to the standard of overseas troops with a view to providing one force from which reinforcements for overseas can be obtained and, at the same time, a more adequately trained and organised page 217 body for the defence of the Dominion. In view of the heavy manpower commitments which are proving, and will increasingly prove, a very heavy strain on the resources of the Dominion, and the complete inadequacy of the present fighting and training equipment in the country, His Majesty's Government in New Zealand lay particular emphasis on the defence equipment required. It is desired to stress also that, unlike the other Dominions, New Zealand is unable to manufacture essential arms for its own use and is therefore almost entirely dependent on overseas sources for these defence needs. Moreover, New Zealand's immediate training programme requires modern equipment in order that the troops proceeding overseas will be trained with the same type of fighting equipment as will be made available to them on arrival overseas.

For these reasons, and most particularly because of the great existing scarcity of fighting equipment in the country, His Majesty's Government in New Zealand press strongly for the earliest priority in the following items of equipment already on order:

Rifles and bayonets 38,000
Anti-tank rifles 582
Bren guns 2,500
Two-pounder or six-pounder anti-tank guns, latter preferred 48
Bofors guns 64
3·7-inch anti-aircraft guns 16
Light tanks—for preference United States pattern M3—12½ ton 170
6-inch guns for fixed defences 10
With agreed scale of ammunition for artillery weapons.

The above figures are inclusive of all equipment already approved for release.1

2 See Vol. II, No. 78, for text omitted.

1 A number of telegrams dealing with the provision of fixed defences for New Zealand ports have not been reproduced. See also Defence of the South Pacific.