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Problems of 2 NZEF

Appendix XI — STANDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR 2 NZEF — Replacement of Casualties

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Appendix XI
STANDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR 2 NZEF
Replacement of Casualties

(Issued in conjunction with 2 NZEF Orders Serial No. 88 of 1942)

HQ 2 NZEF

27/16/1152

12 Aug 42

To List ‘Z’

Note: These Instructions cancel previous Instructions (ref 43/5/6545 dated 3 Oct 41) and embody all Orders and Instructions issued up to and including 2 NZEF Orders Serial No. 88 of 1942.

General

(1) The rapidity with which casualties can be replaced depends largely upon their early notification on one of the various Army forms despatched to 2 Ech, 2 NZEF, viz:

AF W3006

3008

3009

3010

3011

3012

(2) It is therefore essential that these forms be rendered by the most speedy means available.

(3) All demands for reinforcements must be rendered to 2 Ech, 2 NZEF, which is the sole authority for the number of reinforcements to be supplied.

(4) All personnel are ‘off strength’:

(a)

On death

(b)

As soon as they are evacuated beyond Regimental Aid Posts, or

(c)

Otherwise placed on ‘X’ Lists,
and are then replaceable as regards numbers by a reinforcement to be sent up later from the Base. Replacement by ranks is dealt with below as regards Officers in paras (16) to (21), as regards WOs and S/Sjts in paras (22) to (27), and as regards NCOs of Serjeant and below in paras (28) to (33).

(5) It is most undesirable for units to leave vacancies open for the return of certain personnel, particularly NCO personnel. Despite what may be believed at the time, there is no guarantee that the men evacuated will return within a reasonable period. Machinery exists for making at least an acting or temporary promotion at a very early stage, and for making it substantive subsequently, and full advantage should be taken of this procedure.

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(6) Part C of AF W3009 provides for the nomination of certain other ranks ‘Whose return to the unit is particularly requested. To use this as a nominal roll of all personnel absent from the Unit makes it valueless. In order to meet the wishes of units as regards nominated personnel, it is necessary for 2 Ech, 2 NZEF to advise the Reinforcement Depot concerned that such personnel are required as soon as possible. The roll of ‘Particularly Requested’ personnel should be used only to request the return of certain specialists (other ranks below the rank of S/Sjt).

(7) AF W3012 must be rendered by units for notifying casualties of attached personnel, a copy being forwarded to the parent unit of such attached personnel.

(8) Formation Headquarters should immediately replace losses by demanding replacements from units under their command, who in turn obtain replacements in the normal manner.

(9) It is stressed that units should make use of Part D of AF W3009 in demanding tradesmen, etc., but this should not deter COs from training suitable personnel for the immediate filling of essential specialist vacancies. Care should be taken to ensure that the total number so demanded in Part D agrees with the total of Column 4 Part A, ‘Reinforcements required.’

(10) All ranks on discharge from Hospital will, in the majority of cases, proceed to the Convalescent Depot. From there they are moved if graded I or IA to the Reception Depot, where they are re-equipped with basic equipment and made dentally fit. When these processes are complete they are transferred to the appropriate Training Depot, and subject to the need for refresher courses, become available for replacement drafts.

(11) On receipt of weekly Field Return from unit the following procedure will be followed by 2 Ech 2 NZEF.

(a)

Officer deficiencies shown on AF W3008 will be notified to the Military Secretary.

(b)

From AF W3009 a statement of deficiencies up to the rank of Sjt will be compiled and passed to the appropriate Training Depot together with Parts C and D of Field Return.

(c)

A summary of deficiencies of all units as in para (b) will be passed to HQ 6 NZ Div also.

(d)

Deficiencies of S/Sjts and WOs will be referred to HQ 2 NZEF.

(12) Training Depots will assemble drafts, drawing:

(a)

On ex-personnel of the unit concerned, and

(b)

From any trained personnel of the Corps, except in the case of Infantry, where they will draw on the trained personnel of the linked battalions (e.g., 18/21/24 NZ Bns).

The factor governing posting the draft will be length of time in the Depot, irrespective of rank.

(13) HQ 6 NZ Div will arrange for drafts to be sent forward as frequently as is required according to urgency and size.

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(14) Should there be any really urgent need for replacement of casualties such as unexpectedly severe battle casualties, action as in para (11) will be taken by 2 Ech 2 NZEF on the daily strength state (AF W3006), i.e., 2 Ech will not wait for the Weekly Field Return. It is permissible for units in such exceptional circumstances to draw the attention of 2 Ech to the need for early replacements. HQ 2 NZ Div will in an emergency indicate the priority of demand, i.e., if, on AF W3006 reinforcements are shown to be required, HQ 2 NZ Div will advise Advance Base, if any, or HQ 6 NZ Div which units require reinforcements most urgently.

(15) In the event of the field force being far in advance of the Base, it may become necessary to establish advanced depots of personnel, in order to avoid the lag involved in the journey from the Base. The despatch of personnel from such advanced depots will still be governed by the authority of 2 Ech 2 NZEF or Adv 2 Ech 2 NZEF.

Officers

(16) The replacement of Officers whose casualties have created vacancies for promotion is dealt with in Regulations for 2 NZEF, Sections E, F, G.

(17) Officers evacuated beyond RAPs or otherwise placed on ‘X’ List, at once create vacancies on the strength of the field unit and are immediately replaceable by another officer from the Base, who will be attached for 14 days, after which period, if the officer evacuated is still not available, he will be posted.

(18) Part C of AF W3008 allows COs to nominate any officer whose return to the unit is particularly requested. In general only 2 i/cs of Coys and upwards and specialist officers are to be so nominated.

(19) The Military Secretary is kept informed of all casualties to officers or requests from COs on AF W3008, and of the arrival of officers in the Training Depots.

(20) He will, as vacancies occur, select the officers to go forward to Units taking into account rank, period of time spent in the Training Depot and any special requests received. In the event of First-Reinforcements being held at an Advanced Base, OC Adv Base will decide with the Commanding Officer in the Field which officers will go forward. MS will send forward officers in replacement to Advanced Base.

(21) In the case of Infantry, replacements may be drawn from among the ex-officers of the Battalion which has the vacancy, from the ex-officers of the linked Battalions which form the group, or from reinforcement officers of the group. In the case of other arms, the officers selected will be the most suitable of those available in the Corps as a whole.

Warrant Officers and Staff Serjeants

(22) As soon as a WO or S/Sjt is evacuated beyond RAP, a vacancy exists for a temporary promotion (2 NZEF Regs J 11–13). Substantive vacancies are created in a number of ways, further details being contained in Regulations for 2 NZEF, Para J2.

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(23) If either temporary or substantive promotion is required a recommendation will be forwarded through the usual channels to HQ 2 NZEF. If so desired, pending the result of the application, acting rank may be given at once by the authorities enumerated in 2 NZEF Reg J 28.

(24) If there is in the Reception Depot or in the Training Depots a man of substantive rank into which it is desired to make the promotion, and who in the case of Infantry has been a member of any of the three linked Battalions of the group, and in the case of other arms comes from the appropriate Corps, his name will be submitted to the CO concerned. If there is available a WO or S/Sjt on X (iv) list with the Training Depot concerned and if such WO or S/Sjt was originally on the strength of the unit showing the deficiency, he will be sent forward as a replacement with the first draft. If he is an ex-member of another unit, the CO may submit reasons why he should not be sent forward, but unless the reasons include lack of technical knowledge for the proposed employment, the man must normally be accepted as the replacement.

(25) If a S/Sjt or WO is to be sent forward from Training Depots, a temporary promotion of the man whom it was desired to promote will be approved, on application being made to HQ 2 NZEF, to stand until the arrival of the replacement.

(26) If there is no man available to be sent forward the promotion as applied for will normally be approved. In the case of a temporary promotion HQ 2 NZEF will arrange for a man holding the substantive higher rank to be sent forward at once should any such become available, subject to the same right of comment by the CO as in (24) above.

(27) The reason for this procedure is to ensure that too great a number of S/Sjts and WOs does not exist at any one time. As will be seen later, COs are at liberty to make substantive promotion up to the rank of Serjeant, without reference to the fact that at the moment there may be fit Serjeants in Training Depots. Should Serjeants later come forward with replacement drafts, a temporary surplus in a unit can be carried pending absorption of the surplus; whereas in the case of WOs and S/Sjts, it is most undesirable that units should be carrying a surplus or that fit WOs and S/Sjts should spend too long at the Base pending vacancies. The supply of WOs and S/Sjts thus requires a degree of regulation in some respects resembling that of officers.

NCOs up to the Rank of Serjeant (Inclusive)

(28) Promotions up to the rank of Serjeant inclusive are in the hands of COs and may be made for reasons given in Regulations for 2 NZEF, paras J2–20.

(29) NCOs up to the rank of Serjeant will be sent forward with replacement drafts in the normal course of events, i.e., no notice will be taken of the number of these ranks in the Units at the time. (See para (12) above.)

(30) If after the arrival of a reinforcement draft a unit finds that its establishment of NCOs of any particular rank is exceeded, any temporary NCOs of that rank will revert to the next lower rank until the correct establishment is reached. If, after the reversion of temporary NCOs, there is still a surplus of the rank in question, no further promotions may be made until the surplus is absorbed by wastage.

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(31) As has already been indicated, in para (5) herein, it is most undesirable that vacancies should be held open pending the return of certain personnel. Once an NCO is evacuated beyond RAP he is off the strength of the unit, goes on to the ‘X’ list, and is immediately replaceable as a NCO by temporary promotion in the unit, and as an individual by a replacement from the Base.

(32) NCOs in Training Depots are liable to be taken as replacements for any unit of the Corps, except in the case of Infantry where they are liable to be taken for replacements in any of the three linked Battalions.

(33) Every effort will be made nevertheless to return an NCO to his former unit, and drafts will be completed as far as possible from ex-members of the unit in question.

Rank and File

(34) Unless they are specialists, rank and file are replaceable by any available personnel from the Corps or from the linked battalion groups. As with NCOs, replacement drafts will be first taken from the personnel who formerly served with the unit concerned, and then from any other personnel from the Corps or group, but no guarantee can be given that a man will return to his ex-unit. Length of time in the Training Depot will be in general the deciding factor in determining at what stage men are sent forward.

W. G. Stevens,

Brigadier,
Officer in Charge Administration 2 NZEF