35th Battalion (New Zealand)
| 35th Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–44 |
| Country |
 New Zealand
|
| Branch |
 New Zealand Military Forces
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~700–900 personnel |
| Part of | 14th Brigade, 3rd Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
C. F. Seaward J. F. Moffat |
The 35th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Military Forces, which served in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War from 1941 to 1944.
Attached to the 14th Brigade, 3rd Division, the battalion was formed in late 1941 and saw service in the Pacific against the Japanese. It was initially used for garrison duties on Fiji before being committed to the fighting in the Solomon Islands in 1943. The battalion was disbanded in late 1944 as part of a partial demobilisation of New Zealand forces.
Anticipating the entry of the Japanese Empire into the Second World War, the New Zealand Military Forces raised the 8th Infantry Brigade Group for garrison duty in Fiji. It had been considered for several years that New Zealand would assume responsibility for the defence of the colony, which was incapable of defending itself, in the event of war. The brigade group arrived in Fiji in November 1940 and was put to work on fortifying strategic areas of the colony.
The 35th Battalion, shortly to be one of three battalions of the 14th Brigade, was formed in December 1941 to reinforce the Fiji garrison following New Zealand's declaration of war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Based initially at Papakura Military Camp under the command of Lieutenant Colonel W. Murphy, formerly of the New Zealand Staff Corps, its personnel were men from the Northern Military District, many of whom had been expecting to be posted to the Middle East to join the 2nd New Zealand Division.
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