8th Brigade (New Zealand)

8th Brigade
Brigadier Leonard Goss awards US Staff Sergeant Harry Stickel an Air Medal on Stirling Island, 2 March 1944.
Active	1940–44
Country	New Zealand
Branch	New Zealand Military Forces
Type	Infantry
Size	~3,000 – 3,500 personnel
Part of	3rd Division
Engagements	Second World War Battle of the Treasury Islands
Commanders
Notable commanders	William Cunningham Leonard Goss Robert Row

Second World War

The 8th Brigade was a formation of the New Zealand Military Forces, which served during the Second World War as part of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Eventually forming part of the 3rd Division, the brigade served in the Pacific Ocean theatre of the war. Raised in late 1940, initially the brigade was employed on garrison duties on Fiji before returning to New Zealand in mid-1942. In December 1942, it was sent to New Caledonia where they remained until early September 1943, when they moved to Guadalcanal to prepare for operations in the Solomon Islands. The brigade's only combat operation of the war came in October–November 1943, when it captured the Treasury Islands. It was disbanded in late 1944 due to manpower shortages in the New Zealand economy.

Established on 20 September 1940, the brigade was raised as a garrison force for the island of Fiji, after New Zealand assumed responsibility for the defence of the island from the United Kingdom. Deploying in October 1940 under the command of Brigadier William Cunningham, it was initially known as "Force B" or the "8th Brigade Group", and consisted of about 3,000 personnel organised into two infantry battalions – the 29th and 30th Battalions – as well as a number of support units. Later, these battalions were joined by the 34th Battalion. Following Japan's entry into the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of Malaya in December 1941, the brigade headquarters was used to raise a divisional headquarters and a new 8th Brigade headquarters was raised in Trentham. On 6 January 1942, now under the command of Brigadier Leonard Goss, it was established at Samambula, in Fiji. At this time, the brigade's composition was altered. The 30th Battalion was transferred to the newly raised 14th Brigade, and the 36th Battalion arrived to join the 29th and 34th Battalions. Elements of the Fiji Defence Force were also attached, as were artillery, engineer and medical support units.