N.Z. DIVISION MEANT FOR BURMA

Chronicle (Levin), 21 November 1946, Page 9

N.Z. DIVISION MEANT FOR BURMA

-Press Association

)By " Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, Nov. 19. Referring to the history of 2nd New Zealand Division the Governor-General Sir Bernard Freyberg, V.C., speaking at the Soldiers' Gonvalescent Hospital in Rotorua yesterday, said it was intended to be airborue for duty in the final pliases of the Burma campaign. "It is not generally known that just prior to the end of the war in Europe the Imperial General Staff decided that the New Zealanders should become an airborue "division," stated his Excelleney. He said that he was ilot personally in favour of the changeover, as it would have meant divorcing the division from all its heavy equipment. However, he had consented to the plan because he knew that the war in the Paciiie would be over before the men had been lialf-traincd. The scheme contemplated the troops being flown from Italy in four-engine.l bombers to England, where they wouid spend a short period, and then be shipped to California to undergo trainiug. They were to have been equipped entirely with American arms. The role of tlie division was to have been similar to that of General Wingate 's Chindits. They would have been purely airborue, with training 111 jun'gle iighting. Their task would liave lieen to link up with American troops for the final "squeeze" out of Burma.