page_title: Military history of New Zealand during World War II
section_title: Italy
hierarchical_section_title: Military history of New Zealand during World War II / Land forces / Italy
caption_attribution_description: English: A Sherman tank of 19th Armoured Regiment, 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade supporting infantry of 6th NZ Infantry Brigade, during a reconstruction of the action at Cassino, Italy, 8 April 1944. A Sherman tank of 19th Armoured Regiment, 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade supports infantry of 24th Battalion, 6th NZ Infantry Brigade, during a reconstruction of recent action in Cassino, 8 April 1944.
context_page_description: The military history of New Zealand during World War II began when New Zealand entered the Second World War by declaring war on Nazi Germany with Great Britain. The state of war with Germany was officially held to have existed since 9:30 pm on 3 September 1939, simultaneous with that of Britain, but in fact New Zealand's declaration of war was not made until confirmation had been received from Britain that their ultimatum to Germany had expired. When Neville Chamberlain broadcast Britain's declaration of war, a group of New Zealand politicians listened to the shortwave radio in Carl Berendsen's room in the Parliament Buildings. Because of static on the radio they were initially not certain what Chamberlain had said until a coded telegraph message was received from London. This message did not arrive until just before midnight as the messenger boy with the telegram in London took shelter because of a air-raid warning. The Cabinet acted after hearing the Admiralty's notification to the fleet that war had broken out.
context_section_description: During October and November 1943, New Zealand troops from the 2nd New Zealand Division assembled in Bari in Apulia, weeks after the Allied invasion of Italy. In November, the division crossed the Sangro River with a view to breaching the German Gustav Line and advancing to Rome, capturing the village of Castelfrentano in the Abruzzo (part of the Gustav Line) on 2 December. The division attacked Orsogna on the next day, but was repulsed by the strong German defence. In January 1944, the 2nd New Zealand was withdrawn from the stalled front line and transferred to the Cassino sector, where other Allied troops were bogged down in costly fighting for the position of Monte Cassino. On 17 February, the division attacked Cassino but it was strongly defended and they withdrew in early April. Cassino was eventually captured on 18 May by British and Polish troops, with the support of New Zealand artillery units. On 16 July, the division captured Arezzo and reached Florence on 4 August. By the end of October they had reached the Savio River, and Faenza was captured on 14 December. In Operation Grapeshot, the final Allied offensive in Italy, the division crossed the Senio River on 8 April 1945, then began their final push across the Santerno and Gaiana Rivers, finally crossing the Po River on Anzac Day 1945. The division captured Padua on 28 April 1945, crossed the Isonzo River on 1 May, and reached Trieste on 2 May, the day of the German unconditional surrender.
caption: A Sherman tank of 19th Armoured Regiment, 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade supporting infantry of 6th NZ Infantry Brigade, in a reconstruction of the action at Cassino, Italy, 8 April 1944.
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