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At The Point of a Bayonet:
New Zealand's Greatest Feat of Arms Minquar Qaim 27 - 28 JUNE, 1942 Author Charlie Edwards |
Synopsis:
This book is about the New Zealand Division’s epic escape from encircling German forces at Minqar Qaim, near Egypt’s border with Libya. Late in June 1942 the New Zealand Division was within hours of destruction by vastly superior enemy forces. At the Point of a Bayonet is about how the Division escaped this fate.
Surrounded and facing defeat the following day, the plan was formulated for the Division to break through the German lines just after midnight on 28 June 1942. The infantrymen of the fourth brigade spearheaded the Division’s attack. Their advance was marked by cheers and Maori war cries that struck terror into the heart their opponents. The attack caught the surrounding German forces by surprise. In confused and ferocious close-quarter combat the New Zealanders bayoneted and shot their way through the enemy forces. One man, in a very New Zealand metaphor described how “we went straight down the field through everything and everybody, like a pack of All Black forwards.”
The Fourth Brigade’s commander Jim Burrows was stunned by the way his men surged forward spontaneously. Every man appreciated that they were in a desperate position, and that the fate of the New Zealand Division and the hopes of New Zealanders at home depended on them. The spearhead of infantry was followed by hundreds of vehicles of all sorts into which as many men as possible had been crammed.
The breakout was an audacious operation and an electrifying experience for all those who took part. The New Zealand war artist, Peter McIntyre captured this in his famous painting of the battle. One of the things that comes through clearly in this book is the way in which the confusion, fear and exhilaration of that night has imprinted itself on the memory of all who survived it.
Publishing Date:TBA
Size:176mm x 245mm
Extent: 243 Pages (approx)
Illustrations: Black & White Photographs
Binding: Cased & Dust Jacketed
Price: $68.00
ISBN: 978-0-9951219-7-3
This book is about the New Zealand Division’s epic escape from encircling German forces at Minqar Qaim, near Egypt’s border with Libya. Late in June 1942 the New Zealand Division was within hours of destruction by vastly superior enemy forces. At the Point of a Bayonet is about how the Division escaped this fate.
Surrounded and facing defeat the following day, the plan was formulated for the Division to break through the German lines just after midnight on 28 June 1942. The infantrymen of the fourth brigade spearheaded the Division’s attack. Their advance was marked by cheers and Maori war cries that struck terror into the heart their opponents. The attack caught the surrounding German forces by surprise. In confused and ferocious close-quarter combat the New Zealanders bayoneted and shot their way through the enemy forces. One man, in a very New Zealand metaphor described how “we went straight down the field through everything and everybody, like a pack of All Black forwards.”
The Fourth Brigade’s commander Jim Burrows was stunned by the way his men surged forward spontaneously. Every man appreciated that they were in a desperate position, and that the fate of the New Zealand Division and the hopes of New Zealanders at home depended on them. The spearhead of infantry was followed by hundreds of vehicles of all sorts into which as many men as possible had been crammed.
The breakout was an audacious operation and an electrifying experience for all those who took part. The New Zealand war artist, Peter McIntyre captured this in his famous painting of the battle. One of the things that comes through clearly in this book is the way in which the confusion, fear and exhilaration of that night has imprinted itself on the memory of all who survived it.
Publishing Date:TBA
Size:176mm x 245mm
Extent: 243 Pages (approx)
Illustrations: Black & White Photographs
Binding: Cased & Dust Jacketed
Price: $68.00
ISBN: 978-0-9951219-7-3