Kia Kaha: New Zealand in the Second World War

This collection of essays is the most important history of New Zealand's involvement in the Second World War to appear in many years. It demonstrates the key role the nation played in the Allied cause, and topics include strategy, command in war, the operations of New Zealand Armed Forces, the home front, the scientific war, and the founding of the United Nations. The book provides new insight on the longterm impact of the war effort on New Zealand and on the difficulties small nations face when they try to get their concerns heard by world powers.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting background detail

By S. J. Moore - September 13, 2008

Not suitable for readers who don't have a good grounding in the history of WWII and New Zealand's involvement in it but fascinating for those who have. Each chapter covers a completely different aspect of NZ's involvement in the war and offers detail and evaluation not available elsewhere. For example, there is a chapter on the contribution made by NZ to the radar war. I would recommend the book to students of WWII history and particularly to those with an interest in its social aspects but not to the 'non-enthusiast'.

Mixed collection twenty essays on New Zealand in the Second World War

By Kiwi - July 2, 2010

This is a very mixed collection twenty essays on New Zealand in the Second World War. The book is a selection of the papers presented at the "Kia Kaha: Forever Strong" Conference held in the National Library, Wellington, in May 1995, to mark the half-centennial of the end of the Second World War. This somewhat belated publication was one of the last productions from Auckland by the Oxford University Press before it decamped from New Zealand in 2000 in favour of Melbourne. Subjects covered include: strategy; command in war; the operations of the New Zealand armed forces; the home front; the scientific war; and the founding of the United Nations. General themes that emerge from the book include the strain New Zealand's mobilisation for war put on its human and material resources and the difficulty small nations have making their voices heard when matters of the utmost importance are being decided by their much more powerful allies. Text is well supplemented with illustrations and black... read more