Posted on 04/23/2009 4:01:46 PM PDT by naturalman1975
This coming Saturday, 25th April 2009, is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand - the day that these nations remember their men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in time of war. It is the anniversary of the day in 1915 when troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps went ashore at Gallipoli, Turkey - the first time substantial bodies of troops from those two young nations (Australia 1901, New Zealand 1907) had gone into battle as soldiers of their nations, rather than purely and soley as troops of the British Empire (although they still retained that status).
It is the day our nations were baptised in blood and it is a sacred day.
This coming ANZAC Day will see approximately 3500 Australian soldiers, sailors, and airmen deployed on twelve overseas operations and to the protection of our own borders. Australian troops are currently operationally deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, and other areas of the Middle East, the Sudan, East Timor, and the Solomon Islands. Approximately 600 troops of the New Zealand Defence Force (Te Ope Kaatua o Aotearoa) are operationally deployed to various operational areas in the Middle East, South Pacfic, Asia, and the Pacific.
In some of these cases, these troops are serving in support of United States lead operations.
Over the next week, I intend to post a daily message in honour of these troops and those who came before them, highlighting some areas of ANZAC history. As an Australian, I know Australia's military history better than New Zealands, so I may not do theirs justice - but I invite any Kiwis here to add anything they wish to. To some extent, I especially hope to address some areas of operations that involved Americans - I understand my audience, but I think people here do respect the contributions of those of all nations who have fought for freedom, and sometimes died for it.
Courtesy of YouTube
Courtesy of The New Zealand Dictionary of Biography and Wikipedia
Reginald Stanley Judson was born at Wharehine, Northland, New Zealand, on 29 September 1881 to Emma Frances Holmden and her husband, Edgar William Judson, a farmer. He was educated at Port Albert and, as he was evidently suited to a practical career, took up a mechanical engineering apprenticeship, training in Wellington and Auckland. Judson was 5 feet 6½ inches tall and of slight build. He married Ethel May Grice at Mareretu, Northland, on 19 April 1905; they were to have three sons and a daughter.
When war broke out in 1914 Judson was working in Auckland as a boilermaker. He enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1915 and went overseas in early 1916, serving with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and the Auckland Infantry Regiment in France. He received severe abdominal wounds in September 1916, and did not return to the front until May 1918.
During July and August 1918 Judson, by now a sergeant, was involved in actions which resulted in his winning three medals for bravery. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for leading an attack on an enemy position at Hébuterne on 24--25 July, and the Military Medal for leading a bayonet charge against a machine-gun post on 16 August. Finally, he won the Victoria Cross for a series of hazardous raids on the German trenches on 26 August during the attack against Bapaume. During this attack his daring and ruthlessness were extraordinary: at one stage he mounted a parapet and ordered an enemy machine-gun crew of about 12 men to surrender. When they fired on him he threw a hand grenade in their midst, then single-handedly killed two and put the others to flight, thereby capturing two machine-guns. The Victoria Cross citation concluded that 'This prompt and gallant action not only saved many lives, but also enabled the advance to be continued unopposed.' It was later rumoured that Judson's almost reckless actions may have been attributable to marital problems.
Judson was commissioned as a second lieutenant in February 1919, and returned to New Zealand in July. After discharge from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force he enlisted in the New Zealand Staff Corps. He served in Auckland and New Plymouth, reaching the rank of captain. Judson was divorced in 1920 and on 27 March 1928 at Auckland married Kate Marion Lewis (née Bailey), a draper, who had been widowed during the war. They were to have one daughter.
Judson continued to be troubled by the effects of his war wounds, and retired from the army in late 1937. He then worked as secretary to the principal of Mount Albert Grammar School in 1938 and 1939, and became involved in local politics, serving on the Auckland City Council as a Citizens' and Ratepayers' Association councillor from 1938 to 1947.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Judson re-enlisted for home service (falsifying his year of birth to do so), and served in local posts throughout the war. He was discharged in 1946 having reached the rank of major. One of his sons, Reginald Frank Judson, won the Military Cross during the war, and later became mayor of Manurewa.
After the war Judson moved to Mangonui, Northland, where he farmed at Doubtless Bay. He continued his community activities, serving as a justice of the peace and coroner. At the end of the 1950s he retired to Kohimarama, Auckland. Judson died in Auckland on 26 August 1972, and was buried at the Waikumete lawn cemetery. He was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
Although Reginald Judson's military and civic service spanned several decades, he will undoubtedly be best remembered for the six weeks in mid 1918 when he became one of the few men to win the three highest gallantry awards available to New Zealand soldiers - the DCM, MM and VC.
Keith Payne, VC, OAM (born 30 August 1933), is an Australian hero of the Vietnam War. He is the last Australian recipient of the original Victoria Cross, and one of only two living Australian recipients of the original VC, the other being Edward Kenna. (Mark Donaldson is a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia.)
Keith Payne was born at Ingham, Queensland, on 30 August 1933, the son of Romilda (Millie) Hussey and Henry Thomas Payne. He attended Ingham State School and later became an apprentice cabinet-maker. Dissatisfied with working as a tradesman, Payne joined the Australian Army in August 1951 and was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in September the following year.
Payne served with his unit in the Korean War between April 1952 and March 1953. He married Florence Plaw, a member of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps, in December 1954, and was promoted to corporal the following year. Payne served in Malaya with this unit and in 1965, now a sergeant, he joined the 5th Battalion. In June 1965, by now a Warrant Officer Class II, Payne was a fieldcraft instructor on the staff of the Officer Training Unit, Scheyville, established to commission national servicemen. In February 1967 he was posted to Papua New Guinea where he served with the 2nd Pacific Islands Regiment. He remained there until March 1968 when he returned to Brisbane. On 24 February 1969 he was appointed to the Australian Army Training Team in Vietnam.
In May that year he was commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion when it was attacked by a strong North Vietnamese force. His company was isolated and, surrounded on three sides, Payne's Vietnamese troops began to fall back. Payne, by now wounded in the hands and arms and under heavy fire, covered the withdrawal before organising his troops into a defensive perimeter. He then spent three hours scouring the scene of the day's fight for isolated and wounded soldiers, all the while evading the enemy who kept up regular fire. He found some forty wounded men, brought some in himself and organised the rescue of the others, leading the party back to base through enemy dominated terrain.
Payne's actions that night earned him the Victoria Cross, which was gazetted on 19 September 1969.
He was evacuated to Brisbane in September suffering from an illness, receiving a warm reception at the airport before entering hospital. In January 1970 Payne was posted to the Royal Military College Duntroon as an instructor, with a promotion to Warrant Officer Class 1.
Payne received his VC from the Queen aboard the Royal Yacht, Britannia, in Brisbane. He was made a Freeman of the city and of the shire in which his hometown was located. A park in Stafford, Brisbane, where Payne lived was also named after him. He also received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star from the United States of America and the Republic of Vietnam awarded Payne the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star.
The Battle of Kapyong was waged during the Korean War. The battle began on 22 April and lasted until 25 April 1951. The Chinese People's Liberation Army assaulted positions held by United Nations (UN) forces from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Britain. Although they were outumbered by a factor of at least five to one, the UN units prevailed.
The Chinese Spring Offensive began on the evening of 22 April 1951, with the objective of recapturing Seoul. The UN positions were initially overrun by the People's 118th Division of the People's Volunteer Army, which, with vast superiority in numbers, attacked on a broad front. The defense mounted by the 27th Commonwealth Brigade ultimately halted the advance on Seoul and thwarted the plan of the communist forces to recapture the city.
Under heavy pressure all along the front, the Korean 6th Division broke. A large number of South Koreans and Americans were forced to retreat in disarray through a gap in the line held by the Australians. The mission of the men of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade was to block the two approaches to Kapyong. In only a few hours, they managed to prepare defensive positions.
The attack, led by the Chinese 118th Division, engaged the two forward battalions on the evening of 23 April. In the early part of the battle the 1st Battalion of the British Middlesex Regiment and the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery were all but cut off. The resistance of forward positions, held by the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI), and the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), permitted the 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment to withdraw. It moved into place to provide a reserve.
The initial Chinese attack at Kapyong engaged 3RAR on Hill 504. The Chinese then struck at the Canadian front. Wave after wave of massed Chinese troops kept up the attack throughout the night of 23 April, but the brave Canadians held them back. After a night of fierce fighting Major Bernard O'Dowd, Officer Commanding, A Company, 3 RAR, managed to get through on a radio phone to a general of the 1st U.S. Marine Division. The general was incredulous, thinking it was an enemy agent speaking. He told O'Dowd that his unit no longer existed, that it had been wiped out the night before.
The Chinese had managed to infiltrate the brigade position by the morning of 23 April. The Australians and Canadians were facing the whole of the Chinese 118th Division. Throughout 24 April the battle was unrelenting. It devolved, on both fronts, into hand-to-hand combat with bayonet charges. The Australians, facing encirclement, were ordered to make an orderly fall back to new defensive positions late in the day of 24 April. 2 PPCLI was completely surrounded. Captain Mills, in command of D Company, 2 PPCLI, called down artillery fire on his own positions on Hill 677 several times during the early morning hours of 25 April for the Canadians to avoid being overrun. It had to be resupplied by air drops during this desperate time. By dawn the Chinese attack on the Canadian position had abated, and in the afternoon of 25 April the road through to the Canadians had been cleared of Chinese, at which time the Canadians were relieved.
The 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, also managed to withdraw and link up with the U.S. Army's 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion. These units provided close heavy gun support.
Also, during the withdrawal of the Australians, 4 men from B Company, 3RAR, formed a rearguard to hold off any flanking attacks. The 4 Australians held off 3 waves of Chinese soldiers, consisting of roughly 200 men in each wave, killing at least 25 and wounding many more. For this, they were awarded American service medals.
Despite their enormous advantage in numbers the Chinese troops had been badly outgunned. Their courage and tenacity could not overcome the well-trained, well-disciplined and well-armed Australians and Canadians. The battlefield was littered with the corpses of Chinese soldiers, a testament to the discipline and firepower of the defenders.
Australian losses were 32 killed, 59 wounded and 3 captured; Canadian losses were 10 killed and 23 wounded; New Zealanders had 2 killed and 5 wounded. The Chinese losses are estimated at over 1,000 killed and an unknown number of wounded.
For their brilliant conduct of this engagement, Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce Ferguson of Australia and Lieutenant-Colonel James R. Stone of Canada were each awarded the Distinguished Service Order. For Stone, it was the second bar to the DSO he had first won at the Battle of Ortona in Italy in 1943.
Three units, 2 PPCLI, 3RAR and "A" Company of the 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, United States Army were awarded both the United States Presidential Unit Citation and South Korean Presidential Unit Citation for their actions during the Battle of Kapyong.
Recent photo of Keith Payne VC. Try wearing that lot on your chest!
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