First US troops arrive in Auckland

Between 1942 and 1944 about 100,000 American servicemen were stationed in New Zealand, which became a rear base for the Allies’ counter-offensive against Japan. This American ‘invasion’ led to a considerable clash of cultures.

At any one time between June 1942 and mid-1944 there were between 15,000 and 45,000 American servicemen in camp in this country, mainly around Auckland and Wellington. Most spent time in New Zealand either before or immediately after experiencing the horrors of warfare on a Pacific island. As well as soldiers and marines, many US naval and merchant marine personnel had a stint in this country.

For both visitor and host it was an intriguing experience with much of the quality of a Hollywood fantasy. The American soldier found himself ‘deep in the heart of the South Seas’ – a land of tree-ferns and semi-tropical ‘jungle’ – in the words of his army-issue pocket guide. Little wonder that marine Leon Uris would later write a novel about the experience (Battle cry) and that Hollywood itself would make a film (Until they sail) based on a James Michener story, with Paul Newman as the troubled heart-throb.

Image: US troops arrive in Wellington, 1942