Operation Crusader was one of the main operations that New Zealand was involved in during World War Two. Although it was a victory for the allies as such, for the New Zealand Division it was one of the most costly battles of the war. The allies had managed to push the Axis forces back into Egypt on the 30th of December 1941 which they had failed to do on two occasions before the operation started on the 18th of November 1941. The operation was put in place by the British Eighth Army to relieve the fighting at Tobruk. The plan was for the Eighth Army to decimate the Axis tanks and other vehicles so their infantry could walk through the Axis wall of almost impenetrable defense on the Egyptian border. Unfortunately for the allies, many divisions failed to destroy the Axis tanks and therefore the infantry had to be diverted back to Tobruk. Though there were many casualties for the allies, it was the first victory of a British lead ground force over Axis in the Second World War.
For the New Zealand Division, Operation Crusader was one of the worst offenses in the Second World War. Led by General Freyberg the New Zealand Division made some vital ground on the Axis territory, capturing Fort Capuzzo in what was their first battle in the desert. But this was about all that went wrong for the New Zealanders in this operation as the Axis tanks which had been failed to be destroyed swept over the New Zealanders at Sidi Rezegh and Belhamed and killed and captured many. Operation Crusader had left 879 New Zealanders dead, 1700 wounded, and over 2000 captured and sent to POW camps in Italy.
For the New Zealand Division, Operation Crusader was one of the worst offenses in the Second World War. Led by General Freyberg the New Zealand Division made some vital ground on the Axis territory, capturing Fort Capuzzo in what was their first battle in the desert. But this was about all that went wrong for the New Zealanders in this operation as the Axis tanks which had been failed to be destroyed swept over the New Zealanders at Sidi Rezegh and Belhamed and killed and captured many. Operation Crusader had left 879 New Zealanders dead, 1700 wounded, and over 2000 captured and sent to POW camps in Italy.