59 Facts About Howard Kippenberger

Howard Kippenberger saw action in France on the Western Front, participating in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette.

Howard Kippenberger led the battalion for two years, through the Battles of Greece and Crete as well as part of the North African Campaign before being promoted to brigadier and taking command of the 5th Infantry Brigade.

Howard Kippenberger was wounded on 3 March 1944 during the Battle of Monte Cassino when he stepped on a land mine.

Howard Kippenberger was still working on the project when he died on 5 May 1957 in Wellington.

Howard Kippenberger was born on 28 January 1897 in Ladbrooks, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, to Karl and Annie Kippenberger.

Howard Kippenberger continued his schooling at Christchurch Boys' High School as a boarder.

Always interested in military history, Howard Kippenberger joined the local unit of the New Zealand Cadet Corps and found that he enjoyed soldiering.

Howard Kippenberger's father did not approve of his interest but regardless, Kippenberger enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in late 1915 at the age of 18.

From January to April 1916, Howard Kippenberger underwent basic training at Trentham Military Camp as part of the 12th Reinforcement of the NZEF.

Howard Kippenberger finally arrived on the Western Front in September 1916, as a private in the 1st Battalion, Canterbury Regiment.

Howard Kippenberger's unit suffered heavy casualties during this time; Kippenberger was one of just five soldiers left in his platoon after the battle ended.

Howard Kippenberger served in this capacity until he was badly wounded in the arm by shrapnel on 10 November 1916.

Howard Kippenberger appreciated the need to establish a career for himself and to this end, decided on a profession in law.

Howard Kippenberger moved to Rangiora, becoming the manager and then a partner of the Rangiora branch of a Christchurch legal firm.

Howard Kippenberger became immersed in the Rangiora community, serving on the local council and becoming involved in various committees.

Howard Kippenberger retained an interest in the military and in March 1924, was commissioned in the Territorial Force as a second lieutenant in the 1st Battalion of the Canterbury Regiment.

Howard Kippenberger firmly believed that a large scale conflict would occur in Europe, and he wanted to be prepared for this eventuality.

Howard Kippenberger noted the influence of landscape on the outcomes of battles and the qualities of a successful military commander.

Howard Kippenberger even set up a large sand table in his office at his law practice for war gaming.

Howard Kippenberger felt the defensive line allocated to his battalion was too wide to meaningfully defend, and he took care to reconnoiter avenues of retreat from his positions.

Howard Kippenberger's battalion was chosen to be the rearguard and he personally intervened in the demolition of bridges and culverts through Servia Pass to ensure that as many stragglers as possible were collected.

On Crete, Howard Kippenberger was promoted to temporary colonel and given command of the 10th Brigade, an ad hoc formation, which included a 750-man composite battalion consisting mainly of artillery and Army Service Corps men, New Zealand Divisional Cavalry, some machine gunners and two Greek regiments.

Howard Kippenberger quickly recovered and was making his way to his headquarters, when a burst of gunfire from a paratrooper was directed his way.

Howard Kippenberger's brigade was positioned east of Maleme airfield, on the Galatas plains.

An attack launched later without Howard Kippenberger's knowledge failed although he believed the outcome could have been different if his troops had been involved.

The 10th Brigade had been made subordinate to the 4th Infantry Brigade, although Howard Kippenberger remained in command of the forward troops of the brigade around the town of Galatas.

Howard Kippenberger joined up with the 20th Battalion as it gradually retreated to Sphakia, on the south coast of the island, from where it was to be evacuated to Egypt.

Back in Egypt, and after a short period of rest, Howard Kippenberger set about rebuilding the battalion, which had lost over half its original complement.

Howard Kippenberger enjoyed early successes in this campaign, with his battalion engaged in several battles.

Howard Kippenberger was wounded by machine gun fire when he carelessly exposed himself while assessing the battalion's situation.

The Italians began to send the captive senior officers to prisoner of war camps in Italy, a fate Howard Kippenberger wanted to avoid.

Two months after Howard Kippenberger's brigade arrived in Syria, Panzer Army Afrika attacked into Libya.

On 14 July 1942, during the First Battle of El Alamein, Howard Kippenberger led the 5th Brigade in what would be known as the Battle of Ruweisat Ridge.

Howard Kippenberger's attack required a night-time advance of six miles across a front of 1,000 yards.

Howard Kippenberger decided to have two battalions, the 21st and 23rd Battalions, attack across this front, with the 22nd Battalion in reserve.

Howard Kippenberger inspected the brigade's position and found his battalions under fire from German tanks.

Howard Kippenberger asked for and received permission to withdraw his brigade from the ridge.

Howard Kippenberger remained a highly regarded officer, deputising as commander of the 2nd Division in Freyberg's occasional absence from the field in higher commands.

Howard Kippenberger was the ranking officer of the group, and with a high public profile due to his exploits in Crete and North Africa, he spent much of his leave in extensive speaking engagements.

On his arrival, Howard Kippenberger conducted a survey of the terrain and recommended to Freyberg that the attack plan be modified to include an additional brigade, a recommendation Freyberg concurred with.

Howard Kippenberger found the close fighting in the mountainous terrain in Italy to be in marked contrast to the open campaign of the deserts of North Africa.

In early 1944, Freyberg was made commander of the New Zealand Corps, newly formed for the Battle of Monte Cassino, while Howard Kippenberger was promoted to temporary major-general and made commander of the 2nd Division.

Howard Kippenberger was evacuated to a medical centre, and the other foot and the lower portions of both legs were amputated.

Howard Kippenberger threw himself into his new role, setting up facilities and accommodation centres around Dover.

The first former prisoners of war began arriving in late March 1945, and Howard Kippenberger made it a point to personally meet with each group of arrivals.

Howard Kippenberger, well respected across all branches of New Zealand's services, was championed by New Zealand's prime minister, Peter Fraser, as the person to coordinate the project.

Howard Kippenberger disavowed any censorship and diligently read every draft of every volume produced under his editorship, providing extensive, but constructive, feedback to the authors.

Howard Kippenberger took special interest in the unit history of his former command, the 20th Battalion.

Howard Kippenberger stressed the need for objectivity but struggled with his own views on battles in which he had been personally involved.

Howard Kippenberger, a person of high standing with both the government and the ordinary New Zealander, was a strong advocate for the project, and was able to convince the new government of the merits of the official histories.

Howard Kippenberger encouraged a positive atmosphere at the War History Branch, despite a tight budget and at times crowded work conditions.

Howard Kippenberger was proud of its rate of output, which exceeded the efforts of the better resourced official histories of Australia and Great Britain.

Howard Kippenberger found the time to write his own book, Infantry Brigadier, an account of his wartime service.

Howard Kippenberger still had hopes of doing so in 1955 when negotiating an extension to his contract with the War History Branch but this never eventuated.

On 4 May 1957, while preparing for his wife's homecoming, Howard Kippenberger complained of a headache and then collapsed.

Ruth Howard Kippenberger watched the funeral procession of her husband from her hospital window; she died ten years later.

Howard Kippenberger was a keen reader of military studies, annotating many of the books in the margins as he read them.

Howard Kippenberger's notes give an insight into his thinking on warfare and strategy.

Howard Kippenberger's collection is housed in the Kippenberger Research Library, in the QEII Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, together with other books covering a wide range of military subjects, with an emphasis on all major wars involving New Zealanders.