Tunisia 1943 Victoria Cross still owed to a brave New Zealand 28 Maori Battalion NCO

[90th Light]

I do not know how many members know this story from Afrika/ Tunisia 1943, It is unbelievable that this brave Maori sergeant did not get the Victoria Cross. And that this denial has continued to this day. I suppose it comes down to the question, were war crimes committed or not ?

Chris


Fighting for Haane

By David Lomas (NZ Listener)
Nov 12, 2010

Four WWII generals recommended Haane Manahi for a Victoria Cross for his bravery in Tunisia in 1943, but the medal was not awarded. In a new book historian Paul Moon investigates the contentious decision to downgrade Manahi's act of heroism.

On May 19, 1943, Haane Manahi ignored orders and, with just five men under his command, attacked hundreds of German and Italian troops defending the strategic 200m-high Takrouna Pinnacle, in northern Tunisia. His action was one of the bravest and, now, most controversial actions involving New Zealand troops in World War II.

Manahi was put forward for a Victoria Cross for his part in the capture of the rocky hill with a small town perched on top of it. But despite the recommendation being signed by four generals - including General Bernard Montgomery, the British 8th Army commander in North Africa, and Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg, the commanding officer of the New Zealand 2nd Division - it was mysteriously downgraded to a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), the second-level bravery award.

The decision to overrule the recommendation of four generals has sparked controversy ever since. There have been petitions to the New Zealand Government, a Treaty of Waitangi claim and an approach to the Queen, all seeking to have Manahi awarded the VC.

Even one of the generals who recommended the VC spoke out, questioning why Manahi was not awarded the top bravery medal. Major-General Brian Horrocks, a decorated World War I hero and Olympic athlete who commanded the 1st Army's IX Corps, wrote in his autobiography that the action of Manahi and his platoon "was the most gallant feat of arms I witnessed in the course of the war and I was bitterly disappointed when Sergeant Manahi, who I'd recommended for a VC, only received a DCM". Why Manahi was not awarded a VC has never been explained. However, among the rumoured reasons is a suggestion that Maori Battalion members committed war crimes during the capture of Takrouna. It was said surrendering Italian and German soldiers were thrown from a cliff. However, that claim, refuted by historian Paul Moon in his book, only surfaced after Manahi was awarded the DCM, so was unlikely to have been the reason. A second suggestion was that Manahi was the victim of a VC "quota" system that regulated how many medals were awarded to different countries.

Moon has reignited the Manahi VC debate in his new book Victoria Cross at Takrouna: The Haane Manahi Story. Moon says quite bluntly that Manahi should have been awarded the VC for not one but several acts of incredible bravery. "The frustrating thing is that Manahi's case is not marginal as far as acts of bravery are concerned. In fact, quite the opposite - it is really compelling," he says.

Manahi, who died in a car accident in 1986, rarely spoke of Takrouna. One occasion when he did was when he was home on furlough shortly after his heroic action. Talking to a Rotorua Morning Post reporter, he matter-of-factly described the incident as "a hot scrap at the top. Our ammunition ran out and we had to use Italian and German rifles, machine-guns and ammunition. We managed to hold on for the best part of the day and we were then joined by men of 'C' Company. Only three of us were left." It was a massive understatement.

Manahi and fellow Maori Battalion sergeant Johnny Rogers were meant to launch a mock night-time attack on Takrouna to distract the defenders while the real attack was launched from the other side of the hill. However, Rogers and Manahi, boyhood friends from Rotorua's Ohinemutu district, decided that rather than just keeping the defenders occupied, they would clear the Axis troops from the lower slopes of the hill.

The two sergeants split their platoons and advanced up Takrouna. As they did so, the Germans and Italians set off flares, lighting up the hillside. According to the Maori Battalion's official history, "the Maoris dashed from rock to rock ... and grenaded, bayoneted and shot their way through the system of defensive pits ... until they were way above and behind the enemy".

In Manahi's VC recommendation, he is said to have personally led attacks on machine-gun posts.

From their new position, Manahi and Rogers and their 10 men had the Axis soldiers at their mercy. Between 70 and 110 Italians surrendered and were marched down the hill by two of the Maori Battalion soldiers.

With the lower slopes cleared, Manahi and Rogers decided to continue on to the top, Manahi later explaining to his commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Bennett they'd done so, going beyond their orders, because after they'd cleared Italian troops from the base of the hill "there appeared to be no opposition".

Manahi's VC recommendation says that as his platoon advanced up the hill, "they encountered heavy machine-gun fire from posts on the slope and extensive sniping by the enemy actually on the pinnacle. In order to reach their objective, Manahi and his party had to climb 500 feet, the last 50 being almost sheer, and during the whole time they were under heavy fire. Manahi personally led a small party and silenced several machine-gun posts. Eventually, by climbing hand over fist, they reached the pinnacle, and after a brief fight, some 60 enemy surrendered."

When the bulk of Axis troops withdrew to a lower part of the Takrouna village, they unleashed an artillery attack on the small Kiwi force. A German shell killed Rogers.

The official history of the Maori Battalion describes how Manahi and his small force then defended the hill against "12 truckloads of Italians [who] made a really determined effort to climb the track, but Manahi and Corporal [John] Bell mowed them down with their automatics. The second party forced its way onto the ledge and there was some close-quarter fighting in the alleys between the huts. The Italians lobbed a grenade into a building where the wounded were gathered: it is not suggested that they knew the men were wounded, but the grenade killed most of them. The Maori reaction was ferocious, and Italians, whether they wanted to surrender or not, were shot, bayoneted or thrown over the cliff."

After the initial skirmishes, Manahi, while under fire from the Axis troops, went down the hill to get reinforcements, food and more ammunition. When back-up troops arrived, Manahi was ordered to leave, but refused to do so till he had helped carry down all his dead platoon members.

Manahi's VC recommendation, signed by the four generals and three other senior officers, was forwarded to London, where a small committee headed by Lord Alanbrooke, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, decided whether the award should be made.

Moon says there is no documentation showing why Manahi's VC was downgraded. There is simply a stroke of a pen through the typed VC recommendation and a handwritten "DCM" in its place. He believes, given the status of the generals who signed the recommendation, the only person who could have changed the award was Lord Alanbrooke, who was senior in rank.

Although Moon does not believe there was a "quota" system for the Victoria Cross, he suspects Manahi may have missed out simply because another Maori Battalion soldier had also acted incredibly bravely just three weeks earlier while capturing another hill in Tunisia.

On March 26, 1943, Second Lieutenant Moana Ngarimu led his platoon straight up a vital hill, personally destroying two machine-gun posts. Ngarimu rallied his men to stop several German counterattacks. Even though he was wounded twice, Ngarimu continued to fight. When reinforcements arrived, just Ngarimu and two of his platoon were alive. Ngarimu was killed when the Germans launched another counterattack.

Moon says the actions of the two men were remarkably similar. Both recommendations for the VC were almost certainly discussed at the same meeting, "so it is more than likely the two were considered together and they said, 'Here is the first one, chronologically. Yes, he is deserving of a VC. Here is another Maori from the same battalion. Can we really give him a VC?' And it is downgraded."

Moon believes both men deserved the VC, saying, "It is a very slippery slope when comparing acts of bravery ... the recommendations are made by officers of the very highest ranking. They are the people that know best. Not a committee in London."

Allegations that Maori Battalion members may have committed war crimes by throwing Axis soldiers off the cliff at Takrouna do not stand up to close scrutiny, according to Moon.

Moon says he knew of the allegations, "and I put them under the microscope because there is no point brushing them under the carpet - and they don't stack up". He has read the battalion's war diaries, even the battalion's secret diaries (which have detail right down to how many men had lice), "and there's not even a hint of any irregularities that soldiers have come even close to war crimes".

Italian and German letters and official documents also don't mention atrocities, "and just about every crime we know about surfaced about 10-15 years after the end of the war in enemy diaries or letters".

Also, with Manahi and his men outnumbered by between five- and 15-to-one, they were not in a position to commit such crimes.

Moon believes the allegation of enemy soldiers being thrown from the hill stems from a combination of fact and myth. With the hand-to-hand fighting so close to a cliff, there were undoubtedly men hurled over the cliff in legitimate battle. There was also a comment from a Maori Battalion member in "C" Company, "who joked that those fellas in 'B' Company are throwing fellas off the cliff". The two have over the years become entwined, even in official writing of the event.

Moon says the stench of the war crimes allegations - the worst allegations that can be made against soldiers - is why neither Labour nor National Government ministers have directly asked the Queen for Manahi to be awarded the VC, as recommended.

He believes his enquiries have cleared the way for a new approach to the Queen. "It is never too late," says Moon. "It goes back to that question: is the matter fully resolved? And it is not. The answer? That VC should be awarded."

In 2007 at a ceremony at Te Papaiouru Marae, Rotorua, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, presented Te Arawa with gifts as a token of the Queen's recognition of Manahi's bravery at Takrouna. A palace spokesman had earlier stated the Queen placed great store by King George VI's decision shortly after World War II that no further awards for service during the war should be considered.

[Lutfen]

Thanks Chris - I was aware of the action at Takrouna, but not the situation regarding Manahi's VC recommendation. Quite an amazing feat of bravery and it clearly meets the VC criteria as far as I can see.

It will be interesting to see if anything ever comes of this - although I note that the Listener article was from 2010.

Thanks for sharing,
Michael

[90th Light]

Thanks Chris - I was aware of the action at Takrouna, but not the situation regarding Manahi's VC recommendation. Quite an amazing feat of bravery and it clearly meets the VC criteria as far as I can see.

It will be interesting to see if anything ever comes of this - although I note that the Listener article was from 2010.

Thanks for sharing,
Michael

Hello Michael,

nothing has come of it. There has been more than one appeal by the NZ government and other important related groups. Basically, the Queen is not prepared to reconsider what was decided at the time.

Which is sad really the more you read about. I mean does fighting in a war hand to hand and seeing the white of the enemies eyes get any more intense than this ?

Chris

p.s. here is some more interesting reading about that day;



Letters and statements supporting Haane Manahi VC


The following statements and letters are sourced from: The Government of New Zealand, The Manahi Victoria Cross Committee, Te Arawa Confederation of Tribes, Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi: Award of the Victoria Cross: Informal submission of the Government of New Zealand, the Manahi Victoria Cross Committee, and Te Arawa Confederation of Tribes.

Letter written by Major-General W.B. (Sandy) Thomas to Charles Bennett DSO in support of the efforts to procure a Victoria Cross for Lance-Sergeant Haane Manahi.

20/6/92
Mr Charles Bennet DSO

Dear Charles,

LANCE-SERGEANT MANAHI

I vividly recall the night of April 19/20, 1943 and the battle of Takrouna. On that night, my CO having been wounded, I was commanding 23(NZ) Battalion, or what was left of it after unusually fierce fighting. We had penetrated the German defences on the flank of the main feature but our position was extremely precarious because of the steady enemy fire from high up on that feature. When the fire abated we became aware that the Maori's had captured the feature - and were shouting their triumph down to us. The lift to our morale was enormous and with the flank danger removed we were able to re-organise and consolidate our position. I cannot stress too much how great that particular action by the Maori's meant to my Battalion.

After the battle I climbed the main feature and learnt that Sgt Manahi had commanded the small group who had seized the heights. When I saw the steep nature of the ground, the mass of enemy dug-outs and weapons I realised what an absolute epic the battle must have been: One could only look at the remnants of enemy dead - and the challenge of their seemingly impregnable position - with awe at the courage of Manahi and his few men. I was aware then, as I am now, that it must have needed the very highest order of personal bravery to have assaulted that final pinnacle, and that Sgt Manahi must have had a sense of duty away above the normal. I have been in many battles now but I have never in my experience seen or heard of an action more worthy of a Victoria Cross than Sgt Manahi's assault on the pinnacle of Takrouna.

I was delighted when Brigadier Kippenberger told me he had recommended Manahi for a VC - and with many of my Battalion disapointed [sic] when it failed to materialise. I now gladly add my support for a re-consideration - Sgt Manahi deserves a Victoria Cross for valour.

(Signed Maj-Gen W.B. Thomas CB DSO MC ED)

Document written by Lieutenant Ronald A. Shaw in support of the ongoing efforts to award a Victoria Cross to Lance-Sergeant Haane Manahi.

20 January 1993
To Whom it May Concern:

I, Ronald Alfred Shaw of Mount Maunganui, Retired, solemnly and sincerely declare that:-

As a lieutenant in the Second World War, I was assigned by Major-General Sir Howard Kippenberger to lead a platoon of seventeen men to support and relieve members of the 28 Maori Bn. who were defending the ledge on Takrouna.
Takrouna is a bald outcrop of limestone rock which rises sharply some 600 feet from the desert floor. The top of the rock is divided into three sections - viz. the village, the pinnacle and the ledge.
The near sheer rock face of Takrouna was scaled by my platoon from the southern end. It was necessary for my platoon to climb in single file while ascending the rock face. Below the ledge there was a twenty foot high wooden ladder which allowed access on to the ledge.
On stepping on to the ledge, I was confronted with a fierce battle that was in progress between Maori soldiers and the enemy. I witnessed the enemy lob hand grenades into a house which I later ascertained contained Maori wounded.
The fighting was taking place at very close quarters and the Maori soldiers were preventing the enemy from approaching the ledge from the track - at the bottom of the pinnacle - that runs between the ledge and the village of Takrouna.
It was some time before all the men in my platoon were able to scale the ladder; but once accomplished, we assisted the Maori soldiers in containing the enemy. The enemy were shot at, bayoneted, and there were several instances where the enemy themselves elected to jump over the cliff-face rather than be shot or bayoneted.
Under no circumstances were there any instances where the Maori soldiers were physically throwing the enemy over the cliff-face as has been suggested in the official history of the battle in question. The Maori soldiers fought within the bounds of military practice and training and there were no untoward instances of military misconduct whatsoever.
The battle from the time I arrived on the ledge lasted no more than ten minutes at the very most. It would be fair comment to say that my platoon had very little part in the battle as the Maori soldiers appeared to have the situation well under control when we arrived on the ledge.
The battle ended with the enemy retreating back to the village. No prisoners were taken and none of the enemy surrendered.
I did not know who Manahi was at the time of the battle. He was obviously in charge as he introduced himself to me after the battle - and when order was finally restored on the ledge. I then took over command at this point and Sgt. Manahi showed me over the ledge and the area known as the pinnacle. Manahi then retired with his men, left the ledge at Takrouna and went down the cliff face for a rest.
While I am able to recall the battle clearly, I am unable to pinpoint the exact time and date that it took place - other than to say it was in the afternoon.
I was extremely impressed with the Maori soldiers' fighting ability, particularly as they were overwhelmingly outnumbered by the enemy. They were a credit both to their Battalion and to the New Zealand forces in the North African campaign.
Their conduct at all times during the battle can only be classed as exemplary. They contained the enemy, not only brilliantly but also valiantly while under tremendous pressure. I was very proud of them and very proud to be associated with them.

And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the Oaths and Declaration Act 1957.

Declared at Mount Maunganui this 20th Day of January, 1993.
(Signed: R.A. Shaw, 25368 2nd NZ E)

Before me:
(Signed John P. McNeile, JP - Justice of the Peace, 20th January 1993)

Letter written by Brigadier Jack Connelly DSO ED BSc to Sir Charles Bennett DSO in support of the ongoing efforts to procure a Victoria Cross for Lance-Sergeant Haane Manahi.

12 June 92 [sic]

Dear Sir Charles,

In supporting your recommendation of the award of the VC to Sgt Manahi may I stress two points.

1. The vital importance of Takrouna to the success or failure of the Enfidaville campaign.

It was the dominant feature of the battlefield. From its turretted [sic] summit, almost every square inch of the surrounding countryside could be seen and observed clearly. There is little wonder that the enemy should defend and counterattack this key position with such ferocity and determination.

For Sgt Manahi and his men to attack and capture these heights, not once but twice, was a tremendous achievement.

2. The bravery and dedication of Sgt Manahi and his men in capturing and holding Takrouna against overwhelming odds and such exacting conditions.

On the night of the initial attack, 24 NZ Bn, of which I was C.O., was on the immediate right of 28 Maori Bn with a line of advance up an open valley. We successfully gained our objective some 2000 yards to the N E of Takrouna and were thus able to witness much of the subsequent action there. Even from that distance we were able to assess the enormous physical difficulties, the almost impossible terrain and the stubborn, fanatical resistance of the defenders.

It was an incredible display of initiative, leadership and courage.

There was great jubilation and relief in the valleys and hills below when Takrouna finally fell.

Yours sincerely,
(Signed: Jack Connelly)

A sworn statement from Pte Hinga Grant to support the Victoria Cross quest for Lance-Sergeant Haane Manahi.

65184 Pte GRANT, Hinga of 28 NZ (MAORI) Bn on oath states:-

On the night 19/20 Apr 43 [sic], I was a member of the Section lead by L/Sjt [sic] MANAHI. During the advance upon TAKROUNA our platoon sustained heavy casualties and at first light there were only some ten of us left. We were then pinned to the ground by mortar fire and heavy MG fire coming from the slopes of the feature and the pinnacle.

I was one of a party of four led by L/Sjt MANAHI up the slopes. We were trying to reach the pinnacle. On the way up we were fired on by enemy from posts below and on the pinnacle. L/Sjt MANAHI was always in front of us and personally attacked and captured MG posts. To get onto the pinnacle itself we had to climb up almost sheer rock face and hand over hand. After brief fighting there, the enemy surrendered and we took approximately 60 prisoners. We were there joined by the remainder of the platoon.

After capturing the pinnacle we came under heavy mortar and shellfire and also fire from MGs sited in and about TAKROUNA below us. Towards the end of the morning our party holding the pinnacle had been reduced to three. L/Sjt MANAHI returned to the coy and bought back supplies and a few reinforcements. In going down and up the hill he was under fire the whole time.

In the afternoon further reinforcements arrived, this time from 21 NA Bn. The enemy counter-attacked and some of them gained a foot-hold on the feature. L/Sjt MANAHI led an attack against them. There was fierce hand-to-hand fighting but eventually the enemy withdrew.

All the remainder of that day we were subjected to steady fire. After dark I returned to my unit with L/Sjt MANAHI.

Of the original party from my platoon who attacked the pinnacle on 20 Apr 43 L/Sjt MANAHI and myself were the only ones not causalities.

(Signed) Pte H Grant.

A sworn statement from Lieutenant I.H. Hurst to support the Victoria Cross Quest for Lance-Sergeant Haane Manahi

Lt HIRST, IH on oath states:

On night [sic] 20/21 Apr 43 I was one of a party of two officers and forty-five other ranks who relieved a section of Maoris who had been holding the pinnacle feature above TAKROUNA Village. I was NOT there at the actual relief and the Maoris had returned to their Unit when I arrived. The pinnacle was a flat ledge of rock barely a quarter of an acre in size and covered by native houses with small winding alley-ways in between. About one hundred feet directly below was the village of TAKROUNA. While I was on the feature, the village and the western slope were strongly held by the enemy.

At about 2200 hrs enemy troops fired on us from some of the houses on the pinnacle. It was later found that they had gained a foothold by using a secret and covered approach. Fierce fighting ensued and the position was desperate. Reinforcements were asked for and at about 0800 hrs 21 Apr, L/Sjt [sic] MANAHI in charge of fifteen Maoris arrived. I discussed a plan of attack with him. This included bringing our own Arty (artillery) to bear on the feature. After a concentration during which we took cover, L/Sjt MANAHI personally led four men in an attack on some of the houses. They came under the heaviest Mortar fire we experienced there and also considerable MG fire but the attack was a complete success. The enemy withdrew by the same means as they had used earlier to gain a footing and the entire pinnacle feature was once again in our hands. Following this we were heavily shelled and mortared and fired on by MGs, from in and about TAKROUNA.

Later in the afternoon of 21 Apr L/Sjt MANAHI and one or two of his men, on their own initiative, moved out from cover on the pinnacle and I saw them stalking enemy section posts on the North Western slopes of the TAKROUNA feature. They stalked post after post capturing them in turn. When I saw the number of enemy surrendering I realised they were cracking and took a party down to the village which was captured. But for the action of L/Sjt MANAHI and his men, the capture of the whole feature would have been delayed considerably. During these operations L/Sjt MANAHI and his men were continually under shell fire and small arms fire.

The number of enemy who finally surrendered exceeded three hundred, including eighteen Officers. Two 25 - Prs, several mortars and seventy-two MGs were captured.

(Signed) IH Hurst, Lt.

[Lutfen]

Thanks Chris - the history of the Maori Battalion makes for riveting reading. Thankfully they’ve been the subject of some excellent books recently.

Michael

[Jeff V]

Great read, thanks for sharing!
In my opinion the highest awards for gallantry such as the victoria cross and medal of honor are a crapshoot for the hero's whose deeds are being considered. It has never been a fair endeavor, not to mention the countless acts which would have qualified for the highest ward but were never witnessed. I believe the few that get these awards really do represent all those who should have them, but do not.