Te rātaka a te Taua Māori - Hepetema 1941

Kaiwhākamaori: Tautohe Kupenga (Ngāti Porou)

He Tirohanga Whānui

Ka tonoa te Patāriana mai i El Tahag ki tetahi wāhi e tata ana ki El Alamein. Na rātau i awhina ki te whakatū he pourewa ārai hei aukati i tera wāhi o te riu o te Naira. Ko Fortress A i tapaina ko te Pouaka o Kaponga, he wāhi he 10 maero te tapawha, he taukahiwi papaku nei e amio ana i taua wāhi. He wāhi he haerenga mō ngā waka, he 40 maero te whānui. Ko te moana ki tetahi taha, ko te Qattara Depression ki tetahi.[1]

Ko te mahi ma te Patāriana ko te hanga he rori he 10 maero (16 km) te roa hei hono i te Pouaka o Kaponga ki tetahi atu pourewa arai i El Alamein. Nā ngā kaihanga o te kamupene 5th Field, nā rātau e tuku mai te whakaaro mā te ope tangata 90 hei mahi ā ka oti i a rātau mena ka mahia he 100 iāri ia ra. Kati, i runga ke atu ngā whakaaro a te Patāriana mo tenei mahi hou. I oti i a rātau he 400 iāri i te ra tuatahi. Na te kamupene kotahi noa iho i mahi. Ko te merekara nei, na te whakatūnga i ngā tāngata mohio ki tenei momo mahi, ahakoa tō rātau tūnga i roto i te Patāriana, mā rātau e whakahaere ngā ope mahi. Ko etahi atu, me ngā āpiha, i mahi ano i raro o ēnei momo tohunga. Na te kaukau i te moana e tata ana ki El Alamein i whakangāwari te mahi nei. Na te konihete a te Kapa Kiwi, me te reta mai i a Ta Apirana Ngata, te ‘matua’ o te Patāriana Māori, e kī ana mo te koa o te iwi Māori mo tā rātau whawhaitanga i Kirihi me Kiriti, me te ki taurangi mai ki a rātau kei te whakaputua ngā tāngata hei whakapakari i te Patāriana, na ēnei mahi, ka tū pakari tonu te whatumanawa o te Patāriana.[2]

I te timatanga o Hepetema, e kīkī ana te Patāriana i o rātau āpiha 33 me te tākuta, me te minita me te kaiāwhina o te YMCA, ko rātau hoki i whakapiria mai:

• Rewhetānara Kānara: George Dittmer
• Ngā Meiha: George Bertrand, Humphrey Dyer
• Ngā Kapene: George Weir, Tiwi Love, Doug Harvey, Rangi Royal, Parekura Tureia, Whetu Werohia, M. T. S. Dew
• Ngā Kapene Taupua: Charles Bennett, Paul Te Punga
• Ngā Rewhetānara: Ben Porter, Reta Keiha, Terry Gilroy, Chris Sorrenson, Dan Urlich, Tiwha Bennett,
• Ngā Rewhetānara Tuarua: Peta Awatere, Don Stewart, Henry Toka, Ariari (Addie) Mitchell, Aubrey Rota, Hone Green, Rangi Logan, Jack Reedy, Jim Matehaere, Ruhi Pene, Jim Tuhiwai, Paki West, Pine Taiapa, H. T. Maloney, Atanatiu Te Puni
• Āpiha Tāpiri: Capt. M. Kronfield RMO, Capt. Kahi Harawira (te minita), Charles B. Bennett (YMCA)

Rataka

• 1 o Hepetema: I whakaritea ngā Kamupene mo te neke, mai i El Tahag ki te wahi hou. I whakaputua ngā kete rawa ki runga i ngā taraka ka whakahokia ki te papakainga. Ka wehe atu a Rewhetānara Kānara George Dittmer ki te Kāreti Āpiha i Haifa. Ka riro ko Meiha George Bertrand te Kaiwhakahaere o te Patāriana. Ko te ope hāpai i raro i a Kapene Rangi Royal i wehe atu mo te puni hou. I roto i taua ope ko Rewhetānara Addie Mitchell me etahi atu he 39 katoa rātau: e toru o te Kamupene Matua o te Patariana, kotahi o te Kamupene Rawa (QM), e rua ngā tumau, ko ngā kamupene mau raiwhara, te Kaiwhakaako (NCO) kotahi, me ngā tāngata tokorima, to te Kamupene Topuni he kotahi te Kaiwhakaako (NCO) me ngā tāngata tokoiwa (me ngā tumau tokorua i tapiritia atu).
• 2 o Hepetema: I te ata i haere tonu ngā mahi a ngā kamupene raiwhara ki te para whakawai, ki te wero pēneti. Ko ngā hoia o te Topuni Patariana i haere kia whakaakona rātau ki etahi atu mahi motuhake.
• 3 o Hepetema: Ko te ope mahi rori i raro i a Kapene George Weir i wehe atu ki El Alamein i runga i te ota whakaritenga o te 2 o Hepetema. 0600 – 1700 haora te wā i whakaritea mo te kori tinana mā te toenga o te Patāriana. 1000 – 1200 haora i tohua mo te wero pēneti me te kori i te ara tomokanga. I te ahiahi he wa whakatā. 2305 haora i neke atu te katoa o te Patāriana mai i El Tahag katahi ka hikoi atu ki te teihana o Caesarain. I te 2330 haora ka tae atu. 2359 ka piki atu ki runga i te tereina.
• 4 o Hepetema: 0400 haora ka haere te tereina. Ko te katoa o te ra e haere ana. 1330 haora i kai tina wera i Amiyria. 1700 haora ka tae ki te teihana o El Alamein. Ka eke ki runga i ngā taraka ka haere tonu atu ki te wahi hou i whakaritea mō rātau. Ko te tirohanga i runga i te mapi: 1:50,000 El Diyura, Kamupene A 86442716, Kamupene B 86842716, Kamupene C 86552714, Kamupene D 86612714, Kamupene Tōpuni 86652714, Kamupene Patāriana 86532714. Tirohia te mapi na Pāraiweti Moana Ngarimu o te Tekihana Matataua i tuhi i roto i te Rataka a te Patāriana Māori. 1900 haora i tae atu ki te wahi hou i whakaritea.
• 5 o Hepetema: Ka timata te Patāriana ki te kari rua he puni mō rātau. Na Meiha Bertrand, te Āpiha Kaiārahi Kaihautu, i karanga he hui mō ngā āpiha me te whakamārama atu te take me te kaupapa o te noho a te Patāriana i taua wahi. Nana i whakatakoto ngā āhuatanga mō te mahi i te rori. I whakahaeretia te kautetanga mo ngā hoia katoa o te Middle East.
• 6 o Hepetema: I timatahia te mahi o te rori mai Kaponga ki El Alamein, ka tapaina ko Kaponga – El Alamein.
• 7-12 o Hepetema: Kei te haere tonu te mahi hanga i te rori. I tae mai te ripoata a te Kooti Whakawā i te wiki nei o te aituatanga o Pāraiweti J. Hemepo o te Kamupene B i a rātau e puhipuhi ana i te papa puhipuhi i El Tahag i te 27 o Akuhata. Tirohia te Ota Pānui e whakamārama ana i tenei aitua. Ko te pakaritanga o te ope nei i te 7 o Hepetema, hāunga ngā āpiha, he 727 rātau katoa (me ngā toko ono i whakapiria mai). Kia 27 ano ngā hoia hei whakapakari i te Patāriana katahi ka eke atu ki tōna tino pakaritanga. He 36 ngā Āpiha, tokotoru i tapiritia mai. Ko Kapene Paul Te Punga me Rewhetānara Tuarua Pine Taiapa i haere ki te whakaakoranga mō ngā āpiha. Ko Rewhetānara Reta Keiha te Āpiha Kaitakawaenga ki te Pirikeeti Tuarima.
• 13 o Hepetema: Kaore he mahi i runga i te rori i tenei ra. Nā ngā ota motuhake i penei ai. Ko te pakaritanga o te ope, haunga ngā āpiha, he 726 rātau katoa (me ngā tokorima i tapiritia mai). Kia 32 ano ngā hoia hei whakapakari ake i te Patāriana katahi ka eke atu ki tōna tino pakaritanga. He 36 ngā āpiha, tokotoru i tapiritia mai. Ko Rewhetānara Tiwha Bennett i mauria ki te Hohipera. Ko Rewhetānara Terry Gilroy, ko Rewhetānara Tuarua Don Stewart, ko Rewhetānara Ruhi Pene rātau ko Rewhetānara Jim Tuhiwai i haere ki te whakatā.
• 14 o Hepetema: 1010 haora ka wehe atu te Patāriana ki te tahuna o El Alamein ki te kaukau. 1900 haora ka hoki mai.
• 15 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori.
• 16 o Hepetema: 0900 haora ka haere atu a Rewhetānara Kānara Dittmer ki te Topuni Pirikeeti hei Kaihautu Kaiārahi Pirikeeti. Kua mutu te wā o te raumati kua whakahokia ngā karaka he kotahi haora. Ko Haihana Wattie Vercoe o Rotorua, ko Kapara Don Mitchell o Wairoa me Kapara Tuarua Matarehua (Monty) Wikiriwhi o Whangaparaoa i tohungia kia haere ki te kura whakaako mo ngā āpiha (OCTU).
• 17 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori.
• 18 o Hepetema: I te ata nei na Meiha Bertrand, te Āpiha Kaiārahi Kaihautu, i mau atu etahi o ngā āpiha ki te rohe o Patāriana 22 kia kite rātau ngā rua tekihana, ngā rua paratūnu me ngā mahinga a ngā kamupene ki te hanga rua hei ārai i te hoariri. Ko te otinga o ngā āpiha nana ano i mau atu ki taua wāhi i runga i taua kaupapa ano.
• 19 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori i runga i ngā ota motuhake i whakaritea. I haere ngā Kamupene B, D me te Kamupene Tōpuni ki te kaukau.
• 20 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori. Ko te pakaritanga o te ope, haunga ngā āpiha, he 726 te katoa (me ngā tokorima i tapiritia mai). Kia 32 ano ngā hoia hei whakapakari ake i te Patāriana katahi ka eke atu ki tōna tino pakaritanga. He 36 ngā āpiha, tokotoru i whakapiria mai. Ko Meiha Humphrey Dyer, ko Kapene Parekura Tureia me Kapene Charles Bennett i haere ki te whakatā.
• 21 o Hepetema: I runga tonu i ngā ota i whakaritea. I haere atu ngā āpiha ki te titiro ki te wāhi i whakaritea mō te Patāriana i Fortress A. Nā ngā kaihautu o ia paratūnu o ia kamupene i tohu ngā wāhi mō rātau ake.
• 22 o Hepetema: Ko te Patāriana kei te mahi i te rori engari mō Kamupene A me C i haere ki te kaukau i runga i te ota motuhake. Ko Rewhetānara Tuarua Atanatiu Te Puni i tohua hei Āpiha Kaitakawaenga ki te Pirikeeti.
• 23 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori. Ko Rewhetānara Kānara Dittmer i hoki mai ki te ope. Nā te Patāriana i paoho tā rātau konihete. Me whakarongo ki ngā rikoatatanga o tenei konihete. I tae mai te pānui kua whakawhiwhia a Haihana George Katene, a Kāpara Jack Tainui me Pāraiweti Tim Duncan ki te tino tohu te Military Medal mō to rātau maia i te whawhaitanga i Kirihi. Tirohia te Ota Pānui Nama 88 mai i te Rataka Whawhai a te Patariana.
• 24 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori. Ko etahi o te ope i paoho pānui ki te kainga.
• 25-30 o Hepetema: Kei te mahi i te rori. Ko te pakaritanga o te ope i te mutunga o te wiki i te 27 o Hepetema, haunga ngā āpiha, he 723 te katoa (he tokowha i whakapiria mai). Kia 34 ano ngā hoia hei whakapakari ake i te Patāriana katahi ka eke atu ki tōna tino pakaritanga. Ko Rewhetānara H. Maloney i mauria ki te Hohipera ka mahue mai he 29 ngā āpiha, he tokotoru o enei i whakapiria mai. Ko Rewhetānara Kānara Dittmer me Kapene Rangi Royal i haere ki te whakatā. Ko Meiha Humphrey Dyer me Rewhetānara Jim Tuhiwai i haere kia kuraina raua.

Pukapuka Tautoko

Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Whakapuakanga: 28 NZ (Māori) Battalion Diary, WAII 1 1664 DA 68/1/21.

Tuhinga Āpiti

[1] Cody, p. 135.

[2] Cody, pp. 135-136.