After the German invasion of Poland, New Zealand declared war on Germany and quickly mobilized. The government called for volunteers to bolster the ranks of its forces, and the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was raised after the First NZEF was created during WWI. In the opening nine months of the war, around 60,000 men volunteered for service.

Conscription into the armed forces did not extend to women. That, however, did not stop them from volunteering and serving overseas with the nursing services and in uniform with the female auxiliaries of the armed forces, providing vital, non-combatant work. The Women's Auxiliary Air Force was founded in 1941, followed by the Women's Royal New Zealand Naval Service in 1942. In the same year, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps was established, its forerunner being the Women's War Service Auxiliary. Women also carried out vital agricultural work with the New Zealand Women's Land Army. With so many men joining the armed forces, positions in industry, traditionally held for men, opened up. Women worked in munitions factories, as tram drivers and conductors and in engineering, to name a sample. In March 1942, certain sections of the female population were conscripted into industrial work.

The first contingent of volunteers with the NZEF, sailed for Egypt in January 1940. New Zealanders were also serving in the Royal Air Force when war broke out and some were sent for service with the Royal Navy in 1940; a tradition that would continue throughout the war. In late March, Prime Minister Michael Savage died and was soon replaced by Peter Fraser. Back in Europe, the forecast was looking bleak: by mid-1940, Germany had captured Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. To compound matters, the number of volunteers enlisting for service was in decline. With the NZEF needing recruits to enhance its ranks, the Government decided to cease voluntary enlistment and introduce conscription in July 1940. Compulsory military training existed before WWII, but it was abandoned in the early 1930s. Now, men aged between 19 and 46 could be called up for service by a ballot. Conscription did not apply to M?ori men; however, 16,000 served during the war.

On 10 July 1940, the Battle of Britain began over Southern England, and New Zealand would have a significant part to play. The German air force, known as the Luftwaffe, began a campaign of destruction against the Royal Air Force, aiming to gain air superiority over RAF and limit its ability to defend Britain against invasion. The RAF resisted the attacks and scored a decisive defensive victory, with the Battle of Britain coming to an end in late October 1940. 135 New Zealanders flew with RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, the second-highest contingent of foreign pilots after Poland; 20 died in combat and flying accidents.

In the Mediterranean, New Zealand forces saw action in Greece, Crete and North Africa. Despite putting up brave resistance to the Axis invasion, Allied forces, including New Zealanders, were evacuated from the Greek mainland in April 1941. On 20 May, 1941, Germany began an airborne attack on the island of Crete. Hundreds of German aircraft flew over the island and dropped paratroopers to engage Allied forces. After twelve days of intense fighting, Allied troops retreated and conceded the island to German occupation. 671 New Zealanders were killed during the fighting.

Several hundred miles to the south, New Zealand troops engaged German and Italian forces in North Africa. For three years, the Allies campaigned against the Axis powers, fighting in the difficult desert terrain. They achieved important victories at the Second Battle of El Alamein, the Allies' first major, decisive victory on land, and at Takrouna, and eventually defeated the Axis forces and pushed them out of North Africa in May 1943.

Following these victories, New Zealand troops headed for the Italian peninsula. On July 9, 1943, the Allies invaded Sicily, and at the end of the month Mussolini was overthrown. Sicily was in Allied hands by mid-August, but the German forces were able to escape to mainland Italy. During this time New Zealand ground troops were undergoing reorganisation and rest in Egypt; they would soon be involved in the fighting in Italy. In early September, the Allies launched their invasion of Italy and slowly made their way up the peninsula. New Zealand forces would join the fighting from October. Although the Italians signed an armistice with the Allies on the day of their invasion, German troops stationed in Italy demonstrated significant resistance to the Allies. Fierce battles occured at Orsogna and Cassino, and Allies arrived in Trieste just in time for the German surrender. New Zealand forces fought bravely during the campaign and made significant sacrifices; over 2,100 were killed. The Maori contingent of the NZEF distinguished itself during the fighting, from Greece and Crete to North Africa and Italy. 649 volunteers of the Maori Battalion were killed during the war, of over 3,600 who volunteered for service.

New Zealanders continued to serve in the skies above Europe, in both the RNZAF and in the RAF, proving to be a vital part of Fighter Command and Bomber Command. The latter carried out a bomber offensive of occupied Europe, which was an aerial assault on German industry in order to limit access to resources and supplies.

Plans for an Allied invasion of North-West Europe began to take shape in 1943. On 6 June, 1944, D-Day arrived. After months of planning for an operation codenamed Operation Overlord, US, British, Canadian and other Allied forces stormed five beaches along the heavily fortified coast of Normandy, France. The invasion was a success, and the Allies now had a foothold in France. Although the NZEF did not take part in the landings, there are examples of individual New Zealanders landing with Allied forces. New Zealanders were also present in their air force and navy, supporting the landings.

Forces from New Zealand not only served in Europe and North Africa, they also saw service in the Pacific. In December 1941, Japan entered the war after bombing Pearl Harbour and launched an aggressive attack in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, occupying territories from Korea to Papua New Guinea. Although many troops remained in the west, New Zealand forces combatted the Japanese in Singapore, the Solomon Islands, and the waters around Japan. A staggering 130,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners are estimated to have been captured during the fighting in Singapore and Malaya.

The Allies received Germany’s surrender on 7 May, 1945, which took effect the following day. Because of the time difference, VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) was celebrated in New Zealand on 9 May. The Allies called for Japan’s unconditional surrender with the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July, 1945, warning that the alternative was prompt and utter destruction. When the Japanese refused, the US detonated two atomic bombs in the country within three days of each other, one at Hiroshima and the other at Nagasaki. Japan announced its surrender on 15 August 1945, with the official surrender coming on 2 September. 15 August is now known as V-J Day (Victory in Japan Day).

In almost six years, over 200,000 men and women from New Zealand served in the armed forces, 140,000 of whom served overseas New Zealand and British forces. Nearly 12,000 gave their lives in the war, and over 9,000 experienced harsh conditions as prisoners of war.

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