This article from Setfords Consultant Solicitor Michael Large explores the life and legacy of Major General Sir Howard Karl “Kip” Kippenberger KBE, DSO and Bar, ED (28 January 1897 – 5 May 1957).
World War One & Kip’s legal career
Howard “Kip” Kippenberger was from Canterbury in New Zealand. Aged 18, he served in the World War One trenches as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He was invalided home with a serious combat injury in 1916.
Returning home, Kip studied law at Canterbury College and later started work as a clerk at a law firm in Christchurch. Working in the day and studying in the evenings, he qualified as a solicitor by 1920, and achieved partnership in 1922. During this time, he also met his wife Ruth Isobel Flynn. They married in 1922 and had three children, remaining married until Kip’s death in 1957.
Kip practiced at a law firm in Rangiora. He became deeply involved in the local community as, among other things, a councillor – and as an officer in the New Zealand Territorial Force (the Territorial Army).
During this period Kip was convinced (rightly, as it turned out) that there would be another world war. Alongside his service in the Territorials, he studied military tactics, built up a huge library of military textbooks, and even set up a sand table to carry out war games in his law office.
Unfortunately, rather than proving to be a hobby, Kip’s preparation was put to use in earnest at the outbreak of war in 1939. Here is a short outline of his World War Two exploits, of which there were a great many.
Defence of Crete
During the defence of mainland Greece in 1941, Kip’s unit defended the Aliakmon Line. Then, they were forced back to the Sevona Pass where he and his men personally blew up bridges and culverts to hold up the Nazi advance.
Evacuated to Crete, Kip and his unit played a significant role in the legendary defence of that courageous island. The Cretan campaign has been overlooked in popular history, possibly because the Allies lost. But one the results of it was that Hitler’s prized parachute troops were so badly mauled that the Fuhrer forbid them from ever being used in airborne assaults again, and they were not.
Kip was awarded his first DSO for his part in the defence of Crete. In addition to his command role, he personally contributed to the high casualties of the Nazi parachute regiments.
Time in Africa
Evacuated from Crete, Kip rebuilt his division in Egypt, following a mini-Dunkirk style escape across the Mediterranean in small boats. After rebuilding his brigade in Egypt, Kip led it through the North Africa campaign against Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
In November 1941, following several battles, he was briefly captured by the 15th Panzer division. After escaping a few weeks later, he organised a counter-attack to rescue the other soldiers he had been captured with, and was promoted to command the 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade.
The 5th Brigade went on to fight at the First and Second Battles of El Alamein. Here, Kip’s fortunes were mixed. He made costly mistakes in command during the fighting at Ruweisat Ridge, which led to heavy casualties amongst his men. Although Kip never really forgave himself for these errors, he learned from them. In fighting later on at Miteirya Ridge, his Brigade were successful in all their objectives.
The brigade went on to participate in the battles in Tunisia in 1943 that resulted in one of the heaviest defeats of the Axis forces in the entire war – so bad for the Nazis that they nicknamed it “Tunisgrad”.
Later in the war
After a period of leave, Kip returned to duty in late 1943 and led the brigade during heavy fighting in Italy, in the brutal battles to force the crossing of the river Sangro.
By early 1944, Kip was promoted to Major General and appointed commander of the New Zealand Second Division. This was one of the most senior commands in the New Zealand army. The first task faced by Kip in his new command was the attack on the monastery at Monte Cassino.
The monastery and its surrounding buildings, perched on a mountaintop, were arguably the greatest natural fortress in the world. It was defended, amongst other Nazi units, by the elite Nazi First Parachute Division – the very same paratroopers that Kip had fought in Crete. Now, the roles were reversed. The subsequent battle of Monte Cassino has passed into legend as was one the fiercest of all that took place in either of the world wars.
The end of front line service
At that point, Kip’s front line career came to an abrupt and unexpected end. On 2 March 1944, while observing the battlefield, Kip stood on a landmine. He ultimately lost both feet and the lower part of both legs. There was disbelief and shock in his division and morale was greatly affected.
He was fitted with prosthetic legs and feet in England and never held a combat command again. Instead, he was placed in command of the New Zealand Reception Group. This organisation was intended to rehabilitate New Zealand prisoners of war who had suffered harshly in prison camps. Here, Kip’s sensitive and enlightened side was employed to full effect, and he took great care in the rehabilitation of these servicemen.
Post-service career
Kip’s high profile war service made him well known in his native New Zealand. After the war ended, Kip did not return to the law but instead oversaw and edited the New Zealand government’s official history of the war.
Here, he set a high standard, rejecting censorship or politicisation of the official history. His editorship was bracingly honest: his own leadership of his units in the war and that of his own fellow officers was heavily and objectively criticised. So much so that some of his friends refused to speak to him again.
The Māori Battalion
For most of World War Two, Kip’s brigade included the Māori Battalion, which he took a special interest in, and with good reason. The Māori Battalion ended World War Two as the most highly decorated of all New Zealand army units.
Kip’s affinity with the Māori people was demonstrated several years later, after the war ended, in a controversial episode for New Zealand rugby. In 1949, the New Zealand All Blacks’ rugby team toured South Africa. It was a racially segregated tour, with no Māori players allowed in the All Blacks’ team due to the apartheid regime in South Africa. Kip was outspoken in his opposition to this exclusion, and he opposed the tour for that reason.
His views caused great controversy at the time, when few white people spoke out against apartheid. He received much support from Māori veterans. Yet again, we see he was very much on the right side of history.
Kip died on 4 May 1957 after a sudden illness. This is a solicitor of whom the profession should be justly proud, thanks to his World War Two service and stand against racism.
