36th Battalion (New Zealand)

36th Battalion
Active1941–44
Country New Zealand
BranchNew Zealand Military Forces
TypeInfantry
Size~700–900 personnel
Part of8th Brigade, 3rd Division
EngagementsSecond World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders
John Barry
Insignia
Distinguishing Patch

The 36th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Military Forces, which served during the Second World War. Attached to the 8th Brigade, New Zealand 3rd Division, the battalion was formed in late 1941 and saw service in the Pacific against the Japanese. They were initially used for garrison duties on Fiji and Norfolk Island before being committed to the fighting in the Solomon Islands in 1943. The battalion was disbanded in late 1944 as part of a partial demobilisation of New Zealand forces, which saw some of its personnel being returned to civilian employment while others were sent to Italy as reinforcements for the New Zealand 2nd Division.