"... the book succeeds in giving a small window into the officers of the past. It tackles an ambitious subject by trying to explore whether New Zealand armed forces have a leadership style. In doing so [it] provides a good reference to the leaders of our military past and how our military was shaped. It was good for a civilian like me to learn how our military leaders handled our civilian soldiers. The subject is still very relevant to all New Zealanders". --Daniel Jackson, Wanganui Chronicle New Zealand"s military history has been both honorable and distinguished, and the key events of more than 150 years of military involvement have been recorded in a range of official histories and books. But what of the military commanders who led their troops in these conflicts? How do we assess their achievements? Is there a distinctive style of New Zealand command? Now, for the first time, this book attempts to answer these previously unexplored questions. Glyn Harper and Joel Hayward have assembled an impressive team of New Zealand military historians to profile some of the nation"s most important commanders and examine the nature of New Zealand command. Each chapter is written by an expert on the commander concerned, with the subjects drawn from all three arms of the defence forces: Army, Navy and Air Force. The commanders profiled are: Alexander Godley, Andrew Russell, Edward Chaytor, Keith Park, Bernard Freyberg, Howard Kippenberger, Peter Phipps, Harold Barrowclough, Arthur Coningham, Leonard Thornton, Maori Battalion commanders and commanders of the infantry battalions of the 2nd New Zealand Division.