Founded by Major Ralph Bagnold in 1940, and initially known as the Long Range Patrol Unit, the LRDG came along more than a year before David Stirling's famed SAS.
Bagnold wanted volunteers, particularly young Kiwi farmers from the 2nd New Zealand Division whom he knew as being hardy, resourceful, and able to repair machinery with anything they had to hand. More than half of the division put their hands up.
In crack patrols, of 40 men each, they used two-wheel drive Chevrolet trucks, stripped of all non-essentials like doors, windscreens and roofs, and equipped with machine-guns, anti-tank weapons, and communication equipment.
During its first operation in August-September 1940, two units soon proved the LRDG's worth. They moved 6430km undetected across the desert to scout and then attack Italian outposts, surviving the extreme heat of the day and bitter cold of night, before making a successful return to base.
One officer later wrote, "There cannot be many instances of continued survey work behind the enemy lines in war-time", while Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery - who orchestrated the victory at the Battle of El Alamein, said without the LRDG's help, some key operations in North Africa would have been a "leap in the dark".
A total of 250 New Zealanders served in the unit, nicknamed the Libyan Desert Taxi Service, and which never numbered more than 350 men.
It was moved to the eastern Mediterranean after the Axis forces surrendered in Tunisia in May 1943, before being finally disbanded in August 1945.
Yesterday, at the Los Angeles National Cemetery a dawn Anzac service paid tribute to the incredible exploits of the LRDG.
There were around 250 guests in attendance, including Leon Grice, Consul-General of New Zealand and Chelsey Martin, Consul-General of Australia.
Former New Zealand soldier and Australian SAS vehicle mounted operator Kevin Bovill laid a wreath at the event.
Bovill and his comrades went "back to the basic lessons learned by the LRDG" and is proud of New Zealand's role in setting up the forerunner to the modern SAS.
"Maintaining all aspects of our military history and heritage is important for future generations to learn, understand and appreciate the sacrifices of their forefathers and how they formed New Zealand's place in the world," Bovill said.