MODERN MYSTERY TANKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19485, 15 November 1926, Page 13

MODERN MYSTERY TANKS.

DEMONSTRATION AT HOME, AWFUL WEAPONS OF WAR. UNCANNY MONSTERS AT WORK. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received 5.5 p.m.i A. and N.Z. LONDON. Nor. 13. A sea of Flanders-like mud for realism, and 1916 types of war-scarred tanks as anachronisms, amid a bewildering array of modern " mystery monsters " was the sceno the Dominion Prime Ministers witnessed to-day on the bracken-covered hills of Camberiey, Surrey, in a demonstration of present-day mechanised warfare. Three marquees sheltered 300 guests from the driving rain on the present rear's worst day. Yet discomfort was forgotten in their wonderment at the uncanny glimpse of what future war will be like. Several "contraptions" crawled .ike ; tortoises while they spat destruction, but the new 20-miles-an-hour tanks, each with ! five gun-turrets, swished and slithered over the practice ground with hideous agility. Britain's "Hush-hush" Wonders. This new type of tank is Britain's " hush-hush " wonder, and journalists were not permitted to approach them closer than 20yds. In striking contrast were the little oneman tanks. These one minute were doing 50 miles an hour on their tiny " scooter " wheels, then with the movement of a lever they dropped on to caterpillar belts and turned in their own length, while the drivers with their free hand cut a swathe with machine-gun bullets. This new idea has been adapted to fear-some-looking light tanks, the four wheels of which tuck like a flash into sockets for the caterpillar drive to whisk them where wheeled vehicles would merely court disaster. The degrSf* of mobility of this type of tank in reaching threatened points made old soldiers remark: "If we had only had a few of these, Passehendaele would not have happened." Remarkable Parade of Monsters. The parade of progressive types of tanks was impressive enough, but when the whole "make-up of mischief" was let loose to "gambol " over the 20-acre plot, crossing and recrossing and all the while blurting shells from the ground level to an anti-aircraft angle, it was veritably dumbfounding. Afterwards came caterpillar howitzers, long " Lizzies" and ordinary field-guns vieing with the tanks in mobility, their men scarcely visible until the firing point was reached. Then in less than a minute the guns were unlimbered and roaring saivoe3 were fired over the .marquees. Finally a tank sped by at 10 miles an hour exhaling a white smoke screen which hid the countryside, while all the mechanical monsters disappeared like magic. It was httle wonder that. every- ] body seerned ronstrained to remark: : "What an unspeakably terrible thing the nest war will be." The Pieca da Besistance. As the piece de resistance the spectators overlooked a V-shaped rift in the hills in which the tanks almost joyously hopped over great log obstructions' and playfully pushed over brick walls and majestic pine trees. From behind them came tractor-hauled batteries to drive j home the thrust. A fleet of light tanks flashed down the j steep hill at the speed of touring cars and toppled growing pine trees over, as if they were toys. Four of this type are shortly to be shipped to Australia, where they will be used in field training. One of the Australian guests suggested that such tanlcs would pay for themselves in a month by clearing bush for newsettlers. Accompanying the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr. J. G. Coates, was the attache, Major Jennings, who will shortly be commissioned to partly mechanise the New Zealand artillery on knowledge based on lessons from demonstrations like today's.