ARMY MANOEUVRES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1926, Page 15

ARMY MANOEUVRES.

NEED OF INCREASED | MOBILITY | AND BETTER RECONNAISSANCE. I ;.\.\K A RESERVE ARM. • | '..• .---, "i 7c. leport en the Army j n-.a: .>'-- i- .m :.'.tcrc-ti:i,j document. a ,;.; ;;■ A ae7l . ail!!..', fail t'l ; "' ili'lpflll in ■ ;• \.-' .pm.-nr -■! train:!!-'' i»ays th.. \ my. .Navy au-1 Air Etcuj (..a. ■' i M i.v 1. "h i- cliaractci'ist;. :••■•...! L--:d t. a vim-, methods, as t.ie; - ■:•> •■::'■ ■ i -in mad-- vv itliout some a I-1-- :■-' i ■ iv,- i ■_■ 11. Broadly 11.-i . i : i-.i-- ! ii'i":i;li! \ and better re - .--.in- • . "-■■:-, ,i - :n"'.iil ity i- con'-ernod. the ni'v ;.-■ 'i'il -.'oiec was a partial failure,, a- -iild nut a»'t up ihe ricec-saary rj \- -ii px[«rimeiit iii iiicehani-Cab-v '!'• lii'" it->.-'>ti "a- u-et'il. and in i. -tl' li cltimn- iho Ikusl' must bo Ld.iii.njii-d. Thii year the test of a wjii.iy ;:>■• iu-iiii.-cl force will be niade. ' an-1 y nc\t year there should be sufti- \ c;- t data un which t.i standardise the! wiie !■•- and lav d'ivv n some cb-linitc rules , &'.»■■•<■ the fuiK'ti"n- »i bussed infantry.! It '. . i - ■•■• n f.uiu-i that long rides iv ' pa- :-.- !■■! i :••- air a- exhaii.-ting as inai a.i'.g. and tliu- tacrc emerges a new feat...- in liiis i-' mi nl movement and. one that iiuisl be carefully studied if bai'.aiiuiis are to i-e fresh uud vigorous fur ihe olfensivo when de-bussed. Movemen; al-o gets slowed down by tiie strain of driving, and ? n eve tind limitations to mechanical aids, because the strain on the human element is constant. "Another important point is that the ; opp.--.ng forces lost toryh one day, despite tank-, cars, wireless, cavalry, aeroplanes and lorried battalions. If a full use had been made of cavalry this could not have happened. j "One notices, too, that the Royal Air j Force had its difficulties. The Ist Divi- j sion's inarch was so accurately reported that tiie information was not fully ere- ! dited on the ground, as the formation could not be found when halted, because : of .-lever concealment. On the other hand, the Army Co-operation Squadrons! had not sufficient information given - them from air headquarters, and this • showed the need for an increased intelli- I gence staff. Air reconnaissance is valuable but not infallible and information I inns; be checked by ground observation. Commander-; will realise that, though! aeroplanes will impro.e, the human | vision remains the same, and, as ground protection improves, aeroplanes will have to fly higher. , "The tank apparently Is not yet at its! zenith as an attacking force so far as we aye concerned, and this role will not develop until improved types and adequate numbers are available. As we j stand at present, the tank is a reserve' arm. held for a decisive stroke. Perhaps the armoured cars men realised this, for they are credited with a tendency to attack rather than to do tlistant reconnaissance. All told, the mechanical age is not so near as some writers would have us believe, and we are wise in rnak- ! ing progress slowly and discovering all the disadvantages before manufacturing' in bulk, or discarding arms which are : not yet proved to be outclassed. All the new- inventions have their limitations, j and it is on the basis of the latter that j the true value of the new aids will' emerge in the tests of the next two j rears. ' i