IMPORTANT ROLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 178, 29 July 1940, Page 8

IMPORTANT ROLES.

DESERT OPERATIONS.

N.Z. TROOPS' EXPERIENCES

AERIAL BOMBING RAIDS

(From Xew Zealand Expeditionary Force Official News Service.) EGYPT. Jn'.y 23.

Although the only contact with the enemy has l>een through aerial bmnbing raids, in which they have generally been merely eye-witnesses, the various sec tions of the Xew Zealand forces havf played important role* behind the >-cones in British land operations in the western desert. Details of these activities ha\e not l>e revealed, l>ut hundreds of meml>ers of the first contingent can now proudly claim experience in the field. Soinei have actually Wen engagej in special assignments since the critical days before Italy entered the war. Admiration for the keenness and efficiency of the Xew Zea landers in all activities in the western desert hae been expressed by English officers. The Xew Zealanders themselves have enjoyed this new phase of their military careef. They have become versed in varying degree:* in the hardships of the desert, but they have been living under the best possible conditions, often within easy reevh of the sea. Many speak of air raids as commonplace, though usually they are distant spectacles. Memorable scenes of activity marked the exodus of sections from the Cairo training camp. The departure of long columns of lorries, ears and motor cycles, often in the first light of day, have become a common sight as parties began motorised treks covering hundreds of miles.