N.Z.E.F. CAVALRY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 55, 6 March 1942, Page 3

N.Z.E.F. CAVALRY

INSPECTION BY GENERAL FINE FIGHTING RECORD (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service) CAIRO, March 4. Lined up in squadron formation on the desert encampment, the New Zealand Divisional Cavalry was inspected by Major-General B. C. Freyberg, V.C., this morning. It was the regiment which had done such fine work in the Libyan campaign, culminating with an important and prominent part in the capture of Bardia and the release of over 1000 New Zealand prisoners. It was thi rex'iment also which was first to contact the enemy in the German thrust in Greece, later fighting, many as infantry, in the battle for Crete.

This morning, clad in battledress with black berets, they gave the impression of smartness, confidence and efficiency. In a wadi near the parade ground stood the carriers and light tanks with the sands of Libya still on the truck wheels. These were some of the fast little armoured units the cavalry used to such advantage and with such discomfiture to the enemy as the division pushed deep into hostile territory.

Inspecting the squadrons in turn. General Freyberg occasionally stopped to speak to the men. Later the regiment marched past, first in squadrons, then in fours, swinging through a cloud of sand as they moved off the parade ground.