PACIFIC WARFARE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 248, 19 October 1943, Page 5

PACIFIC WARFARE

I STUDY OF PROBLEMS ffi MSSION'S TASK DISCUSSED I (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Monday. i "In. May last-we in. Great Britain g ga w that the end of the war with. if Germany was in sight and that Ger--5 many's defeat was certain, and we did not want to be caught flat-footed lin the war with Japan—that was the inception -of this mission," said Major-General J. S. Lethbridge, who heads- the special British military nayal and air mission which is visiting the Pacific. theatre .of war to study- problems- of the war against Japan. It was an implementation of Mr. Churchill's declaration that as .soon as the. war in Europe was brought to a successful: conclusion every man, warship, plane and tank would be transferred to the Pacific for the successful conclusion of the war against Japan. "In its inception the mission was purely British, but the United States wished to join in, and so there are four officers, one representing each of the main arms of the American [ forces, navy, army, air force, gene- , I ral--staff and infantry, attached to I it," Major-General Lethbridge continued. "These are Captain Blick , I United States Navy,. Colonel Moore, I United States Army Air Corps' I Colonel C. de Ware, United States I Staff, and Colonel R. Robins, infanI try. In addition, to the principal I representation .of the Royal Navv 1 and the Royal Air Force, ■ Reari Admiral F. H.W. Goolden and AirI Commodore L. L.. McLean, I have f with me 27 officers and eight other I ranks of the three British-fighting i Services, . > . . - "Things we are trying to cover ! are everything but strategy, which I is -the-business of the combined ! Chiefs of Staffs and ' Intelligence, 3 witfr particular emphasis on the I best organisation for beating the 1 Japanese and" organisation of the I best weapons, equipment and trainI ing. The latter is most important: 1 Our-home'iorces have been trained I in methods "of fighting most suited f for the, war against Germany, and I there -has to : be- a big reorientatibn I for the war against Japan. ; . Changes in. Training "There is not the slightest quesI tion but that- after Germany has I been beaten every, man, weapon,j plane and ship" will be transferred to the Japanese theatre of war, and this will mean big changes," said the' general," with, -considerable emphasis. . '.'Men. trained for desert warfare, /for instance, think in terms of ranges of 2500 yards, compared with 20. or 3Q yards of jungle I warfare." - ■ Before leaving Britain the British I members of the mission spe'rif six f weeks travelling-all over the islands $ to gain the latest idea of military I invention, training and weapons, I and on arrival in America spent a I similar time visiting military instalI lations up:, and down the east and I west coasts of the United States. "We came out from there loaded with theory," said General Lethbridge, "and before coming to New Zealand spent 14 days in the battle area' in the Solomons. I walked J over every battlefield in Guadalj canar and' at Munda, New Georgia, I and officers of' the mission were ati tached" to combatant units to get I actual experience of the nature of I the fighting. Some 'of them were I attached ■' to the New Zealanders p fighting on Vella Lavelia. I also 1 saw new battle areas from the air. We are. now trying to sort out how I our-theories fit into actual practice." During its stay in New Zealand I the mission will ascertain New Zea- | land ' thoughts and theory about I Paqific warfare and will then go on I to Australia and to New Guinea, 1 where officers will again be attached 1 to combatant units, to"lndia, Burma I and the Assam border, r i Recommendations Sent Back "All-the time we are sending back i recommendation-when we are able 1 to arrive at firm decisions so that j necessary changes can be made, j particularly in the turning over of I certain types : of production, to I specialised equipment," said General I Lethbridge. - "The Royal Air Force J has been developed up to the present I for highly specialised branches of I work. Warfare in the Pacific will call, for variations in aeroplane type and pilots will have to be trained for flying over the sea to their targets, without pathfinders such as show the way .to them now. Again, the Royal Navy has been used to operating from well-equipped bases. In the Pacific it will have to be prepared to establish and operate from improvised bases. - One of the biggest problems to be assessed is the selection of suitable training grounds for forces. There will ..be. large numbers of Empire troops engaged and the difficulty, is to-find country similar to the jungles in which we shall fight which is not malarial. What is wanted is-a hot climate, yet not malarial. We have to train men.to gQ'.tfll'in great heat just .when they get to the stage when they feel they cannot stand, another thing. '"Some" "of 'the' country in .New Zealand in bush is highly suitable, bat you have too good a climate. I" am not going to prophesy when this war is going to end, but I will say that if we do not let up on Germany her end may be much closer than is ' realised. If we do let up, of course, the war against her might go on for a long while. But if we keep the heat up we have got him. It is the last 15 minutes of a Rugby match which tells." Members of the mission met the War Cabinet to-day when a discussion was held extending over two hours. . Thej'- were also the guests -of ■ the ■ Government at luncheon, over "which the Minister of, Finance,-. Mr.. Nash,.presided. ,- :