N.Z. DEFENCE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 12823, 18 August 1939, Page 6

N.Z. DEFENCE

THE MOUNTED RIFLES HARD-HITTING, MOBILE FORGE OF GREAT SERVICE (By J. A. Lee, D.C.M., M.P.) Anyone who followed the fortunes of our mounted troops in Palestine during 1916-18 will agree that they put up an excellent demonstration of hard-hitting mobile warfare under far from ideal conditions, a demonstration which has not been bettered since Genghis Khan and his Mongols rode ruthlessly over most of Asia and Eastern Europe. If even one brigade of yeomanry or mounted rifles or light horse could suddenly materialise to ride once more the tracks through that broken country which they knew so well, would General O’Connor, G.O.C. in Palestine, aousider such first-class cavalry were useless and obsolete? Far from it. I venture to suggest that his feelings of relief would be tremendous possibly eclipsed in magnitude by the gloom of the Bedouins, who remember the Anzac horsemen very well indeed. “Be modern,’’ says the critic. “In the next war ail that fast-moving and hard-hitting business will be done by the tanks and the air. Cavalry as policemen may be useful, but for real fighting the horse was gone! Ai’nxour and the petrol engine provide the answer! ’’ It is true that when we think of cavalry we still include the horse, although it was eliminated as an effective fighting weapon 70 years ago and, next to man on his feet, is the slowest means of modern transportation. Yet in broken country the horse (or mule) still furnishes the best mobility, particularly if propeily supplemented by motor transport. Impassable on Wheels

New Zealand is a case in point. Large areas between our main roads are impassable on wheels;' in many localities only first-class bushmen would get through with pack horses. The latter are the natural complement to mechanisation in providing lighting transport for our territorial infantry and mounted rifles.

After all, under New Zealand conditions, there is so much mounted riflemen can do which tanks will never do. They have the advantage of being able to move with ease at night, without noise and without lights. They can. live on the coun-try—-which mechanised forces never, or at least very seldom, can do. .When you think that a modeni aeroplane loads, roughly, twelve gallons of petro per engine per hour, you begin to realise the immense problems that the supply of mechanised forces will entail. “That’s all rig,ht,” says the critic once again. “There may be a case for mounteds in New Zealand where the chance of modern war is remote. How about Europe? Germany is said to have 10,000 aeroplanes and doesn’t seem worried about the “twelve gallons per hour.’’ Surely there is no place for the horse with Maginot lines and autobahns.’’ Full Use? of Horses, On the contrary, it is significant that all Continental armies, while pushing ahead at full speed with the development of armoured and other mechanised forces, are making, full use of the horse. Germany is buying horses as fast as possible, even paying fabulous prices for them. Prance has doubled her remount seri vice and mixes horse and mechanised cavalry in the majority of her mobile units. Even always a realist in tackling defence problems, has this same mixture of “horse power.” Turning to Russia, where everything is done on the grand scale, we find that the famous Cossack element is b'eing thoroughly exploited; the .Red Army includes millions of horsemen as well as thousands of tanks.

Yet the British Army has gone in for a wholesale policy of mechanisation and motorisation. Most regular cavalry units are rapidly changing, over to light tanks or armoured cars; only, three, or at most four, famous regiments remain horsed. In the case of the Scots Greys, national pride was so outraged and outspoken when orders were issued to dispose of the magnificent grey chargers, that the conversion was dropped quickly. They are now doing excellent work in Palestine.

There was a possibility that .even the Bengal Lancers and other Indian cavalry, together with the few remaining Yeomanry regiments, would also swop the sabre for the spanner. But the pace of “modernisation” has slackened in the last few months, and the gospel of “drop the horse” is not being preached so zealously. Possibly this slowing-up is the result of experience in the wars (or nonwars) of Spain and China, where great reliance has been placed on horses.

The question is often asked, what can mounted men do against tanks and aeroplanes? They carry, on

pack, machine-guns which can be used for anti-aircraft action and very effective weapons to shoot up the tank. Moreover, their cross-country mobility enables them to disperse and readily gain concealment from aircraft, while traversing areas where tanks either cannot operate or would be restricted in movement. Again, this is borne out by experience in Spain, where Franco’s mounted infantry have successfully evaded and fought back at hostile tanks.

It is, therefore, reasonable to say that under modern conditions in New Zealand, where movement off the roads is so difficult, and what is qually important, where natural concealment from the air is so plentiful mounted infantry are an essential part of our defence forces. But they must have modern weapons and complete fighting equipment. New Zealand’s Effort

Since the Boer War, when the New Zealand contingents set such a high standard of efficiency in fighting and in horsemanship, the mounted rifle regiments have always kept their ranks full.

The reason is not, far to seek. Their methods of fighting satisfy the spirit of adventure which is so strong in all of us. Quick moving and quick thinking brings a variety and interest into their training. Again, there is always that affinity between man and horse which is fully appreciated only by those who have experienced it.

During the years of compulsory training, the mounted rifles remained in effect on a voluntai’y basis because posting depended on the tx'ainee being able to produce a horse. This naturally meant that only keen men .went to the mounted rifles.

To-day, that enthusiasm is even mo e noticeable. Anyone visiting a mounted, rifles camp for the first time ;will be impressed by the cheerful camaraderie which exists among all ranks. Onereous Duties Following the example of several famous British cavalry regiments with which they are allied, some mounted rifles units have exchanged their horses for mechanised trans-port-lorries, motor-cycles, and, we hope, ultimately, tanks of some description. Both with British and New Zealand regiments, the change has been made with regret at losing the good old horse. Whether mounted on horses or tanks or motor-cy- ’ cles, the mounted rifles share with the infantry the most onerous duties of home defence; and in undertaking, these duties the horse is not exterminated by, nor does it compete with, mechanisation. We must strike a balance without rushing to extremes. For hundreds of years the horse reigned supreme both in war and in peace. Under modern conditions do not let the pendulum swing too far in the reverse direction.