MECHANICAL WARFARE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23581, 7 March 1942, Page 5

MECHANICAL WARFARE

PART PLAYED BY ARMOURED VEHICLE SCHOOL With tlie swing-over of infantry and ; cavalry regiments in (he Dominion m armoured fighting vehicle units, the New Zealand Armoured Fighting Vehicle School has been called upon to play an increasingly important part in the preparation cf men for mechanical warfare. During the last few weeks accommodation at the school has been taxed to capacity with officers and non-commissioned officers from all parts of Now Zealand, who will pass on their newly acquired knowledge when they return to their regiments. For their instructors they have in the main expert tank men who have had the experience of active service conditions in Greece, Crete, and (he Western Desert, and who themselves graduated from the Middle East Royal Armoured Corps School. The commandant of the school is Lieutenant-Colonel H. B. M. Groves, M.C., who played a conspicuous part with the Royal Tank Corps in the fighting in the Western Desert, and who is on loan to the school by the ( Imperial Government. The many extra students now at the school have made increased accommodation imperative and steps are being taken to cope with the greater intake ; of men. Courses for officers and noncommissioned officers of light armoured fighting vehicle units arc of : short duration, usually extending from three to six weeks. They cover wireless. gunnery, driving and maintenance, while there is also instruction , in general organisation and leadership. While most of the students have , been mere or less familiar with Bren ; gun carriers, they have made their 1 first acquaintance at the school with modern fighting tanks and are receiving practical instruction in the part placed by the tank in the mechanised warfare of to-day. Methods of coun- . tering tank attacks, too, form part of : the curriculum of the school. . The reorganisation necessary and the ■ vast amount cf new knowledge re- , quired when a cavalry unit changes over to a mechanised unit can be readily appreciated. Excellent progress is being made at the N.Z.A.F.V. school in fitting officers and non-com-missioned officers for their new task. The students have shown a ready response to their instruction and are qnicklv adapting themselves to a sylla- 1 bus of"training that will provide them ' with a great mechanical sense and a , true appreciation of the requirements , of a mechanised unit. : The establishment of armoured fight- : ing vehicle units in addition to the | New Zealand Army Tank Brigade will , provide greater striking power to the , Dominion's military strength, and will prove a more successful counter to the i mechanisation being exploited to the c full by the Empire’s enemies. The , establishment of a tank brigade was , a stepping stone to (he effective mcch- i anisation of the Dominion's military forces which has been brought closer t to realisation by the big change-over to armoured fighting vehicle units. { Both the defensive and offensive , ability of the country's fighting strength are receiving a tremendous fillip that t will enable it to play a mere effective ' part in the Pacific arena of the war.