New Zealanders Help British Instructors

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30666, 4 February 1965, Page 15

New Zealanders Help British Instructors

(N.Z.P.A.- Reuter—Copyright)

SINGAPORE, February 3.

Austiralian and New Zealand jungle warfare experts have been helping British instructors to train the newlyarrived second battalion of Britain’s parachute regiment in the wiles of jungle fighting.

This week, directed by the Australians and New Zealanders, the paratroops took to the water in flimsy Borneo longboats, Malay charcoal canoes and high-speed armed assault boats. Director of this phase of the training was an infantry captain, Don Graham, New South Wales, who is now a jungle instructor attached to the staff of the British Army Jungle Warfare School in South Malaya, where the training is taking place. Having mastered control of the tricky river craft, the paratroops went into smoke-

screened beach landings and assaults under fire by Gurkha troops of the school’s demonstration platoon. The paratroops are in the course of a six-weeks’ jungle warfare training programme. The unit originally was scheduled to spend only two months in Malaysia, but Britain has said they will stay “for a longer period” because of Indonesia’s “intensification of her policy of attacking Malaysia.” War Lessons The Australian spokesman quoted Captain Graham as saying that techniques and drills at the school were based on “hard-earned les-

sons of World War 11, and successful Communist methods used in South-east Asia.”

Techniques of guerrilla warfare, sabotage and subversion used by Communists and other forces were constantly being scrutinised. The British Army Jungle Warfare School has trained men from Australia, South Vietnam, the United States, Thailand, Hong Kong and Britain.

The Indonesia-Malaysia dispute was among topics discussed at a working lunch given today by Mr Wilson for Sir Robert Menzies and Mr Keith Holyoake. Decisions to send Vnuclear bombers to Darwin had already been announced and further moves to strengthen the military position on Indonesia’s southern flanks were also considered. At the same time it was expected that Australia and New Zealand would now send more military forces, some in the guise of advisers, to help build up the Malaysian forces in the north.