N.Z. Troops Ready For Borneo’s “Funny War”

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30808, 21 July 1965, Page 7

N.Z. Troops Ready For Borneo’s “Funny War”

Deep in the rugged jungle country of Borneo, New Zealand soldiers are constantly patrolling and searching for enemy infiltrators along the Indonesian border.

Day and night the First Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment plays a watching and waiting game in some of the most difficult country in South-east Asia.

The country is rough and mountainous and the jungle is patterned with large areas of secondary growth and high fern, a legacy of the wornout rice fields left by the nomadic Dyaks that live in the area. Nowadays the population is being encouraged to use better methods of agriculture and settle on permanent plots of land. The battalion’s task is defence but. though the company and platoon bases are permanent, defended sites, the soldiers’ task is patrolling and searching. The forward elements are almost continuously on the move, ever watchful for signs of Indonesians, always wary of possible ambushes. They are well trained in jungle drills and can move fast in this difficult country. After a short time in the area, they have already bettered all times set by the previous battalion for moving between various points. Helicopter Country Even with the best of skill and fitness, however, the country cannot be covered by ground movement alone and the helicopter saves many weary hours in moving

patrols quickly to new search areas, relieving a tired patrol with fresh troops or quickly reinforcing any element needing help. The invaluable helicopters are also always available for casualty evacuation of soldiers or civilians. This is an area of few roads. Two of the companies can be reached by road, the third by a combination of road and river transport and the other is dependent entirely on air transport. All road movement is by protected convoys and the battalion has been allotted some scout cars for this. The dusty and rutted roads make driving exhausting work and keep the vehicle mechanics busy on repairs. Popular “Cure”

An efficient communications system is vital to a battalion dispersed as this one is. It is here that the hard work of the signals platoon over the last two years is paying off by providing fast and reliable radio communications links over long distances at all times of the day or night. The local population, mainly Sea Dyaks, are ex-

tremely friendly people and the New Zealand soldier is learning their ways, making friends and finding means of helping them by providing such facilities as daily medical parades and dental care for the villagers. This help can ricochet, however —at one village the medical orderly had to stop dispensing cough mixture because his patients liked the taste so much that an epidemic of “colds” developed in the district. Other units working with the New Zealand battalion include a Malaysian battery, providing artillery support, a British armoured squadron, a Ghurka engineer squadron and R.A.F. helicopter and other air support. One of the most common expressions heard in Borneo is “It’s a funny war.” But there is nothing light-hearted or casual in the way New Zealand’s soliders are carrying out their hard, dangerous task in helping defend an ally from attack by the Indonesians. They are well trained and ready.—(Army Information Service).