Diggers Arrive For Mock War, Borneo-Style

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30857, 16 September 1965, Page 18

Diggers Arrive For Mock War, Borneo-Style

Australian and New Zealand infantrymen will be fighting a Borneo-style mock war at the Little Malaya jungle training area near Oxford next week. A small group of “insurgents” from the direction of the West Coast will try to penetrate the area held by a combined Australian and New Zealand force, which will have company outposts dotted round similar to the deployment of troops in Borneo. The “insurgents” will be New Zealanders. The rest will try to find, contain, and capture them. The infantrymen will be living in the steep bush country for 10 days. There will be a small base camp, but the soldiers will be sleeping in the open with only their groundsheets for cover. They will be using infantry weapons, mortars and anti-tank weapons. Called Tasman IV, the operation is the fourth annual exchange exercise between the Australian and New Zealand armies. It will involve 96 Australian infantrymen and the soldiers of the Ist Battalion Depot, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

The purpose of the exercise is to practice troop movement and training on an integrated basis. An earlier plan to use the township of Oxford, with the co-operation of the townsfolk, as target area for the “insurgents,” has been dropped.

The first 70 Australian infantrymen were to arrive at Christchurch airport in a Royal Australian Air Force Hercules aircraft yesterday afternoon, but were diverted to Ohakea. Another 25 are expected at 5.30 p.m. tomorrow, together with 45, who will go to Waiouru.

A party Of 31 South Island troops—23 gunners from the 3rd Field Regiment, five engineers from the Ist Construction Squadron and the 3rd Independent Field Squadron, and three men from the 3rd Field Ambulance—leaves tomorrow for Ohakea to make up a party of 140 New Zealanders going to Australia for an exercise there.

Once the Australian troops have settled in at Burnham, there will be a combined church parade at the camp

on Sunday. After the Little Malaya exercise, from Septemper 20 to 29, the Australians will be taken on a tour of Christchurch industries on October 1, and take part in a tabloid sports day at Burnham the next day. On the evening of October 2 there is to be a hangi and band concert at Burnham. The Australians will fly home on October 4.

Australians Due Today

Fog caused the diversion of an R.A.A.F. Hercules transport aircraft from Christchurch to Ohakea yesterday. The aircraft, with Australian troops on board, was to have arrived at Christchurch at 5.30 p.m. Army authorities said the troops were to stay at Linton camp last night and fly to Christchurch today. At 9 a.m. today an R.N.Z.A.F. Hercules will leave Whenuapai with New Zealand troops, arriving at the R.A.A.F. base at Richmond, New South Wales, at midday (Eastern Australian time). Tomorrow, an R.A.A.F. Hercules will fly from Christchurch to Ohakea with 31 New Zealand troops and will pick up 60 more from the North Island and fly to the R.A.A.F. base at Richmond.

Tomorrow at 5.30 p.m., an R.N.Z.A.F. Hercules will arrive at Christchurch from Richmond with 25 Australian infantrymen and 45 Royal Australian Army Corps and Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The infantry will go to Burnham camp. The others will fly to Ohakea arriving at 7.30 p.m. and then go on to Waiouru camp by road. The Australian infantrymen at Burnham will train with men from the first battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Depot.

Cyclist Hurt.— Mr D. J. Fraser, of 23 I Sewell street, was treated at the Christchurch Hospital last night for minor cuts to the head suffered when his bicycle and a car collided at the comer of Rhona street and Buckleys road.