TRAINING OF INFANTRY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 223, 14 June 1919, Page 12

TRAINING OF INFANTRY

♦ . AN INTERESTING LECTURE. At the Garrison Hall, Buckle Street, last , evening, before an excellent attendance of officers, Major Thorn, who recently returned from tho front, delivered a very informative lecture on the training of infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel G. I 1"C. Campbell presided. Major Thorn, stated that in the early days of the war it was discovered that the infantry training was out of date, but during the last six months of the war there was no.fault to be found with the training. The training regulations coiilu stay as they are now, and it was desirable that the officers and non-coiniuis-sioned officers should make themselves efficient so that they could train their men and not rely upon experts to do the work-for-them. Another lesson of di° war was the value of ceremonial drill as a means of inculcating in the average man pride in himself and his battalion. The arms of the infantry were now more numerous than before the war, although the rifle and bayonet were still the principal weapons. The war was one of ma-chine-guns, und with every battalion there were H2 Lewis guns. "The Stokes 3in. mobile trench guns with a range of 600 to 700 yards now formed part of the infantry arms. Training in all these arma was necessary. The necessity of tactical exerci'scsrfor privates was also ono of tho valuable lessons of the war. The privates should ho taught to use the ground in the same way as the officers were taught, and the men should be taken over tho ground and. its use discussed with tliem. Tho training of infantry was divded into two parts—individual training and eolMective training. In the case of the latter platoon training was important, but it seemed to be overlooked by commanders. There was so much noise and confusion in war that comiuandscould not bo given, and it was therefore desirable that the platoons should be taught to co-operate automatically, but this required a great deal of training. Hβ referred to the evils of set formations. It was not advisable for a company commander to tell his platoon commander that ho must attack in a certain way; it was better to impress upon platoon commanders to attack in the formation best suitable to the ground over which the attack was to be made. Ho described the model platoon at Sling Camp, commanded by Lieutenant Andrews, V.C., which left nothing to bo desired in perfection of training. Ihe lecturer dealt with the work of aeroplanes in supplying ammunition, and the lecture, though highly technical, was decidedly interesting.