MEN WHO MAN THE GUNS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 9, 6 October 1941, Page 6

MEN WHO MAN THE GUNS

Protecting Wellington From Coast Attack BATTERIES STAND-TO 24 HOURS DAILY

Right from the declaration of war, the batteries of the Fire Command, or coast defences, at Wellington have been manned every hour of the night and day, with the full personnel required for their action at their stations and live shells on the gun platforms. , In fact, the Fire Command at Wellington fired New Zealand s first shot of the present war, a “bring to,” or warning round, at a ship entering the harbour which did not stop on request. While the people of Wellington has slept, worked, or gone about their rounds of pleasure, hundreds of men in this vital, section of home defence, which is often lost sight of by the public, have been unceasingly vigilant, -on the job, and ready for action. The coastal defences are maimed by the 10th Heavy Regiment, N.Z. Artillery,, which constitute, thef Wellington Fire Command. The commanding officer and Fire' Commander is Lieut.Colonel H. G. Wilding, D. 5.0., N.Z.A. The handling of a large body of men who, while on active service, have none of the exciting diversions that this brings to men overseas, requires a special aptitude on the part of officers and n.c.o.’s in maintaining the mens interest and keeping u. standard of discipline that is not irksome. lo stand by day after day, ready for an action that may never eventuate, is no easy matter. Practice shoots cannot be held too frequently because the life of many types of heavy guns is limited to under 1000 rounds. The best men on this type of defence work are those well equipped mentally and physically, who can find an outlet for their energies in the achievement of perfect action and a full understanding of the complicated nature of coastal gunnery. The man who does not put himself whole-heartedly into his work cannot be happy on coast defence. Gunnery is no mere operation of stuffing a shell into, the breech of a gun, taking a rapid visual aim and letting fly at the target. It is a section of army work where meu and scientific apparatus, correctly operated, does not go wrong. Here is thrown upon the operators the final responsibility, and it is one calling for maximum team work, intelligence and co-ordination or mind and body. As a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a man in a battery can, by error; upset the. whole work of scores of others. In action, this would be fatal. So, at the stations of the Fire Command in Wellington, there is constant .practice toward the aim of perfection in action. Teams of 75. The firing of a battery represents the culmination-of the co-ordination of words, movement, the collection or facts, and the making of .calculations, by a team of approximately <a. J-his brings about the laying of the guns to the correct lino and elevation so that the target will be hit. A mistake by one man will upset; the work, o£ all the others, resulting in the target being missed and subsequent firing being inaccurate. A Rugby side has la players who must move fast and in combination; every battery has a side of 75 to train, not counting emergenC 1 There are two types of coastal defence; counter-bombardment and close defence. The first is engagement at long range where it is difficult to observe the target. Special equipment is required for this work, which is concerned with targets miles distant. Close defence deals witli shorter distances and the covering of the immediate approaches tp the port. At ordinary long range the crew of a battery may not see their target at all, but so exact is the work of calculation of the co-ordinating sections of the battery, with their scientific instruments, that given the best service by the men concerned a correct aim results. . ~ Close defence batteries, working at shorter ranges, have vertical range finders which measure the angle of sight to the target and automatically convert this into the range for that height. The ranges are passed straight to tlie guns,-where the battery commander makes any necessary corrections to lilt the target and firing starts at ouce. , „ . . Another type of close defence is that against torpedo boats which, with their speed of 40 knots, might attempt to creep up the harbour entrance. These anti-torpedo batteries operate a spray of bullets on the pheasant shooting principle. Working in conjunction with the examination ship, the close defence batteries have to follow every ship that enters the harbour, with the guns on the target at a suitable deflection for a “bring to” round. A shot on the target is only fired at the request, of the examination' ship or if the battery commander considers the situation warrants such action. The examination ship is on the job 24 hours a day; so are the covering batteries. Candlepower in Millions.

The candlepower of the searchlights of the coastal defences is calculated in millions. They cannot be looked at with the naked eye from close range without burning the eyes. By direction from the battery commander they cau be trained in any direction he desires or operated by the searchlight station crew from orders issued to them by loudspeaker set ou a panel board in the searchlight rooms. The lights cau be regulated so slowly as to make their movement imperceptible. Power for the lights is generated by substations in the coastal defence area. These power stations are an example of the self-contained operation of tire coastal defence stations. The equipment is splendidly kept and a credit to the staff. All electrical Installations, maintenance, engineering work, motor repairs, and other similar servicing is done in the coast defence area, which has its own workshops and skilled staff. Best Men Required.

The demands on the capability of men engaged in coastal defence work mean that the best types are required it’ the command is to function efficiently. Besides a good mental standard, physique is equally important. Constant watching, the manning of batteries by night and day, unceasing practice, and other requirements place a heavy strain on personnel.. They must be kept in good condition and here their living conditions, recreational facilities and food are of major importance. As much as is iu the power of the army authorities lias been done for the men in these respects and the food is particularly good and varied. Ample fruit is supplied and they are encouraged to drink as much milk ns they can. A diet sheet for the area showed these meals as fair samples of an av-

erage day: Breakfast, rolled oats, grilled chops, “bubble and squeak,” bread, jam, tea; lunch, Irish stew, dry rations, bread, jam, tea, fruit; dinner, boiled mutton and onion sauce, mashed parsnips, baked and boiled potatoes, apple pie, tea, Sunday is a special day for meals. This is a sampte from the diet sheet: Breakfast, rolled oats, stewed fruit, eggs and bacon, mashed potatoes, bread, honey, tea; lunch, roast lamb, mint sauce, baked kumeras, dressed cabbage, baked and boiled potatoes, steamed plum pudding, whipped cream, tea; dinner, cold roast lamb, luncheon sausage, cold ham, pickles, beetroot, bread, honey, cheese, scones, cocoa, tea, fruit. There is fish every Friday and'such extras as peel as often as the army allowance of 1/9 a day a man will allow. With rising costs since this scale was introduced, careful indenting is required to give tlie men the type of meals indicated. School of Artillery.

An important, adjunct is the School of Artillery, coastal defence and antiaircraft, under Captain E. A. Anson. Here n.c.o.’s from all parts of New Zealand, who have already hud tiic elementary foundation, are given advanced training. Officers to act as instructors in gunnery are also trained there, and n.c.o.’s for promotion to commissioned rank. Tlie average course lasts a month; special ones three, four and five months. The meu who attend this school are taken in greater detail than is normally the case into the theory of their work, and given practical examinations in advanced training. This is a school which knows how to help itself. A good deal of the equipment required to illustrate training principles and lectures is made by the commanding officer and his staff from raw materials costing very little.