SURPRISE ATTACK

Evening Star, Issue 23113, 12 November 1938, Page 30

SURPRISE ATTACK

BOMBERS AND TANKS TEST ON SALISBURY PLAIN Tho first hig-scale test of Britain's new mobile division of the British Army, which combines tanks and swiftmoving light-weight armoured fighting vehicles, has shown that the speed-up in movement by ground forces is still insufficient to avoid aerial observation and attack, states a London newsletter. “ Aeroplanes versus tanks ” summarises the exercise just completed on Salisbury Plain, where the mechanised units of the Army were placed in positions which might arise in actual field service. The principal object of tho exercise was to test communications between advanced troops and their supporting air formations, and to ascertain the degree of concealment which could be achieved by motorised units on the move The opening stage placed the tanks in check by the river Avon, where they formed a barrier to troops wishing to hold high positions on the Urchfont-Salisbury-Mere front. At this point reconnaissance aircraft on patrol spotted tho hold-up and asked by radio for bombers. The call Was answered. by Blenheim monoplanes far aw r ay at Upper Heyford, north of Oxford, yet long before bridging units had completed their work the tanks were attacked from the air. " BOMBER TARGET. The next situation was planned to bring bombers to the aid of ground forces in attack against a defended tank-proof locality. This called for accurate reporting of map positions by radio from a mobile army transmission unit, accurate interpretation of those positions by the bomber squadron at its distant base, and finally attack on the right objective. The test was satisfactory in that the bombers attacked the wood where the enemy forces were hiding, and achieved their object. The third and most spectacular situation concerned the attack of a mobile section moving up as reserves to the enemy’s forward forces. “ Good target for bombers ” was the message flashed to the air co-operation base, and the bombers took the air. It seemed at first that the reserve of tanks might reach their main unit, but at the crucial moment, and from three directions, waves of bombers dived to the attack, converging on the column and doing their best to remove the “ good target.” These manoeuvres have demonstrated that the extreme mobility of aircraft tends to rob ground forces of security, whether in hiding or on the move. They have also demonstrated that twoseat fighters and medium bombers can usefully fulfil army co-operation duties in addition to their main roles in the Air Force.