THE SEMPLE TANK

Evening Star, Issue 24008, 6 October 1941, Page 5

THE SEMPLE TANK

" IMPRESSIVE JOB," SAYS ARMY CHIEF ACTIVE SERVICE TESTS TO BE MADE (P.A.) CHRISTCHURUH, Oct. 5. “ A very impressive job,” is how Major-general E. Puttick, Chief of the New Zealand General Staff, summed up his impression of the 25-ton tank constructed by the Public Works Department. General Puttick flew to Christchurch on Saturday specially to inspect the machine, and spent an hour and a-half at Burnham watching it in trials over all sorts of ground. The Minister of Railways, Mr 'Semple, and a Public Works engineer, Mr T. G. Beck, who were responsible for building the tank, were present. After his inspection General Puttick gave orders that the tank was to be tested immediately under active service conditions, both to see what its own behaviour was when its armament was in use and to discover any details in its construction which would be vulnerable to intense small arms fire from an enemy. General Puttick explained that the tests were necessary to see _ whether cordite fumes from the machine’s own guns became excessive when it was in action, and to see whether it was resistant to bullet splash. Intensive machine-gun fire and accurate closerange sniping would be applied to all points of the tank and its armament to discover any weaknesses. Asked whether the tank, if it passed the tests satisfactorily; would be copied in numbers, General Puttick said that that was a policy matter. Even without modification, he said, it was a very useful weapon for certain types of fighting. It was powerfully armed and of sufficient speed, and its only disadvantage was its height.