MASSED BARRAGE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21603, 4 January 1945, Page 4

MASSED BARRAGE

N.Z.E.F. ARTILLERY BRITISH ARMY PATTERN COMPARISON^WITH NAZIS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 4. After a somewhat protracted journey from the Middle East, another large draft of Army personnel for replacement, with* Air Force personnel, nurses, W.A.A.C girls and canteen workers, has arrived back in New Zealand. Accompanying some of the officers and men were wives married in the Middle East, and in one case a young son, In welcoming the men on behalf of the Prime Minister, the acting-Primc Minister, the Hon. Walter Nash, expressed the regret of the Government that the arrival of the draft had been delayed over the festive season. Mr. Nash aiso expressed the gratitude of the Government and people for the great work the men had done. Just before the transport reached New Zealand, Lieut.-Colonel Harper, ship’s commandant, was handed a letter by one of the many Chinese on board, expressing appreciation of the friendship they had cultivated with the New Zealanders during the voyage. The letter referred to the common task of the Allied Pacific countries. “We, a group of Chinese students, are sent by our Government for advanced studies in the hope that we might, after our return, contribute to the post-war reconstruction of China, to make the Pacific Ocean really pacific . and the world secure for Democracy. There must be ahead of us an infinite future of collaboration, if the light of human brotherhood is not to fail, and the philosophy of oneworld cosmopolitanism is to survive,” the letter statad. Guns Under Divisional Command

Though the story had to be coaxed out of him, and then only in answer to questions, Major H. T. W. Nolan, who served with the headquarters of the Divisional Artillery, 2nd N.Z.E.F., said the most notable contribution of the New Zealand artillery was that it. was probably the first to adopt the present system of a divisional barrage as against firing by three independent regiments. This was introduced by the brigadiers concerned during the battle for Egypt, and this practice led to the immense barrages subsequently put up to support a big attack. The first such barrage was fired at El Alamein, on October 23, 1942. If an attack was being put on in which New Zealanders were participating, they supplied the trace or plan of fire for the whole of the troops engaged. . The New Zealand Divisional Artillery had probably seen more action than any other artillery formation of the British Army, others which had been notable being the 4th Indian Division, the 50th Division and the 7th Armoured Division. Brigadier Miles was the first C.R.A. of the divisional artillery. He was later captured, and escaped to Spain, where he died. Then came Brigadier C. E. Weir, now a major-general commanding a British unit; and now Brigadier It, Queree. The last-named two had been exceptionally young commanders. Comparing British and German artillery, Major Nolan said that the latter practically did not exist in the early days of the war. The Germans were then largely putting their faith in dive-bombers, and they used very few large concentrations of artillery; whereas the British, including the i New Zealanders, employed tremendous concentrations. The Germans had one gun, the 170 m.m. which was a fine weapon. It had a high-velocity shell which .burst before it could be heard coming, resulting in a great moral effect on those being attacked. What artillery shooting the Germans did was accurate. Artillery’s Deadly Accuracy As to the merits of dive-bombing and artillery, a “predicted” artillery shoot was deadly accurate, whereas dive-bombing could be very inaccurate. Every time German prisoners were questioned after an attack they complained of the effect of our artillery barrages, and how dazed they were. The Germans were tough fighters, and had to be dug out of every position. Major Nolan, who is 28, left New Zealand with the Second Echelon in May, 1940, as a subaltern. He had previously held a territorial commission with the 18th Battery at Auckland. He is now 28. and from January to August, 1944, attended the Staff College at Camberley, England, two officers having been selected for this from the New Zealand Division. The area where fighting was taking place in Italy was probably the finest defensive country in the world, said Captain D. R. Plumtree, M.M., and Lieut. H. Falwasser, a brother of A. Falwasser, the All Black, both of New Plymouth. The topography abounded in natural obstacles, and in winter the weather conditions combined to make it tough going. The German troops there were a mixture of first-class and “not so good,” but wherever the New Zealanders were the good troops seemed to be opposite them. ..Young Germans taken prisoner still thought their country would win, but the older men had “had it.” _ Warrant-Officer (11) Colin Wilson, B E.M., of Whangarei, spoke of the bulldozer in warfare. His unit ot engineers was equipped with these machines, and they went ahead of the tanks over blasted country, filling up holes and brushing aside demolition debris and abandoned vehicles lying in the line of advance. Whereas, in other times scores of men with picks and shovels would have been clearing a track, one bulldozer with one driver did the job, often under fire. Many drivers had been decorated, and he iecalled the admiration of the infantry at Castle Hill during the Monte Cassino battle, as they watched a solitary bulldozer clearing the track under heavy shellfire.