WAR GAMES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 23 September 1925, Page 5

WAR GAMES.

BRITTSII MANOE CVRES. TESTING NEW ARMS. HIGH SPEED TANKS. BY CABLE—PEESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. Received Sept 23 10.30 a.m. LONDON, Sept, - 22. Army manoeuvres, which are now proceeding, are designed to demonstrate new uses for cavalry, to test new forty miles per hour tanks, and to discover the possibilities of air force co-operation with squadrons. Sir Philip Chetwode commands thirty thousand troops (three infantry divisions, a cavalry brigade, a battalion of fast tanks, and three air squadrons). General Godley commands twenty thousand troops (two cavalry brigades, an infantry division, a territorial infantry brigade, a battalion of tanks, a company of armoured cars, and an air force squadron), i The operations are intended seemingly to test the powers of General Godley’s cavalry and tanks against infantry with aircraft co-operation. The manoeuvres will introduce new methods of mechanical transport, the latest experiments in the interception of wireless, and it will be the first time that territorials are participating with regulars in manoeuvres.

The centre of operations will he Andover, and the manoeuvres area will cover the country roughly between Reading and Treviz'es in the north, and Blandford and Petersfield in the south

Beginning on September 22, the manoeuvres will ocupy three days. They will be witnessed by Marshal Petain, Commander-in-Chief of the French General Staff, General Debeney affd Earl Haig. An official of the War Office explained that when the question of holding manoeuvres was considered last autumn, the War Office' was loth, to ask for the money, owing to the general financial position. Since then, however, the authorities had considered that- in view of the great development in new kinds of armaments, new appliances should be experimented with before being produced on a large scale. The idea was to regard manoeuvres as research work as well as training.

“We are going to ‘try out’ our new tanks, which will be a great advance on any of the older type,” said the official, who explained that these tanks, when not in action, are capable of travelling at a speed of about fifteen miles an hour on the open road, and ten to' twelve miles an hour across country. “We are also going to try out,” he continued, “several new methods of mechanical transport which will in the future bear a very important part in regard to the efficiency and numbers of armies. Then we are going to try some smoke-producing devices, which we are confident will effect the saving of some heavy casualties in battle.

“We are also going to experiment with wireless, not only in transmission and reception, but also in intercepting enemy messages by telegraph and telephone. Further, we shall try to go a step further in the co-opera-tion of ground and air forces.” The troops engaged in the manoeuvres will consist of an Eastern Force and a Western Force. The Eastern Force, under the command, of Lieut.General Sir Philip Chetwode, will comprise one cavalry brigade, three regular infantry divisions, a battalion of tanks, three army co-operation squadrons, a fighting squadron and a bombing squadron. The Western Force, under the command of General Sir A. Godley, will consist of one cavalry division, two cavalry brigades, one regular infantry division, one territorial infantry brigade, a battalion of tanks, an armoured car company, an army co-operative squadron* and one fighting and one bombing squadron. Lord Cavan, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, will be Chief Director of the manoeuvres.