ANZAC FORCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 207, 2 August 1941, Page 6

ANZAC FORCE

UNUSUAL SUGGESTION. TO DEFEAT GERMANS. (Press Assn.) AUCKLAND, July 31. The fusing of the New Zealand aJtd Australian overseas forces into one command was strongly recommended by Air James Aldridge, the New lork Times war correspondent', who*.; repeated successes since the outbreak ot war have won him a high reputation in his field. Mr Aldridge, who has also been writing for some Australian ‘'J 3 " 8 ” palters, is passing through Auckland with the intention of reaching Moscow to cover the war on the Russia front. . , , r ~, “An Anzac forte, said Air Aldridge, “could easily become the best sliocii troops in the woral. A combined tone would give both the Australians ami the New Zealanders their maximum effectiveness. . “the New Zealand Division is too small, that is as a single unit, to make the really effective contribution toward beating the Germans which the men are individually callable ol making, if we do this, if wc change the training methods and give them the equipment they must have, nothing in the world could stop an Anzac force; but we have lo realise, that the Germans have methods which out-date ours. USE OF BAYONET.

“\Yc have regarded the bayonet.” said Air Aldridge, “as the focal point round which tne infantryman’s training must Ik: concentrated, lhe use of the bayonet by our training methods is the peak of the soldier’s lighting purpose. All his training centres on the assumption that when lie tights he uses his rif,e and bayonet. I should say that in this war about 1 iter cent, use tlie bayonet. 1 have not yet spoken to a man who could tell me that lie has used his bayonet* on an enemy, or tired a bullet at a given individual enemy target.”

From his experience in the present war, said Mr Aldridge, he would say that the present training methods have been completely wrong, and for the soldier, dangerous in psychology. He had seen many men whose faith in the effectiveness of their weapons, the rifle and the bayonet, was never fulfilled, because they were combating a type of warfare which to a large extent nullified their use. “The Australians have possibly outshone the New Zealanders because of the publicity which they have been given,” said Air Aldridge. “However, if you get down to hard facts, I would say that the New Zealanders were equally if not more in the l'ray ill the last eight or nine months. One of tho things which we needed in our fights against the Germans was a picked body of mountain troops, and I would say that the New Zealanders impressed me as being excellent material tor this type of force, that is if they have to be kept as a single unit ’’