N.Z.E.F. Excels Sn Western Desert Training

Northern Advocate, 19 November 1941, Page 9

N.Z.E.F. Excels Sn Western Desert Training

(Official War Correspondent N.Z.E.F.). A DESERT CAMP. Oct. 29. Any statement that the New Zealand troops now in the desert are . waiting for their next action would not be i quite accurate. To say that they are waiting v/ould indicate a lack of activity, but in actual fact the units in the desert are training as hard as they ever did in the recruiting stages. Throughout the N.Z.E.F., units which suffered more heavily in Greece and Crete have absorbed their reinforcements and made them part of the units j with so much success that it would i appear as though those reinforcements had always been part of the units. Before the New Zealand troops ever moved to the desert this time the units had reached a high standard of training and had brought the standard of the reinforcements up to requirements. Since coming to the desert the tendency has been to harden the troops and the position now is that our soldiers are probably fitter than they have ever been at any stage of their training. Quick to Learn Recent demonstrations by British regular troops have so impressed our officers and n.c.o.'s that they immediately incorporated the lessons demonstrated into the training of ouv own troops. They have now gone a stage further 'and some of our troops are demonstrating new discoveries which will prove of great value in the Lybian battle. Once again the adaptability of the New Zealand soldier enables him to master in a short time what he should, theoretically, learn over a longer period. One of the most successful incentives to training at present is the introduction of the competitive spirit. One battalion in particular, one which has already distinguished itself by winning two V.C/s, is conducting platoon competitions in almost every phase of training. The men have put much zest ! into their efforts and the whole competition is an unqualified success. Particularly impressive has been the standard of fitness and the resoluteness of spirit shown in the bayonet assault course. The experience of Crete showed that the bayonet is not an out-of-date weapon and furthermore the New Zealanders showed they could use it effectively. They are probably more efficient than ever in the use of this effective weapon of assault. Into The Blue The monotony of life in the desert is being broken at intervals by units “disappearing into the blue” for a few days. This means that a battalion or regiment enters the desert wilderness in battle order and exercises in desert navigation, night marching and use of various weapons under varying circumstances are practised. Here again a high standard of efficiency has been reached. Officers from British units which have been in the desert for a few years have been temporarily attached to units of the New Zealand force and they have freely imparted much that they have learned in the desert in recent years. An indication of the degree of fitness reached by our soldiers was given recently when the first Rugby football match of the season was played. It was a trial game, and though none of the players had had. a trial run. they maintained a hot pace throughout the game.