ONE ANZAC COMMAND ADVOCATED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 2 August 1941, Page 4

ONE ANZAC COMMAND ADVOCATED

NOTED WAR CORRESPONDENT COULD EASILY BE WORLD’S BEST SHOCK TROOPS Auckland, July 31. | The fusing of the New Zealand and Australian overseas forces into one ! command was strongly recommended by Mr James Aldridge, the “New York Times” war correspondent, whose reI peated successes since the outbreak of war have won him a high reputation ;in his field. Mr Aldridge, who has : also been writing for seme Australian newspapers, is passing thorugh Auckland with the intention of reaching Moscow to cover the war on the Russian front. “An Anzac force,” said Mr Aldridge, ‘ could easily become the best shock troops in the world. A combined force v. ould give both the Australians and 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 capable of making. If we do this, if we change the training methods and give them the equipment they must have, nothing in the world could stop an Anzac force; but we have to realise that the Germans have methods which out-datc "We have regarded the bayonet,” said Mr Aldridge, “as the focal point round which the infantryman’s training ! must be concentrated. The use of the ; bayonet by our training methods is the ; peak of the soldier’s fighting purpose. All his training centres on the assumpI tion that when he fights he uses his I rifle and bayonet. I should say that lin this war about 1 per cent, use the bayonet. I have not yet spoken to a man who could tell me that he has used his bayonet on an enemy, or fired a bullet at a given individual enemy tnr- ! get.” TRAINING THOUGHT WRONG 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 I soldier, dangerous in psychology. He has seen many men whose faith in the effectiveness of their weapons, the 1 rifle and the bayonet, was never fulfilled. because they were combating •i 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 Mr Aldridge! "However, il you get down to hard farcts. I would say that the New Zealanders were equally if not more in the fray in the last eight or nine months. One of the 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 1 me as being excellent material for this j type of force, that is. if they have to