BIG ARMY EXERCISE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 23 October 1941, Page 2

BIG ARMY EXERCISE

“INVASION'’ OF ISLE OF WIGHT THREE BRANCHES TAKE PART IMPORTANT LESSONS LEARNT i Rugby, Oct.. 21. j Another big Army exercise, this | time entailing the “invasion” of the Isle of Wight, is drawing to a close. | British reserves rushed up in the j past 12 hours have turned the scale, | states an agency correspondent with the “British G.11.Q.” on the island, ! and the “Germans” must now de- | eide between the sea and surrend- j j The island ha:: proved an ideal ‘ ground in which to carry out an oxer cise involving all military units, Home | Guard units and civil defence. The les-j: j son that emerges is that the links be-j tween three branches must be streng-i 1 thened in view of the vitally important', aid one can give to the other. / The system of local defence commit- : I tees which is spread all over the coun- 1 try has been given a full and fair trial. ! . The wide range of functions of these I committees includes the conservation!: or destruction of food supplies, deci- 1 sion on rationing methods and com- i munal feeding, mobilisation of manpower to assist military road-blocks orj; carry out other emergency work, ar- j rangements for the collection or rapid 1 immobilisation of vehicles and preven-1 tion of the spreading of false ru- \ The dramatic moment in the present i exercises has been provided by a ! young officer who, with drawn revolver j marched into the committee room * where sat the head of a local defence ! committee in the Isle of Wight and the members of his staff. To a request that lie should use his ! influence to get the people of the island to accept control by the invaders, ! the chairman returned a blunt refusal. “The people of the Isle of Wight will never co-operate with you. You may shoot me first, but I should like to have the pleasure of telling you what you are in for,” said the chairWith a very fair imitation of German bluster, the officer rapped out: “Very well, Herr County Lieutenant, I hope I shall not have to put you against a wall this evening,” and marched out! of the room. Outside in the street a British artil- | lery colonel pushing forward on a personal reconnaissance, had been cap- ! tured by “enemy” forces. He made a j dash for freedom but did not get far, | and was finally put into a van with j other prisoners. The battle raged right through the !, main street of Newport, which the, “Germans” twice captured. Fifth col- j umnists got to work early in this town.! The general scheme of the exercise i provided for “German” landings on j three sides of the island. The “en-; emy” carried out a determined and I successful attack on an aerodrome, but men of a Yorkshire regiment, aided by : 1 sailors from a naval establishment j made an equally determined counterattack and recaptured the airfield.— 8.0. W.