ARMY MANOEUVRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19142, 7 October 1925, Page 12

ARMY MANOEUVRES.

THE WONDERFUL " TOMMIES." AUSTRALIAN'S HIGH TRIBUTE. LONDON, Sept. 26. In the course of some comments on the recent army manoeuvres, BrigadierGeneral T. H. Dodds, an Australian officer, said: — "The manoeuvres have clearly demonstrated to me and other Australians present that Australia must have tanks, fast motor transports and anti-aircraft guns, and that we must extend enormously our aircraft. "We have learned a lot about the immense post-war changes which could not at present be learned in Australia. Many new ideas were tested. Some were successful and others unsuccessful. 4, Tho 64 fast-moving tanks were a perfect revelation, but the aeroplanes played the most wonderful part in the manoeuvres. Fast motor transports enabled the troops to be moved at remarkable speed., saving time and enabling them to reach the front line fresh, thus avoiding the leg-weariness suffered in France. "The cavalry proved , that it still is useful for patrolling, reconnaissance and fighting on the infantry's flanks. The fact that both armies were mobile throughout does njot mean that trench warfare is obsolete. Fighting always will be mobile where small armies are engaged." General Dodds paid a high tribute to the nsw British Army. "It consists," he said, "of youngsters who will develop grit, determination and doggedness in war-time. 'Tommy,' for the first two days, was simply wonderful, splashing through the mud and slush magnificently. They have imbibed the best Army traditions. "The two Guards brigades were the most wonderful men I have seen during my lifetime, in physique, steadiness, discipline and training. Many people think that Guardsmen are merely used for ornamental guard duty outside of palaces, but, seen in manoeuvres, they are soldiers through and through." Tho Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the Earl of Cavan, addressed the troops at Salisbury and pointed out the importance of post-war training. The manoeuvres, he said, had been exceedingly useful, correcting many mistakes and showing that the speed of the Army's movements must be increased. Other critics point out that the manoeuvres proved in a striking manner that the weakest point of' the British Army lies in the various speeds at which its component parts move. Tanks, dragon-tractors, cavalry and infantry—each has its own pace- Therefore, despite the talk of 20-mile-an-hour warfare, the speed cannot be increased beyond the infantryman's two and a-half miles an hour until the mechanicalisation is general.