MIMIC WARFARE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20643, 15 February 1929, Page 10

MIMIC WARFARE.

A “ BATTLE ” IN AUCKLAND. ARMY, NAVY, AND AIR FORCE. (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, February 14. A spectacular mimic battle, in which the Army, Navy, and Air Force combined for the first time in New Zealand, took place at Orewa, near Auckland, early this morning. The invaders were 400 nieit of the Ist Battalion Auckland Regiment, from the camp at Narrow Neck, supported by a New Zealand naval division and a section of engineers. Yesterday they captured Kawau and advanced on Auckland city. As they landed in the grey dawn at Red Beach, near Orewa, they were opposed by a party of artillery and engineers. An aeroplane scouting overhead helped the attackers to secure a sound theoretical victory.

The assault was part of a scheme of training for the senior officers theoretically. The whole of the New Zealand Brigade took part, and the attack was spread over a seafront of some 10 miles on whch the four forces were co-operat-ing. The enemy air force was represented, by a single Bristol fighter piloted by Major L. M. Isitt, who had as his observer Mr T. M. Wilford {Minister of Defence). The attackers embarked last evening on the four warships stationed at Dcvonport. In the darkness of the early hours of this morning a distinguished group stood on a small hillock overlooking the beach, including Major-general B.'Young, G.0.C., Brigadier W. L. H. Sinclair-Bur-gess (chief of staff), Brigadier H. Potter, Lieutenant-colonel J. Durgan, ano Captain Morgan. With straining eyes all peered into the darkness, but so well were all the lights guarded that the presence of the warships was not even suspected. The ships were two miles from the shore, and fleets of boats, towed by naval launches, had no little difficulty in finding their way with any degree of accuracy. Nothing was seen of them until they were within 100 yards of the shore. Then one keen eye saw the leading boat close to the reef at the west end of the beach. Rockets shot aloft, showing not only the boats plainly with the men fudging a t the oars, but also gave a glimpse of the grey warships against the background of darker grey. The sharp rattle of machine gun fire broke out from a nearby bluff, and a moment later a mine shook the beach. A battery of howitzers two miles inland began to boom, their objective being the ships at their anchorage. The -attackers dashed into the undergrowth and silenced the machine gun. The boats on the left flank had been waiting for a bettor light, but emboldened by this success they were pushed in and the men landed and dashed across the beach. They encountered little resistance, and before the second detachment arrived they had pushed well inland. There was little resistance, and by 8 o’clock the defenders were in retreat. The attacking array had pierced nearly three miles distant across broken country.