DEFENCE NOTES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19314, 15 October 1932, Page 15

DEFENCE NOTES

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES IN TIMARU It is sincerely hoped that ex-mem-bers of the Regiment and citizens interested will interest themselves in the formation of a Timaru Branch of the Canterbury Regimental Association. The work of the organization in Christchurch is invaluable to serving members of the Unit. The objects of such a branch is to assist with recruiting, to induce employers to cooperate and facilitate annual camps and to promote social activities. It would help all serving members of the force to know that citizens are cognisant of the fact that they are volunteers, who are working hard that they may be of equal use, if required, as were those men who officered the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914. and who served in the South African War. The usual Regimental Mess Dinner will be held in Rangiora on the evening of 15th October. Officers from all parts of the Canterbury Regimental District will attend. The Commanding Officer will travel north on Saturday for this purpose. Second-Lieutenant R. J. Mason was detailed to represent the Regiment at the service held by South African Veterans on Sunday morning last, to pay tribute on behalf of present day volunteers. D. (M.G.) Company paraded on Saturday last, and proceeded to the range where the annual shooting practices were continued. Shoots A were pushed through and the officers and non-commissioned officers worked very efficiently to gain this result. The shoots are as follow's:— N 0.6. The purpose of this shoot is to train the firer to sw-itch quickly from one target to another, correcting his aim by observing where each successive burst hits. N 0.7. Tliis is a pure test of accuracy in laying and holding the gun while it is firing. Points are given for the number of hits recorded. No.B. This is a traversing practice, to teach the firer to engage a target of considerable width. His fire is directed in successive bursts to and fro across a target of some

width by the process of “tapping.” N 0.9. The gun is laid out, dismantled, some distance in rear of the firing point, and the gun Nos. 1 and 2 must forward with the gun, mount it, load and engage the target within forty-five seconds.

A great deal of work is necessitated before the platoons become efficient enough to carry out this w r ork quickly. The men must have discipline taught them before any shooting is attempted. The smallest act of carelessness on the part of a raw recruit may result in a range accident. The N.C.O who is to command the gun team is the product of tw'o or three years’ training. His knowledge is used to train the men and his experience, in many camps and courses help the work to be put through rapidly. Lastly, the man who is to fire, must know how to mount

the gun, load it, hold it, aim, fire and unload as well as care for condenser tin, spare parts and tools and clean the gun after the shooting. This work is carried out on the various night parades during the period of “individual training.” The next step in training the unit, after the shooting is the “collective training,” where the men are welded first into efficient gun teams where each member of the team does his own job and each job fits into a holeproof system for keeping the gun in action. The guns are then grouped in pairs, each pair being called a section and is commanded by a corporal. The section then learns to pack its guns and gear in its limber, to use the pack harness, to occupy a section position and to carry out all the auxiliary duties such as filling belts with ammunition. The sections are then paired and called a platoon under the command of a subaltern with a sergeant as senior - in-command. The platoon then learns to accept orders, pass them down through the chain of command, and carry them out. Report and message writing is taught and map reading instruction is given. All officers and senior N.C.Os. Systems of night and indirect firing are taught the platoon as a whole. Finally four platoons are

grouped, called a company, and placed under the command of a captain. The company learns to move quickly and in an orderly manner and without losing any of its gear or inconveniencing other troops on the road. It learns how to pitch and occupy a camp, to keep it clean and sanitary, to take meals in a clean, quick and orderly manner and finally if there is time to take its place on a ceremonial parade. It will be realized that every officer, n.c.0., and man must know his allotted place and duty, or such an ambitious programme cannot be undertaken by troops who parade on twelve nights and four half-days each year. A dance and social evening is to be held in the social room at the Drill Shod shortly. These functions are always well conducted. Attendance will not be confined to members of the force, and friends and well-wishers will be invited. Similar gatherings have been very successful in other centres. Before the unit proceeds to camp, an opportunity will be found to gain experience in night firing. Platoons will move to the range and practice getting into action in the dark. Endless confusion is the invariable result of the first attempt. Men get lost, gun teams get mixed, too much noise is made and when all is ready it is found that a vital part of the gun has been left in the limber. The second attempt shows improvement and soon after the gun teams are just as much at home in the dark "as in day time. It is usual to fire some phosphorus coated bullets called “tracer” to show all ranks the speed of the gun and the path taken by the bullets. The height at which the bullet travels is not generally realized and troops feel safer

when shooting is being done over their heads if they have previously seen a • tracer” demonstration. A recent addition to the armament of the battalion consists of four antitank guns. These guns fire a sin. explosive bullet, at a rate of from five to ten a minute. It takes strong, and heavy armour to stand up against such a fire, when it is well directed, and the machine-gunners' most deadly enemy, the tank, against which he, until now, has had no weapon, is thus checkmated. The half-day parade scheduled for the 15th. has been postponed until October 29.