MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18788, 18 June 1929, Page 13

MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

FROM BARRACKS AND PARADE GROUND. (By GUNNER.) Mounted Medical Re-Union. Members of the Mounted Medical Corps who served with the Mounted Brigade on Gallipoli, in Egypt and through the Palestine campaign held a re-union on Saturday evening at the home of Mr M. C. Craig. Lyttelton Street. Fourteen members of the unit who are now resident in Christchurch attended and the evening was spent in reminiscences of the days when they were together on * active service. Old friendships were renewed and incidents of which some had forgotten were revived. Imperial Challenge Shield. This year’s attempt to win the Imperial Challenge Shield by the cadets of the Southern Command shows that great keenness exists. Already 108 teams have entered, aggregating 4810 cadets, and it is anticipated that the completed returns will number at least 6000. Ail the ranges available are now in full use, opportunity being taken of the interval from parades necessitated by the postings Parades at King Edward Barracks resume on July 1Campbell Statuette. The following are the details of the marks awarded to the Oamaru, Wanganui, and Ponsonby Senior Cadet Companies in the Campbell Statuette competition. The figures in the order mentioned are as follows:—lnspection 96, 91, 86; drill 90, 88, 80: musket^ — 192, 178, 180: physical drill 93, 90. 80; attendance 100, 100, 100. Total out of a possible 600: Oamaru 574, Wanganui 556, Ponsonby 526. A Good Record. A good record has been established by two brothers, F. and V. Turner, members of A Companv sth (C) Battalion, Canterbury Regiment (New Brighton Cadets), from 1925 to 1929. These lads between them have won the following cups:— Ladv Godlev Cup (senior): 1925-26, CQ.M'S. F. Turner; 1926-27, C.Q.M.S. P. Turner; 1928-29, Cadet V. Turner. Junior Cup: 1926-27, Cadet V. Turner. Senior Challenge Cup (best shot in battalion): 1925-26, C.Q.M.S. F. Turner; 1906-27. C.Q.M.S. F. Turner: 1928-29, Cadet V. Turner. A K*w German Battleship. When Napoieon limited the Prussian army to 10.000 men—thereby expecting to put Prussia out of the running as a military factor—he merely stimulated Prussian military ingenuity. Scharn- i horst and Gneisenau, two Prussian Generals, found the way to beat the limit. They cut military service to one ; vear and trained a fresh 10.000 each ;

j year. In a short time they had a large reserve of trained soldiers. Now it is the turn of the German navy. Forbidden by the Versailles treaty to build a warship over 10,000 tons, Germany has evolved a vessel within that limit that is almost a battleship. The new Ersatz Preussen is | the biggest naval surprise since the first dreadnought. By using lightweight alloys where[ever possible, by welding instead of riveting the ship's plates, and by em- | ploying a form of Diesel engine for mo | tive power, the German naval archii tects have produced a vessel which they have armed with six eleven-inch guns and still have kept her within 10,000 tons. The 10,000-ton cruiser of the other powers are almost all armed with eight-inch guns. The guns of the Ersatz Preussen are said to have a range of 30.000 yards. They throw a broadside of 4000 pounds as against about 2000 pounds for the best of the recent cruisers built by the other powers. The Ersatz Preussen could undoubtedly pound to pieces an> r post-war cruiser before it could get into range with its smaller guns. However, in one point the new’ German creation falls below the latest 10,000-ton cruisers of the other powers. Its speed is 26 knots. The cruisers now Yjuilding by Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy and Japan are all to be 32 knots or better. If they cannot, single-handed, lick the Ersatz Preussen, they can keep out of her reach.