MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18890, 15 October 1929, Page 4

MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

NEWS FROM BARRACKS AND PARADE GROUND

(By

GUNNER.

Personal. Lieutenant A. J. Breach. Reserve of Officers, the Canterbury Regiment, has been awarded the New Zealand Long and Efficient. Service Medal and the New Zealand Service Medal. Specialist Cadets. An interesting development in cadet training is the specialist platoon for those taking engineering at the Technical College. About thirty of these students have been organised under Lieutenant J. A. Phayre, one of the masters. who previously held a commission in the Indian Auxiliary Force. Under the supervision of Captain J. I. Brooke. N.Z t S.C.. Engineer Instructor, the platoon will receive instruction in all branches of military engineering. The members of the platoon are all in their final year of cadet training, and- it i 6 expected that they will be drafted into >he Engineer Company when they are posted to the territorials next year. It is intended shortly to organise a platoon to be trained as Air _ Force mechanics. They will receive instruction from mechanics from the Sockburn Aerodrome, and when they are posted as territorials will complete their training in their branch of the service at courses at the aerodrome. Combined Manoeuvres. After last year’s successful brigade camp at Waianakarua, when infantry and artillery worked together, it Is hoped that all three branches of the Defence Forces, sea, land and air, will take part in the exercises planned to take place at Akaroa next March. The New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, early this year, carried out an operation with troops which was most interesting and instructive. The men embarked on the warships in the evening, and with shrouded lights sailed up the coast to the beach chosen for the landing. At dawn the attack was made while guns thundered and machine-guns rattled. Smoke clouds concealed the attacking force and aeroplanes*bombed the defenders position. For a moment or two it was most realistic. The details of the operation planned to take place in Akaroa have not yet been disclosed, but last week Commodore Geoffrey Blake, C. 8., D. 5.0., R.N., of H.M.S. Dunedin, Brigadier M. M. Gard’ner and Lieutenant-Colonel N W. B. B. Thoms conferred as to the arrangements. The troops engaged will probably be a battalion of infantry and a battery of artillery, and there may be detachments of engineers and the medical corps. It is hoped that the air force may be able to co-oper-ate, but there are no landing-places in the vicinity of Akaroa, and there are no seaplanes available at present. There should be no difficulty in carrying out such combined manoeuvres in Akaroa, as a landing from the ships* boats should be a simple matter in many places, either on the beaches or at the wharves in the bays. The shelter afforded by the magnificent natural harbour, too, means that the operation would not be so dependent on the weather as would be such an operation on an open beach. Artillery Co-operation. Dummy tanks, smoke and high explosive shells and aerial observation figured prominently in recent “battles” on Salisbury Plain in connection with the concluding demonstrations given by the School of Artillery. Drdwn by invisible wires, the tanks presented a quaint appearance as they progressed towards the supposed entrenched position of the enemy. They served their destined purpose admirably, however. The object of their appearance in the make-believe war was to present the artillery with an opportunity of demonstrating how effective covering fire can be. As soon as the tanks moved from their wooded hiding-place 18-pounders at the rear began to belch forth high explosive shells, thoroughly seaiching localities which might contain antitank weapons. The accuracy ol the shooting in this particular scheme was highly commendable, and it was obvious to the onlookers that under actual conditions an appreciable number of tanks would have reached their objective. The realism of war was further emphasised by the use of smoke sheils fired by a 4.5 howitzer battery. Operating on the left flank, a most effective screen was provided for the imaginary infantry. A section of mechanised 18pounders also co-operated. They presented a business-like appearance as they crashed forward on their cater s pillar tracks ready to deal with ar.y anti-tank weapons which might have escaped the concentrations of fire.

At a later stage in the proceedings the tanks were again utilised, but on this occasion they were opposed instead of supported by artillery. The tanks launched a counter-attack, and they were dealt with by a battery using indirect fire with air observation. In this demonstration an aeroplane working with an allotted battery located a company of enemy tanks moving forward to counter-attack.

The target was engaged by a battery of hidden eighteen-pounders. The aeroplane pilot sent a description of the target and the co-ordinates of the position, which he considered would have been reached by the tanks t>> the time the opening burst of fire fell—in about four minutes from the time he sent his first message. As each subsequent burst of fire fell the pilot sent an observation to the battery to cor rect the fire to the next predicted position, which he estimated the tanks would have reached in about one minute.

In this scheme the gunners were set a difficult task, and, although they got within reasonable distance of the raiding tanks, the latter succeeded in passing through the danger zone apparently unscathed.

As was pointed out to onlookers, this method of dealing with a tank counter-attack was obviously more applicable to country where tanks were limited by the ground to restricted avenue of approach. Many diiect hits could not be expected, but such fire might have considerable moral effect, and lead to a break of the tank formations before the attack was launched.

Tramcars were concerned in fifty.two accidents in Christchurch during the months of August and September, according to a report presented to’ the Tramway Board yesterday. The Works and Traffic Committee reported that public accidents for August weie: Collisions with motor-cars 9, motor-bus 1, motor-trucks 2, motor-cycles 2 horse and cart 1, cyclists 7, and pedestrian l; alighing from car in motion, 6; pas senger falling off car, I; miscellaneous 2; total 32. Public accidents for Sep tember: —Collisions with motorcars 9, motor-cycles 2, and cart 1; alighting from car in motion, 5; passengers falling down in cars, 2; passenger injured