THE BRITISH ARMY NEW ORGANISATION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 254, 26 October 1937, Page 9

THE BRITISH ARMY NEW ORGANISATION

MODERNISING The Force. 12L )( The past two years, writes Liddell Hart, in The Fighting Forces, have been marked by definite steps towards the modernisation o£ the Army. Hitherto the post-war period had seen much activity o£ idea—there is abundant evidence that British military thought has for' the first time commanded the attention of, and blazed the trail for, the armies of the world. That development of ideas produced in turn a growth of practical experiments in mechanisation, tactics, and organisation. But the experiments had less consistency and tenacity than the ideas—sometimes they were illplanned, sometimes discontinued because of some contrary current, and then renewed after needless loss of time and experience. Meantime the Army as a whole went on almost unchanged, in a pattern that might serve for Imperial policing—with some improvised help from motor transport—but became ever less suited to the conditions of modern warfare. So long as money was lacking, and no foreign danger was on the immediate horizon, the authorities preferred to postpone modernisation in order to keep intact the number lof men and units. They might have i reorganised the Army on a smaller scale and newer pattern; but this alternative course was hindered by the system of financial control, by the Cardwell system, by mistrust of what the “politicians” might do with money thus saved for re-equipment, and by a natural reluctance to emoark on changes of uncertain issue. On the existing scale of units, the margin of money available for new equipment was inevitably small. Experiments continued, but no serious attempt to apply their results was feasible until an increase in the total money became likely. The Cavalry Passes. Changes have taken place in the j cavalry. The mobile division, con--isting of tank brigade, two machanised cavalry brigades, and ancillary units, was to take the place of the cavalry division, and, among other duties, carry out the former tasks of the cavalry division. Each mechanised cavalry brigade was to consist of ■one light tank cavalry regiment and two motor cavalry regiments. In the latter type of unit each section was to be carried in its own motor carrier. This change called for the mechanisation of all British cavalry regiments other than five in India and five in Great Britain ear-marked for divisional cavalry regiments. But “full cycle goes the wheel,” and a recent announcement states that the five divisions cavalry regiments in Great Britain are to be mechanised. This will no doubt mean that the five regiments in India must either follow suit or, as long as the Cardwell system remains, spend the remainder of their service in that country. The mechanised cavalry brigades, too, are to be remodelled so that light tank rather than motor cavalry regiments will predominate in each brigade, thereby adding considerably to the “punch” of such brigades. i The Engineers, Army Service [Corps, Ordinance, and Medical Corps have also contributed in varying iegrees to the process of change. The engineers now have their transport mechanised, all field companies are equipped with power tools, and the jridging equipment carried within the division by the field park company, though restricted to foldingboat equipment for rafts and bridges for a five-ton load and small box girder bridges for a nine-ton load, is superior in every way and more plentiful than that carried in 1918. Pontoon bridging, additional foldingboat equipment, and small box girder bridges are now carried by a pontoon bridging transport capable of carrying the dismounted portion of one field company.

The Divisional Army Service Corps now consists of a divisional supply column, a divisional ammunition company, and a divisional petrol company. The divisional supply column comprises two similar echelons each working direct from railhead and delivering supplies to unit transport lines. Each echelon works on alternate days. This unit now functions both as second and third line transport, the supply section of the divisional maintenance company being eliminated from the chain of supply. The system for the supply of ammunition is much the same as before, except that the function of the ammunition section of the divisional maintenance company is now carried out by a corps ammunition park, which has a sub-park for each division. The same amount of ammunition is carried in front of railhead, but a smaller proportion is carried on wheels.