The Wanganui Chronicle. TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1942 THE BATTLE OF YELETS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 58, 10 March 1942, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1942 THE BATTLE OF YELETS

December 6, Red cavalrymen took prisoner a German officer or the 9511 i Divisional Headquarters, on whom they found an order of tire day defining the tasks facing the division. They had to leach lines T and V and take up winter quarters there. The commanding officer of the 95th Division stated in this order that small groups of Soviet troops, allegedly incapable of offering resistance, and who would retreat without fighting, were opposing the division. Tire 45th Infantry Division, operating on the Soviet light Hanks, according to the German plan was also to advance arid take up winter quarters. Not only did the Germans fail to put these plans into effect but the German troops were annihilated and the town of Yelets was reoccupied r;y the Russians. The details of the battle are of no great moment save in two ri speeds: (hie, the importance of an army commander being in possession of accurate information concerning the strength of the opposing enemy forces, and two, the importance of concealment If a military force takes pains to practice the art of conceali.lent three advantages immediately accrue: the opponent lacks I information, the concealed force cannot be made the subject oi concentrated air and artillery attack and the element of surprise is mi ’ln- side of the concealed force. In such circumstances conditions which would be regarded as assuring defeat might be turned i to sneeess. as was the ease at Yelets. Til- lesson which is to be learned from Yelets by the New Zealand defenders is obvious enough: it is to practice the art. ol concealment in all its phases. This is the plan pursued by .Nature ■when it desires to preserve a species from extinction by its many enemies. Where the animal or bird fails Io provide itself with a eamoullage which enables it to avoid detection its extinction is a foregone conclusion. The extinction of a species usually results from a change in its environment: and it is the keynote of good tracking or scouting to look for disturbances of the natural order of tilings, By obeying the rules of camouflage, General MacArthur, now lighting in the Philippines, has been able Io launch eounter-attaeks agaiusi superior forces which are investing the defenders of the Luzon Peninsula. The essentials of Xew Zealand's dcl'ellee activities are patent : they are to prepare every th vice which shall impede the enemy and compel him to reveal himself, while the defenders conceal such devices from the enemy by making them conform to the natural j environment. A conereli- pill-box on a beach simply advertises itself and draws lire. A yellow clay trench ent into a green sward ill vi I es attack, and even though its posit ion be good from the standpoint of tiring from it, its life is likely to be too short to merit, the labour required Io lx expended to construct it, let alone tin- lives which would be lost by using it. Successful camouflage cannot lie accomplished in a few days of effort : some of it requires to be aided oy .Nature herself, such as the growing of grass over Ireiielies, and so defence positions which are to be useful must be const rucletl as early a.s possible. Every effort must therefore be made to speed lorward the deh'iisive preparations of tin- Dominion in order that the maximum of camouflage protection may be available amiitisl: the day of trial.