U.S.--CANADIAN MANOEUVRES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 103, 14 February 1950, Page 3

U.S.--CANADIAN MANOEUVRES

JOINT EXERCISE IN IN YUKON AREA ADVANCE UP ALASKA HIGHWAY (N.Z.P. A.—Oopy right) (Rec. 10 a.m.) WHITE HORSE (Yukon), Feb. 13 A crack battalion of Canadian troops moved up the Alaska highway early to-day under a protective umbrella of Canadian and American fighter aircraft. They were beginning “Exercise Sweet Briar” —the biggest joint Army and Air Force mid-winter manoeuvre ever undertaken by American and Canadian forces.

The Canadian troops are moving against Northway, which is 365 miles up the highway, and which is the nearest base of an “enemy” nation which theoretically has seized Alaska and is preparing to swoop down on Canada and the United States. More than 5000 Canadian and American troops are assembled for the exercise. The troops will be required to counter the activities of spies working behind the lines. The officers in charge emphasised that the manoeuvre was not to be considered a test of the defences in the area. They said that because of the prodigious effort involved in supplying and transporting forces, the task was more than a modern army could handle under fire. The exercise was a test of men and equipment under Arctic conditions.

The temperature at White Horse, where the joint Canadian and United States forces is based, is about 20 degrees below zero. The temperature near Northway is about 60 degrees below zero.

DEFENSIVE MEASURES PRECAUTIONS IN TWO WEST COAST STATES NEW YORK, February 13. War-time- air-raid sirens are being reintroduced in two west 1 coast States. The Governors of Washington and Oregon, who issued orders for the establishing of warning systems, said that their action had been taken at the request of the" Secretary of Defence (Mr Louis A. Johnson). They told the public not to be alarmed, as it was “nothing more spectacular than a good insurance policy.” Sixteen thousand volunteers were expected to be ready within a few weeks to man observation posts and centres for plotting aircraft positions.