BATTLE PRACTICE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 126, 30 May 1942, Page 8

BATTLE PRACTICE

HZ. TROOPS IN SYRT«

AIR FORCE CO-OPERATION (MeZEURr- OflHetad War Correspondent.) SYRIA, May 29 New Zeatanders and Australians combined In the newest Middle East training operations when. Ute N-Z.E.F.'s oldest infantry brigade group moved out to manoeasrest <m the Syrian Plains. Australian pilots flew above our tanks, guns and infantry in a three days' large scale battle practice. By the latest methods of close cooperation between the land and air forces, the planes were directed from advance positions to their targets, and our land forces advanced on enemy positions, which were plotted on serial photographs. Ninth Army Commanders and Australian observers saw the first demonstrations in the Syria liaison scheme that has made air support from forward aerodromes a matter of minutes. They saw air tactical reports that were handed to army intelligence sections within a few minutes after being sent in by the pilots. With the land forces were K.A.F. operators, and the same radio equipment that worked with spotters in highly successful artillery bombardments at Bardia and Halfaya Pass early this year. One operator, a Welshman, who was changing messages with Australian pilots, told me of developments he had seen in air co-opera-tion in the Middle East. In the first Libyan campaign ground operators carried pack wireless equipment with forward troops. Brigade groups become the most important formations of our fighting force. In the Western Desert it was the brigade groups that rehearsed the actions and brigades, working apart, that went to battle in Libya. Now they have rached a stage where in manoeuvres aeroplanes have replaced Bren carriers as their most forward elements. In two years' practice our oldest group has attained almost automatic precision of movement.

Within a few hours after the move was ordered, a settlement of trucks, bivouac and tents, holding a population large enough to fill a New Zealand provincial town, was formed in a peaceful Syrian valley. In one trial through the day and night, desert formations and the brigade's hundreds of trucks, guns and carriers were ready to move to action shortly after midnight when the first attack began. By dawn engineers had cleared the minefields. Wellington and South Island infantry had taken up forward positions, and the whole brigade had advanced to continue the attack. An aerial photograph enlarged supported reports from the Bren carrier screen of strong enemy field and anti-tank gun positions ahead. Tanks and fresh infantry were thrown into the attack. Artillery and machine-guns hammered enemy strongholds and infantrymen advanced with mortars, Bren guns and fixed bayonets. By early evening the objective had been taken. Throughout 1:i hours of operation the ground station took reports on the forward situation anil communicated with planes as thev roared overhead to answer calls for air support.