SECOND ECHELON

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 204, 26 August 1940, Page 2

SECOND ECHELON

ON THE MARCH IN ENGLAND

(From the Official War Correspondent attached to the New Zealand Forces in Great Britain) ENGLAND, July 20. Wild raspberries are ripe on the Downs this week-end; and from the brow of the rise where we restwi with Margaret in mid-afternoon we could see six or eight parties of pickers, women and children, and one old man leaning on his stick. W r e could see the sea too, the English Channel, with the wind blowing in fresli from France—or what was France. The sort of wind that brought William of Normandy when Harold's men awaitedi him on this same coast. The sort of wind, with a slightly different set, which filled the billowing sails of the Great Armada. A wind for .which Napoleon waited weeks in vain. And between yesterday arid to-morrow, so some folk say, another wouldi-be invader will try; for the moon is to be full to-night, or as near it as makes no difference, and the tides are right.

Up there this afternoon we were preparing for war in a solitude of peace. It was hard to imagine invasion nearer than the Normans, of whose occupation, and that of the Romans eleven hundred years before them, we could see traces through our glasses. Aftei nearly twenty centuries the footprints of Caesar's legions remain part of England; part of the peaceful pattern of green woods and colouring corn spread at our feet when we turned to look back the way we had come. As sunshine chased shadow from field to coppice and out again, loitering n moment yonder by the grey stone wall behind the church tower, we sat silent. Until the corporal impressed but hungry, remarked that it was an emphatically long time since half-past six breakfast, and; we had better push on. Whereupon the driver spoke to Margaret, who", tossing a lively head, swung about on her tracks and clattered off along the ridge. About Margaret.

Six or eight miles to the gallon Margaret does, and cin a flat road 35 to the hour when allowed her own way. Where there are no roads she takes to the open country. Other times, other company might be preferable for a long summer's day on the Downs, in sun find wind. This being the week-end it is, Margaret is a comforting companion. There is not a sturdier Bren gun carrier of her class in England. Others in the squadron haye more fanciful names. Phyllis, Southern Cross, Aoterca; but when it comes to performance Margaret is the equal of any of them. Our force, moving in its three mobile columns, is out for its first fu'l-scale exercise, the entire personnel travelling on wheels: buses ; transport lorries, armoured fighting vehicles, motor cycles and a few cars. The plan of campaign does not matter. It is practice onlj r . At least, it is intended to be practice; but we are on projier war footing now, and if a need should arise while we are in the field, Ave could be immediately I

diverted from exercise to action. Poinls that do matter are the spirit in* which the plan will be executed, the keenness or otherwise of the men in the conditions they will be facing for the first time, and the skill with which their officers handle them. Because even for officers with fine service records, as many company commanders and above have had,, warfare in the pleasant English cou'n tryside would be a new experience. This area in which Ave are is nothing like Northern France, where the New Zealand Division was last time. Still less is it like Gallipoli, or Palestine, or Egypt, or South Africa. We are training for a new type of warfare — : motorised and mechanised —in a new type of country. Our Third Day Gut.

This is our third day out, our second bivouacking place. At dawn wc shall move again; and after a route march shall embus to travel back to camp; It has rained every day so far: twice lightly, to waken us toward stand!-to time (about, which T may not be mere precise), and this afternoon, when we were moving from one position to another, heavily. But all have been summer showers, short, warm and mostly followed by heat. In any case, war does not wait on weather, and, given an axe or chopper and any living growth whatever, the average young New Zealander can quickly contrive his own shelter. For the most part our bivouacking areas have been among high fern or on the fringes of lovely southern woods, Avliere the free play of some with an axe has seemed a shame. Already in England we have may yet learn also to respect them. No Invader Came. We are back in our several camps. No invader came. Nevertheless, if he should come later, we shall be the better prepared to meet him because of Avhat the experiences of the last five days have taught us. Primarily, such an exercisie is for the benefit of senior officers—to giv: them practice in handling their men in the field, and—a modern development—to accustom them to moving everything by road, of necessity to timetable and- in a pre-arranged order. Notwithstanding this intention, the benefits accrue to all ranks.

Despite occasional tiredness and stiff ness after all-night digging and the longest march since leaving New Zea land, not a man can be found to-day who does not wish .we were going out again next week. Perhaps w3 shall. The Genei-al is to talk things over with all his officers to-morrow, t but it is known already th,at in most major respects he was well pleased ''with, the work done. Certainly he? saw more of it-"than-•''any-body else. Yesterday afternoon the three columns marched separately to separate embussing points, and the G.O'.C. wished to sse them all on the march. But also he wished to march. Remember,, when lie was training to swim the Channel, this athlete-soldier used to-walk 30 miles every week-end. So it came about ■ that Divisional Headquarters marched in the morning, with the General at their head;, and in the afternoon he saw the other marches! Embus Sing and: Debussing. In the field the troops lived well. Tjie companjr was the unit of catering, and stores were delivered daily by the A.S.C., which drew them as far as 50 miles away. Petrol and water lorries came twice, a day. Us* - ing petrol cookers in the , camp cooks rose above themselves; and from the thrice-dfally , queue with plates, implements and mugs, officers bringing up the rear to .be served from the common dixies, there w r ere few. complaints against anything but the nvaspsj which would not let the jam alone—and sometimes it was strawberry. Our exercise embraced embussing and debussing, practice in timed travelling, in halting where not to be seen from the air, and in avoiding aggregations of vehicles. We occupied defensive positions, dug our- ■■ ■ , ■ selves in, held them against pre- ■ sumed night "and"dawn attacks,, advanced from them, and retired out of them, We reconnoitred new positions, and either covered other. 1 : occupying them or were ourselves cov-' ered. We posted sentries, sent on! patrols and maintained constant air watches. When there was nothing else to do we .slept. There was usually something else to do.