"WILL WIN ON LAND"

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 120, 23 June 1941, Page 6

"WILL WIN ON LAND"

TANK EXPERT CONFIDENT Major-General G. Le Q. Martel, commander of the Royal Armoured Corps, Avho is Britain's tank expert, foresees the complete mechanisation of the British Army, and is convinced that Britain will win the war on land. Recently he watched troops and tanks "in four days of manoeuvres In the Salisbury area, where a British armoured division was called on to repel a German '"invasion" in which a Panzer division was used. After the exercise, Major-General Martel said: "Battle as they may in the air, the Mediterranean, and tho Atlantic, .this war will be won by Britain on the land. I foresee the completei mechanisation of the Army "I do not mean that every soldier will travel in a tank, but mechan isation will go on until every bat talion is backed by machines of transport and attack. "The design of tanks is being im proved daily, but the tanks in the exercise are better than anything the Nazis have! at present." Built Tanks at Home. Major-General Martel has, had long experience of tanks and is one of Britain's fathers of tank warfare. Be;fore the war he was build ing and experimenting wit'« tanki in his own home. General Sir Archibald. W r aveH's Libyan methods werei used in the •'alisbury exercises, in which 60,000 troops took part. The staff officers controlling the •wcrcises are satisfied that, they showed the great speed of movement of armoured troops, and demonstrated tho organisation of the supply of fuel and food to nn army moving across a large terrain.