A.F.W. SCHOOL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 63, 10 June 1942, Page 6

A.F.W. SCHOOL

FOR A MECHANISED ARMY

In the modern march of mechanisation in the army the young New Zealand soldier is of necessity becoming more and more mechanically minded. As modern armoured lighting vehicles pour in from Britain and America and in ever growing numbers from, local factories, mcclh anical knowledge is becoming increasingly essential. A superficial knowledge of engines such as an average private motorist possesses would, not go far in an armoured lighting unit which not only has to knoAv how to run the various vehicles under its control but know how to maintain them in the field, to keep them always at the highest pitch of efficiency. Since manj* New Zealand regiments swung over to light armoured fighting vehicle units practically over night, the march of mechanisation has been rapid. Focal point of much of this newly acquired knowledge lias been the New Zealand Armoured Fighting Vehicle School where during the past few months thousands of young territorials have been receiving thorugh instruction in general mechanics, driving and maintenance, gunnery and wireless. In selecting students to attend the. short courses'at the school; preference is given men with some civilian background in mechanical Avork, but many of the students, raw rccruits from city offices or farms, haA'e an entirely ucav and absorbing subject to study. Although it is only a comparatively short time since mechanised units were established throughout the Dominion. progress has been little short of phenomenal. Commanding officers of the various L.A.F.V. Regiments in the Dominion recently visited the N.Z.A. F.V. School for a conference, and inspection. Although they had set aside half-a-day for an inspection of the school, they spent just on two days in visiting the different instructional Avings, studying training methods and examining the school's valuable equipment. All expressed the keenest gratification for the work being done at the school, for the excellence of the instructional methods and for the general enthusiasm of both instructors and students. During their inspection they saw men from their own regiments, representative of every district in the Dominion, stud}* ing in class rooms or doing practical Avork in the field. The visiting Commanding Officers left the school impressed Avith the fact that their men were receiving a thorough grounding in theory and practice. The students, usually after a six AA*eeks' course at the school, return to their units Avith a background of specialised knowledge Avhieh they are able to pass on to others who have been unable to attend the courses. With more and more equipment coming to hand, such men are invaluable in their units many of Avhieh avcre eaAalry and infantry regiments before the trend of modern Avarfarc and the Japanese threat made the change to mechanisation inevitable. With the speed-up of' production programmes and the remoA*al of the handicap of inadequate. equipment, students Avho have recently returned to their home units have had ample opportunity to make the most of their newly acm quired knowledge. With the information they .now possess, territorial units ace in a position to put their mechanical equipment !o the greatest possible use, to add their strength more effectively to thei Dominion's defences. Xew Zealand's mechanised army is young, but Avith the fully trained Ist N.Z. Army Tank Brigade and its powerful British tanks as its nucleus, it has become a force to be reckoned Avith in the battle for Democracy. The New Zealand Armoured Fighting Vehicle School, Avhosc i Middle East instructors trained the men of the Tank Brigade and Avhieh lias the distinction of being the first unit in the Dominion to be equipped Avith modern tanks, is doing a great job of Avork in equipping Xew Zealand armoured A'ehicle units Avith that knowledge that Avill spell the difference between defeat and A*ic-

Tory when the testing time comes