DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 12

DEFENCE NOTES.

[Edited Bt Echeion:] ■' ■' ' -• ' ' WAB OFFICE AND CADES ' TBAINING, SOME; BECENT PUBLICATIONS.

Apparently tho British War Office doea not share with New Zealand tho opinion that cadet training should include specific attention to the eerious. eide of the art of war. The following letter, recently circulated to G.O.C.'s and also to each Territorial Force Association, on the subject of the training of recognised cadet ■units, speaks for itself. /.-'; "The question having been raised sa to ' whether tho Arm; Council aims at standardising tho training of recognised ■ cadet units, I, am commanded to inform you that such is not'its intention, via ■■ the cadet regulations recently issued it -.' purposely refrained: from laying down any set -form "of drill, military exercises, or rifle practice that cadets will be expected to carry out, and it desires that general. officers commariding-in-chief will: impress this fact on officers who may in • future- be detailed to officially inspect cadet- units." . .'/" .-:/.v ::;v Tho circular goes on to state that sub-, ject to the authority of county associations, and with due regard to x the objects for which cadet units are recognised, tha - commanders: of cadet units are left a free, hand to - organise- and train their • " units in whatever way seems most approv :.- priate.. Neither as regards dress, equip-, inent, ror. arms 'is any rigid military staa>' dard insisted on by the Army Council, the;.carrying,of arms,.for-instance,in a cadet -unit is not indispensable—and, equally, the exercises carried out > by cadets need .not bo of too rigid a military pattern. Discipline, individual and collective, is essential, and .drill' of an ' elementary nature-is to bo " encouraged; but;igymnastic exercises, Swedish drill, signalling,_ scouting, swimising, dispatch- ; ridiiig, * bridge-building, ' map-reading,- and . all forms ot training that:-tend to produce' physical fitness and to stimulate mental, resourcefulness: should, in tho opinion of-the Army Council, be regarded as being of not.less value for lada that military drill pure and simple. This fact;.will, it is hoped, be borne in mini by; inspecting: officers, who, taking a ■■■■ broad iview-of cadet, organisation and cadet: training, should aim at encourag- ■ ing, and should officially report on those forms of manly exercise and technical •' instruction that come under their notice, ■

"Service Notes,": for the use of young offioers,/ non-commissioned officers, and men; of. the Territorial Forces. 1 By: Cap-, tain R.' F. i Skey, Carterton. Rifles (Fifth 1 '« Wellington Infantry; Battalion):-, Captain-: Skey's ' book', is ' a pleasant indication oi , he'/,' fact • that /. many of our.- territorial C" officers'are; giving serious attention to military study. The author deals' with: matters. concerning discipline, dress, cot- j respondence, : health fof j / guards, skirmishing/marches; musketry,' entrenohmerit,: semaphore' signalling, ana-, concludes 6ome interesting-."donts" The book should. be of great service to'-/ those'- for whom it has 'been written, and is: of convenient pocket size. , ■: Captain •. ikey is to be complimented 'upon-the:? ■ result of his labours,; and should find a steady demand for his book, which is published by /Whitcombe and Tombs,

Candidates tor . military examinations will find the handyvlittle-"Synopsis' of, the Field Service Regulations" (Parts-1 - and II), compiled by, Captain Muirhead, ■and published by Messrs. Gala and Polden, Ltd., London, of great service.:Vari. ous pages of redundancies in the - Field; Service Regulations Part ; L and II pra'< avoided, and every point of importanco r,carefully noted- '!

,• "Napoleon's European i Campaigns," ;bs . Captain F. W., 0. Maycock, D.S.O. (Sw*- -• f01k,.-Regiment), ia a; concise account of J 'the great Emperor's campaigns, and that ..v.i the context may be the .more;easily. fol-Vy lowed, the book is plentifully illustrated . with rough .'sketch. maps and plans, principally based on those of Alison and Haw. , ley, "and showing- the: relative. positions \ of the troops, eto. To students of mili* tary history, desirous of preparing for an investigation of the Napoleonic wars by perusal of a simple outline of thoir main features, :.Captain Maycock's book is r®« - commended.

■ "Signalling and Engineer Training" : New Zealand Forces, published, toy an. • thority,-; by the Government Printing Of. _ fice-ra handy pocket compilation of every-, thing that should ho properly, grasped: by ; our engineer and signalling companies, prepared under the direction of the Head. quarters ■ Staff at . Alexandra Barracks, '- The handbook includes a preparatory ref- - ■ : erenoe to the training of -the recruit sap»r ■ per. and: recruit.- driver, ■ an interesting > ohapter on*-the subject of driving and' stable routine/ some notes on the equip.; ment of men, , horses, and carriages, cinders of parade, drill,'.instructions tor Bad. d.ing and loading pack-animals, and oer&i >: monial. A Part H: deals with the Signalling Companies, their instruction' and' inspection,; telephone work, and- -brigades , communications; ■ while the- concluding; section' deals in a general way with pro. , motion of N.C.O.'s, examination for pro- • ficiency'badges, and. 6o on. Every , man • in the engineering and signalling _ corps should have a copy of this book in Ha. A.B.C. of tho Arm/'. (Gala and Polden, Ltd.; London), is an illustrated guide to those who seek a general .acquaintance with elementary matters per. taining to the British Army. . It is oom- , . piled by Captain J. Atkinson,, profusely illustrated/ and ideals in an interesting v way with the composition of - the Army— tho cavalry, Koyal- Artillery, infantry,: corps and departments, reserves, special < reserve, and the Territorial Army, the;,indiau Army, and oversea forces, paji, eto. ■ V : W-r s

During the. ourrenoy of the recent cob*; troversy on the subject of bull's-eye >vep. sus service shooting, much . interesting matter had, for reason of spare, to be luctantly held over, and since the,controversy has now closed, it is only po*. sible now • to ■ publish extracts of - a general nature. Here is an' interesting paragraph from a contributor by. "Offence be. fore Defence":— '[What is war? According to -Major Stewart L; Murray . ("The - Future Peace of - the Anglo-Saxon," ■; quoting ' from Clausewitz), 'war is an act of violence;ta compel our, opponent to fulfil onr will . . . the utmost use of force. an act of violenco which in its applica., tion knows ino bounds.' Von der-Golts ("Conduct of War"), says: 'War nowa-: days , generally appears in its. natural form, i.e., as: a bloody encounter o! nations, in which each contending, side, seeks the complete defeat, or, if possible the destruction of the enemy. When therefore we. speak of the /'defeat"' of the enemy, we' mean that, by tbe_ annihilation of a portion of his fighting power \r.e make him despair altogeher ofany subsequent favourable turn in the hostilities, .and by destruction we imply that we reduce him to such a physical and, moral state- that he feels himself incap. ableof continuing the struggle. - The vie. tor therefore" strives to compel his enemy to accept> the.-, desired terms of peaoe ,a«: rapidly' as possible.', Mark these A>ordi 'rapidly as possible,' for that is the German policy,-and von der Goltz is the ex. ponent of German war methods.. Tha shadows ,of coming- eventsjpoint to Germany, no waiting, no time", to pet may.. Hit hard and above nil hit quickly, io accomplish this object, or to -be piepared, to meet it, what is necessary,?. _ 'Spenser Wilkinson, ,Chichele Professor, of.: Military History in the University of Oxford ("Thoughts on Imperial Defence, Royal Colonial Institute, on June. 7, 1910), onserved : 'What is required by.••'■.the .rank; and file is such a: training-as gives them; a; perfect' cohimand of their, weapons,!, perfect command of the elementary: evo- ' rations—which are ,and ought, to be sim. pie—of the fight, the march, the halt, and the bivouac, and a familiarity .with the: duties of the s-c>ut and j of the sentry.'. They must also ha-, i' acquired the-habit of intelligent pbedienco and an , instinc. tive contiiieuce in their- officers and non. commissioned officers. In Continental armies it is thought that theso results cannot be obtained even in the: infantry for the average soldier by less than two yiears' continuous life in barracks, sub. ject to military law,'"