OUR CITIZEN ARMY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2183, 23 June 1914, Page 6

OUR CITIZEN ARMY

SIR lAN HAMILTON'S REPORT

FOUNDATION WELL LAID.

HOW TO PERFECT THE WORK. THE DANGERS OF PEACE DISCIPLINE THE FORGE OF ARMIES. Copies of the report upon the military forces of New Zealand, drawn up by General Sir lan Hamilton (InspectorGeneral of the Oversea Forces), were handed to a Domi.nto.n- reporter yesterday by tho Hon. Jas. Allen (Minister of Defence). The Minister stated that he had intended to, in the first instance, forward the report to members: of Parliament, but time had not permitted of his doing so. The report had only that day become available for publication, and if ho had posted it to members some of them would not have received it before leaving for Wellington to attend Parliament. Tho broad features of Sir lan Hamilton's report are summarised in the following paragraph with ' which it concludes:—"To sum tip, tho army of today puts its best into its work; if is well equipped,'well armed; tho human material is second to none in tho world, and it suffers as a fighting.machine only from ivant of field work and want of an ingrained habit of discipline. The first of these can never, under the conditions of a citizen prmy, be quite mado good, except bv dint of war or by a period of embodiment mado under stress of imminent peril; tho second can and will bo -made good as well-trained recruite come on, especially when captains are made entirely responsible for tue instruction of their own trained men." hi another paragraph General Hamilton remarks: —"A striking feature of the military-system in New Zealand iics in its economical working. This I attribute- in.a largo measure to a strict observance of the militia principle throughout the constitution of the force. Not a single professional officer or non-commissioned .officer appears to bo employed whose Services, .with duo regard, to efficiency, could ..possibly be dispensed with.,'Tho Permanent nuclei, which form part of thoGairispn and Field Artillery ...units,' are cheap and r excellent', substitutes for tho •permanent units, employed elsewhere as a means of imparting .artillery instruction. New Zealand, owes much to those who had both the prescience to inaugurate- an experiment ,of this nature, and tho boldness to carry, it through to a logical conclusion."

Submitting his report to the Minister, General Hamilton, in a covering letter, asked for -indnlgenco on the ground that the ropoi't had been very hastily prepared, life also tendered his thanks to the Defehco Minister, the Government,, the'-'t'ommandant, and other officers, and others who had facilitated his inspection."

The report is a comprehensive document of thirty-five foolscap pages. In its earlier sections it presents a detailed description- of the military institutions of Now Zealarid, and it goes on, to deal with main ;,: fSiitures of'_tho existing scheme undoi*' such headings as The Influence of 'Peace," "Str/djC'of WarConditions: Essential," "Responsibility of the Soldier," "Nature of the Test Applied," "Result of tho Test-" "Tlie Cadets," "Economic Aspect' of the' Scheme, , ' and so forth. "Heaclquarters Organisation" and "District and Area Organisation" are each allotted a lengthy section of the report, while another section deals with "The Training of a Citizen Army." . : .

Tha Army of To-day. Dealing with "The Army of To-day," Sir lan Hamilton says that the Department of Defence, so arranged matters that he was able to eee every single unit of the New Zealand Forces, both_ Territorials 'and Cadets, during his inspection'. "Generally the authorities in the various districts wore able to show mo practical field work, based on reasonable and simple suppositions. But company officers not infrequently overlooked tho' absolute necessity, under modern conditions, of taking the rank and file into their confidence by explaining to them exactly the lie of the- ilnnd—the why f and the- wherefore—whom they were attacking or what they wcro defending. Orders were as a rule clearly and concisely drafted. There was too much tendency to tie the mounted rifles and. artillery to a preconceived situation which a real enemy would, in all human probability, have profoundly modified. Mounted troops especially should' -bo given as free a hand, as possiblo after being told the main object to ha achieved. I noticed that two-inch-to-a-milo maps were being used by tlin troops; it is very improbable that such a large-scale ma.p would be available in war, and its use in peace is therefore not as a rule desirable. : Organisation. ,"The military organisation is, in tha main soundly'-conceived and sensibly acted upon. I have shown elsowhcre how considerable improvements'could bo made in this, the fundamental basis of any army. But already the machine functions wonderfully well, as the largo crtmp concentrations have clearly demonstrated —not to speak of the. assemblages of cadets to central inspections, often over a hundred miles away from tno outlying headquarters of their'companies. Only a healthy organisation could have moved and manipulated such crowds of half-trained boys without a succession of mishaps and troubles." The Main Forca of Armios. Upon the subject of discipline Sir lan Hamilton dwells at considerable length. Ho remarks that discipline— the main force, of armies—is closely allied to organisation. "Such a sense of cohesion and of being under wise management : as a good organisation can give amounts iii itself to a sort of discipline. Up to this point tho forces of Now Zealand are disciplined. Further, there is a common wish running through all ranks —a wish to do well. Where overy one wishes to do the same thing there- is no strain en discipline. In this negative -sense also the forces of New Zealand are disciplined. But the real lest of discipline comes when the men ;aro ordered'tc do something hard and disagreeable—something which appears to them unnecessary or mistaken. To put it plainly, a deep moral chasm intervenes between a ten-mile march on a line day and on a full stomach, and a twenty-five mile march on a dark rainy night on an empty stomach. "I have not enough to go upon to enable me to speak with great assurance as to this matter, but I am iriuch ■inclined.'to think that here the forces of New Zealand are weak. Indeed, I hardly see how it could well be otherwise. The captains very frequently do not even know the names of their men—let nlcne their 'occupations and those of their parents. —their habits, or tho strong or -wrak points of their charactors. Nor»l|,ave the rank and file any real knowledge, in many cases, of their officers—half h'idden, as thesq too often are, behind tho sergeant-major's much more prominent figure. Tho officers are keen to teach, tho men are anxious to learn, but not until they do teach one another and learn from one another — not, until theProgimentnl captains themselves take'-in hand tho instruction of

their own men, without any intcrme-1 diary whatsoever, will the true disci- [ plinc—tho main lorcu of armies—mako itself thoroughly at home in tins ranks of tho Army of >ie\v Zealand. '■ "Nothing .that 1 have written, or sliall write, in this toport is, 1 am convinced, ko important as what lias been said in thy previous paragraph. And before 1 leave the subject lr-1 me here point out that the willingness and cheerincss of the; men—smiling and civil though standing in glutinous mud over their ankles, with an iced showerbath pouring down their backs—that tiiis very constitutional ciieeriness tends to obscure tho fact that Achilles is vulnerable at the heel. All these great assemblages of troops, in trying weather, and very trying also in some of their other.'conditions, took place with only one regrettable-incident. Were I merely globe-trottiiig-Mvcre, I by chance an intelligent foreigner instead of an old soldier —1 should say: What an excellent discipline! But, being what 1 am, I know that what held the troops together was a liner quality than discipline, but one, alas, under the wcar-and-tear.of tho hardships of a long campaign, more evanescent. It was patriotism. . I Patriotism znd Disciplins. "Let us but get a thorough habit of discipline on., tne .top of tue glowing New Zealand patriotism and uo one in this work! could wisli tor more. What is needed is that oliicers, especially company oflicers, should understand clearly that they are, for the time being, lathers and mothers to the lads entrusted to them for a brief period by' the State. They must know each man—not the name only, but nature or the man. 'J hey should be able to guess what he is thinking about without waiting for htm to speak. And, always, they must remember they issue no command from r.ny potty personal motive, but ever and only n3 tho responsible, trusted agents of the sovereign State. At present all this may seem too hard. Under tho conditions of training I have suggested elsewhere it will be much easier, and, should these suggestions find acceptance, I have no fear as to the form oi thoroughness of tl.o discipline which v-'ill characterise the New Zealand Forces. Training. l "I will deal with this more fully under the headings of tho three arms. All 1 will say hero is that the troops. can 'get there/ and once in face of the enemy can combine to striko a heavy simultaneous blow against his position. In attack there was less piecemeal frittering away of forces than l'Bnvc sometimes seen at big manoeuvres in England or on tho Continent.". Almost always there was an intelligent.attempt to hold the enemy in one part of the field, and to hit him a blow in the vitals with- tho main, force in'another. Tho defence was usually weak.in that the positions.selected and-tho'disposi-tions made were wanting in "depth. ,A force strung out in one long line must collapse at once against a iiank attack even from a small force of mobilo mounted men.

"Intercommunication.—This servico was onjtlio whole good. The signallers were keen, quick, and usually well post-/ ed. Not so much reliance was placed on telephones and telegraphs as on the Continent of Europe, and this is so much to the good. "Scouts.—Not enough trouble was taken,to select the men best adapted by character, education, and physique for this most responsible work. Tho senuts should be to an army what its antennae arc to an ant—to see and not to be seen; to determine for themselves whether to fire or remain concealed; to send back useful messages to tho comUKUidor: all these duties demand the best that-the company can produce, and are not to be fulfilled , by individuals selected haphazard from the vauks. The Mounted Men. To the Mounted Rifles, Sir lan Hamilton gives unstinted praise, remarking that Now Zealand is fortunate in being ablo to muster at a very moderate expense such a fine body or' horsemen. "The higher commands are in capable hands, the instructors arc ablo, and all ranks are animated with a keenness and initiative that deserves high praiso. Tlie result is reflected in the field-work in 'which 1 have inspected them. The squadrons move at a guod pace, and come into action quickly; and they possess in a wonderful degree (considering the want of practice) that cohesion without which it is impossible to handle any considerable force of horsemen." General Hamilton- speaks well also of the quality and condition-of the horses and the nerve of their riders, instancing, amongst others, an occasion on which the scouts of a brigade "popped over a five-strand wiro fence as if it. had been a two-foot drain." : . A largo proportion of the saddles are not suitable for military work, and ultimately the provision of regulation saddles will have to lie faced. After some further detail criticisms and commendations of thn mounted rifles, General Hamilton remarks:—"Finally, I can only say I have served in war already with New Zealand Mounted Rifles, and 1 should esteem myself lucky indeed if ever I had tho jihod fortune to encounter Contin-enM-J! cavalry in reasonably broken grouiiil with them at my right hand.' , Tho Field Artillery. Reporting upon the Field Artillery, General Hamilton says: : —'The system under which the permanent cadre of men and horses is always distributed among the batteries is excellent. It is an example of tho best way in which an army organised on militia lines should utilise its stiffening of Regulars. The barracks constructed for the batteries are well suited for the purpose, and they are conveniently situated, so that the home training in gun drill, laying, equitation, driving, etc., can bo carried out efficiently and economically, and the best use can bo made of the permanent cadre." Tlie horses that have been bought, he states, are of a good type, but tho hired horses were lacking in stamina for a long spell of heavy work. "In tho combined operations that I witnessed, the Artillery was generally well handled; tho batteries were be-Idly dispersed to give cross-fire, and they had definite roles allotted to them." Ho states that the present nine days' camp does not afford a sufficient period for artillery training, and that there would bo little difficulty in filling the batteries oven if a fifteen days' camp wero made compulsory. Aβ a compromise between advocates of this view and tho economists, he suggests that an extra three days' training might bo given tho Artillery'. Carrison Artillery. Sir Tan Hamilton gives great commendation to the Garrison Artillery, but recommends that tho practice targets should be made to approximate, more closely to tho run of an enemy's ship. In most cases the guns would be confronted with a ship running in towards them, tho range changing rapidly, the practice target as a rule is run as a ship moving across the front, and changing range very slowly, if at all.

The Engineers. "The Engineers I saw ia the field were men of high intelligence, and they were doing good work. A bridge that they had made over ft rapid stream near one of the camps was very well constructed, and was—us is not always the casethrown across the obstacle- at'a place whero it was of real use. 1 consider that the liekl companies are best employed during training in carrying out this sort of work. They should not' as a rule occupy themselves in siting or constructing trenches for the Infantry, who should l>n sclf-sufTiciiiK ill sudi elementary work. "In another camp Iho hud weather "avo the Knginccrs .-in opportunity to volnntorr fot> somo particularly bard, disagreeable duties, winch they carried

out in trying circumstances Willi groat spirit r.nd determination. AltojrotiuH" this is. an oxc-.-iHoiit brntich of Iho Nev; Zealand .service." The Infantry. Speaking <if Iho infantry, General; Hamilton says:—"l saw the whole of t!io infantry, including; the cosst-du-i'ciH.'ft troops, at field 'work, in mast cases in combination with the other arms. The higher leaders shewed aptitude and training; evidently they had thought and ponderal over the problems with which' they were faced. The junior oflicers wore keenness personified, but a proportion—perhaps one-half—hud neither a thorough grip ever their men nor a mastery of the situation, nor, again, a practised ,eyo for country. These young officers proved, first, that the system had not yet enabled them to get hi to iuiiinato touch with'their subordinates; second* lv, that, as might be expected, tiiekordinary business avocations had not granted them sufficient leisure for any 'out-of-school' study of soldiering. "Still, on the whole, 1 tliiuff tli-ere is good promise for the future even in cases where there is iiow much room for it. Enthusiasm is after all the greatest of assets, and the capacity shown by niaiiy of the .senior* ahd n, proportion of the juniors is good n-ugury for tho time when the pretence of the Duutrooii Cadets should mako itself mightily felt. Several times wlten i set a commander a little problem Texturing nerve and initiative, I found that the troops wero deployed for action quickly and in a manner that would make for success. On other occasions, no doubt, more imagination would hams led to better results, as, for instance, when, troops advanced under a heavy fire up a level, open valley, when there were well-covered fire positiojis in tlie foothills on both sides. Hat it is easy lo criticiso at manoeuvres, a-fld, a& I began by saying, there is very gooel pro* miso in tho New Zealand corps of officers of infantry." After dealing at length with the vari. ous matters of detail, "General Hamilton concludes his references to the infantry as follows:--"After a comparatively (short period of continuous training the infantry would, in my opinion, be ready for war as regards tho tactfcai effic> ency. But there is another attribute that is vitally necessary. l)iscipU.H£—* the modern discipline of. respect—is a plant of slow growtli; if this dreipfiiKi is to.stand the searching tost of war. those in authority must have gftiiwd the respect of fiieir men through a lons period of peace training, Far ink reason I reconimend 'that tiro best'of tlio non-commissioned officers be offered every inducement to- serve on after their compulsory years of training aro finished."

Army Service Corps. "The large camps this yfcar hare mweli great demands oii tliß Army' -Service Corps, whose task has not hetin made lighter hy the bad weather. The very ■highest credit is due to the Army Servico Corps officers of the districts Mid to their men. They have done first* class service, although, as a rule, undermanned to an extent that tvould fill a labour union with horror. "When tho Army Service Corps units arc up to their normal strength, a suitable system of calling tit© men up to camp in relays will enable the uecessary .duties to bo earned cMt as efficiently and with rafroh less, strain on the personnel. "I am not sure, that quite enoifg'a caro is taken at present in selecting men of the most suitable tratfes for this branch. Much of the Army Service Corps' work is of a highly teclwtcal nature, and expert knowledge is eS'eiitial. TJiia matter will no dojibt receive careful attention. Medical Corps. "The field ambulance* arc organised on tho right lines, attd every use- is made of men whose civilian training fits them for tho work. Hero *o have ast admirable object-lesson of th<j value of expert civilians running an equivalent branch in tho Army, for iastawe, I came across a number of medical students .in the .ranks working Witter an officer who was their lecturer in their college. Half the towers of being wounded disappear under such excellent conditions." The Senior Cstlefs. Cadet-training is'dealt .with at length. General Hamilton saw_ everj; Senior Cadet unit in tho Dominion, and, ntecother, inspected, over 17,800 cadets. The boys' physique, oh" ajj average, ho states, was high, and ho never wishes to seo a happier, more dlecry-looldilg crowd. l'raiso is accorded to the es* cellcnt arrangements matlo for bringing the boys together, feeding and housing them, and in this connection jMChMoh is made of the invaluable aid rendered by tho ladies of tho Victoria League, Country boys, it is remarked,, ofteft have to cycle weary distances, after milking many cows, to -attend their drills. Consequently, on parade, the town boys were, as a rule* steadier, but, still, wherever there was a. .zealous instructor with a turn for handling boys,, the country companies also gave an admirable ' showing. General Hamilton; recommends that a system sbaoM be. devised under which the hoys co'iild bo collected for a few days , company concentration every year, instead of going "long distances to attend (frills at wbicli small numbers are present. "On oiio or two occasions I saw cadets at fieHwork. They attacked with great dash and enthusiasm, but without science or forethought, The subordinate leading of the squads and sections leaves most room for improvement. Tr« cadets might, I think, bo provided with a. creatcoat or cape as soon ss funds admit. Some of the units, of tile. Officers', Training Corps in Great Britain, wear inexpensivo capes that might bo copied here."

On the moral side—the great side — of cadet training, @r?stersl HamiltiHi remarks, in concluding this section fll his report, "I do not propose to tench, I have so often referred in speeches sad addresses to the national advantage that must come from intredKtjng tho altruistic principle of eouiradosbip as an antidoto to the .prinepfos of threatcuttiiifr engenderod by eoujpetitivo examinations, that I shall say no more mi that subject here, except to express daw own firm personal •coHvicUeh that ss finer or more patriotic piece of work was never put in hancl than that- which is noiv toacliing tho yfmth of tin's fwtunato land to stand shcmlcler to shouklor n> the ranks." Our War M.adhinfe "Reviewing' tho main features of tho existing scheme General Hamilton says that all military institutions should be built to be aa peace-proof as possible: "if they are to stand tiio strain of war if. is essential that tliey should offer no foothold to tho steady sapplng ami mining of politics." The meinc-nt \var conditions are lost sight of, ho goes on to remark, the mind of tJio nation be* gins to suffer from dangerous illusion's-, The military machino of New JSenland, ho states, lias been «\il)jecte«l to a severer trial than that of ftnv portion of the Empire ever inspected Tjy hisn. "The elements themselves .wem to- havft leagued themselves with me in adding some of the genuine discomfort 3 ci' war to my mimic campaigns." "Has Stood the Ratfkot." "I may as well admit straight awny," (JoniMal Hamilton continues, "that itto macliino has stood the raelcet. Ono <>f two little jars there havo hoen—«:>f so imich every one who reads tfi« paper!! is aware.. Tho land farces of New.Zealand arc not perfect, or anywhere near perfect: In.sumo respects tlevctopmc'ufc mny ho backward. Jiiit at least I am able to report, broadly, that, thi* progress maflo dining the past three veais, iu niv'ing ihapn lu a, real nntsoitnt avw.v iu New ikalaud, has lieea- -siiigu-iariy

rapid. Further, in my opinion, rlio general linos ou which the organisation and training of tt»o Citizen force, and of the Cadets, have been laid down, arc sound. Hero .awl there 1 'shall, later oil, propose -readjustments, but iho changes suggested arc such as can readily bo etfsetod without radically alterjii!s any existing inatiUUimis. tJnquostionably tberc is a good prospect of a practical war machine, iUid one admir» ably suited to tiro needs of heme defence,'being ultimately produced. That this is so is due oviM\y wit as much t«v the jxitriotisiii oE t-ho people :is to the wisdosu of the military authorities." Developments Necessary, . Summarising, detailed observations in the btxJy of his report, General Hamilton remarks: — !, I have ijern. iidvooated nothing startling or miraculous. New Zealand is not advised to travel to distant Abaua and I'fiarpai , , hut only to give its om fainilar Jotdau a fair trial. For three years past iho root principles and the mettals how recommended have boen recognised, raoro or fcss, and have also besfl-mnrc «.t less applied. Set the soul of thoroughness ou a great work already at least halt' finished; that is the crux of my advice. "Beyond question the training of the Territorial i'orco has now reached a utage of development which will admit of the detachment of tire msti-ue-tional staff front units being carried one step-further. Beyottd question regimental officers will soon be capable of nmning ith-wr owu show with much less adventitious aid frofli regular adjutants ami sergeants-major than they have Mfhe-rto enjoyed. .For routine work during camp training,'and in tiio field,' these regular assistants iaay still lie iftdispensaMe, 'rat at other times the best -port of their work could quite adequately be performed by assistant adjutants and by permanent quai'teraastefiwrgqa'nte.of ajijts. For, in ftitttre, unit comuiaiidets will neither Iravo rpeponsitiility for the training of recruits Dor, under tie proposals'.in Section IV, will they heneafdrth be burdened tvlta a mass of office .work.

"I reooKimenej, therefore, that it s.honlct be within .the pow«r of district commanders to decide to what- estont ike serviqes ef any, member of t!ie permanent instrtietional etaff , should at various jperiods. of tlte year bo placed at t!ib disposal of-the unit commanders, Otk'fwiso they should be regarded as being normall,v under the orders, of the area comitis-naers. Effect of Such DevoiotuncntSi ''The greater part of the time of-all permanent instructors, both'officers and non-boijiiais.si6ived officers, should thus be ui&de available-for wsrk nuder'th-s area ceuujiaridcr eitlier for the training of CaJots, Territer.la.l-. recruits, g<r»oral traiuiijg.saction, &-<A reservists. Suck work slwmld be awiiiiged strictly on a localigcd .basis> -Nan-sComiiiissie.tted officers sliould have allotted, to tli-eni well-da. &iet{ sab-areas to work over, and officer histr'neWs should supervise "tjie. work of a group of two or'three iimicommis* stoned offices, besides taking their part in the instruction rf Territorial officers and noncommissioned officers. By this meaiis all overlapping of instructional duties will be avoided and* a considerable cash saving should Us realised. "With Caclot- aael. jectait training; placed in the hands of an 'adeqtui.tc staff of expert ihstrwiets; with squadrons and companies brongiit toßether for n definite period in each year within the grasp of t'tek «wa commanders; and with the fmictious of regimental, brigade, and dtvisioual comnifijiclcrs accurately dcSned,' the traijiing d the Twritorial Poroc will be put on a really scientific footing. "There Is very little money involved in these jKidjiisiments of tlio (Machine, Indeed, it is inj' own strong impression that tflio saving in the travelling esponses iwul tlj« detetition altowancos of instructors' a-ml in the' overia]spiu,c;s of" functions pi nil sorts will, quite ajjavt fremi priijefess eff«i&n.oy, just about tnake good the only extni cost—tlio mid, Jiumely, of a certain mtrnber f>f srii.iadron, company, and cadet concentrations, with their atterwlant- ta.tioHs and fwaijo, "Lot New Zealand be,thorough and thwouglily talHv th« pluago. 'T|i«i t indeed, ebo will be able to look with hopo instead of misgiving over tljfe broad oipause of tho Pacific wliilsfc saying to herself— "Gome OM, costie all; Jlovint Cook slnill fly . From its firm ba.es as ssoii as I!"