ASPECTS OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 282, 17 August 1918, Page 8

ASPECTS OF WAR

INTERESTING LECTURE BY LIEUT.-COLONEL GARD'NER, D.S.O. Lieut.-Colonel 51. M. Gard'ner, D.5.0., lectured before the Wellington Officers' Institute last night on matters connected with tho war. It wns early yet to draw lessons from the war, he said. The final conclusions would have to bo laid down after peace had been declared, when information wns available from 'both sides. But certain fads had been established. Ono of them was that the old principles persisted under the new conditions. The value of preparation for war had been shown to bo very great. Germany had prepared systematically for war, and had regarded war as a normal method of national advancement. Britain, o;i the other hand, had showed a national disinclination, to think about war in times of peace. Tho consequence was that the outbreak of war found Germany ready to wage aggressive war with high efficiency, while Britain had her preparations still to make. The German P v lau undoubtedly hail been to smash l'Tanco by a sudden irusii before the other Allies were ready. The plan had not succeeded. But it was not to be forgotten Hint during the last four years tho Germans had been fighting in foreign territory, while their own country remained in comparative safety. Germany had been spared the horror.? of invasion. Tho German nation had been disciplined in times of peace, and consequently the Germans had endured difficulties and privations better "than an undisciplined nation could do. This was.a factor of importance. Another fact to be noted, was that the German High Command had studied war in a scientific spirit and had learned to handle large bodies of men. They had done this in pence manoeuvres, and so had been able to do it effectively in time of war. The German Command Lad possessed an important advantage in knowing whffl'o tho war would ibe fought. German officers had beon able to study the ground. .They had been able to organise an efficient spy system. It was scarcely surprising that.with all these advantages the Germans had come near to success in the early stage of the war. They had got nearer to it than the British public had realised <it the lime. Tho difficulties of the British commanders at that time had been eiuirmous. British battalions had been required to oppose thin, unsupported lines to the onslaught of powerful German forces. The dogged tenacity of the "Old Contemplihlos" under these conditions had been the undoing of Iho Germans. The defeat of the German plan for a quick victory, by the overwhelming attack of highly organised forces, had given the Allied nalions time to prepare for war, and lay the foundation of a final Allied victory. Lieut.-Col-onel Gard'ner spoke in some detail of the evidences of excellent organisation in tiie early; advance of tho Germans through Belgium. The complexify of army 1 .organisation had been increased enormously by modern weapons and modern methods of fighting. The transport requirements of tho troops had grown, and a new science had been developed in tho use of roads and railways. The rule on tho Somine had been to reserve Hie main roads exclusively for mechanical traffic, and to lay out transport routes, so that except on Hio widest and best roads traffic went one way only. The war was very largely a matter of administration and organisation. That side of the work had become overwhelmingly important. All attacks in trench warfare had to be frontal attacks in their early stages, and required, therefore, fo ho supported by overwhelming artillery superiority. This involved the laying Of railways, Iho construction and repair of roads, the accumulation -of vast stores of ammunition, nnd elaborate arrangements for tho repair of gnns. | During seven weeks on the Sommo eac'lr New Zealand gun, on the average, had been replaced once. Tho amount of ammunition used by the guns in a modern bnttlc was huge. It ran ■into thousands of tons a day for a single army corps. This ammunition had to bn supplied regnrdless of Mich accidenls as (he destruction of (rains and dumps. The maintenance, of roads in the area behind an attacking army was another task requiring intense organisation. Tho arrangements made behind Hie New Zealand division in this respect had been most thorough. Lieut.-Colonel Gard'ner referred lo the fine endurance and moral displayed by llie,Emi)ire's troops in the present war, and to the high standard of discipline made necessary by modern methods of fighting. Tn "conclusion tho lecturer gave some interesting information regarding the organisation of an army under nresent conditions.

Colonel Collins, who presided, expressed his appreciation of the lecture. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Lieut.-Colonel Gard'ner.