MANOEUVRES

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1925, Page 1

MANOEUVRES

TANKS IN ACTION. (By a British Officer.) Writing to his mother in Australia, an officer in the British army sends an interesting account of the recent manoeuvres. PKRIIAAI DOWN, WILTS, Sept. 30. Manoeuvres are over; they were mostly boring, bill there were moments of interest that 1 will try to pass on to you. We (the tanks) were found to upset all pre-arranged ideas, so that the main, object of the staff was 10 sidetrack us somewhere. When all the tanks had been disposed of. the foot soldiers stud the horse soldiers were able to start in and have a nice quiet battle. However, there wore times when we got going. The first really successful episode was during divisional training. I was working with a division (about twelve battalions) of infantry, with the other tank company and a division of cavalry—twelve regiments. Some, of our foot soldiers were in lorries. Both sides raced for the bridge. The horse soldiers gol there first. The. foot soldiers sent hack word that there were hostile tanks about ; would I please go forward with my tank's and dispose of them. So in the grey dawn out 1 pushed. We found the opposing horse and foot were, separated by a small field. Into this humped my six tanks from one side, and eight hostile tanks from the other. The horse and foot (led precipitately for adjnenoi. woods. In three minutes’ time we had fired

all our ammunition, about 200 rounds of cannon, and there was nothing to he seen hut smoke. Opposing tanks were busy hunting horse soldiers on horses, and foot soldiers in ’buses. They had to stop the fight and we all toddled home. The next real good show was during army manoeuvres. Hearing much cannonading from a village in our rear, where was our Divisional Headquarters, I toddled there with Two tanks. In a seething mass of carts, horses, cows, villagers of both -exes and all ages, spectators in motor ears, foot soldiers and horse soldiers, staff officers and reporters, all stuck- about the only street, were two hostile l tanks. The umpires had iust succeeded in putting them out of action, not because iherc was anyone there who onnlrl have hurl them, lull because they were so verv inconveniont. Into this maelstrom puffed my tanks, firing hard. There was instant panic. The street emptied itself into houses, through doors and through windows. Out -ol'-aelion tings were being duly hoisted on the hostile tanks we ceased fire and people came out again, the chief' of the General Statf, the biggest bug there is, registered Ins' opinion that tanks were “ dam dangerous.” and he .hoped

“ there*cl he no more of this (him firin,g.** At that instant, while my colonel was still assuring the old man that he would see it did not happen again. in barged another hostile tank. Straightaway went my two for it. all three shooting hard. Scon we were all over the shop; officers of the great staff were caught between two tires. Imiinjr umlor rnrts. A car full of women om.ptiod itself in a cloud of our smoko, the women diving witli great agility through a cottage window. Vast numbers of people put their hands up, It was very like some of the old biblical pictures where entire populations begged for mercy.

As soon as we stopped firing a cloud of furious umpires crawled from beneath a three-toil lorry (it had leaked oil over them), put the lone enemy and one of my crowd out of action, and sent, the one remaining tank away. It was the finest example of the moral effect of tanks that I have over seen. Hut beyond these two “ shows,” we were mostly side-tracked. Generals do not understand us. They make very fine plans, all goes well until a hunch of ranks Imlt in. and then they have to stop Hie war. Tf it is cavalry, then because the horses have bolted: if it is infantry, then because they cannot he found. AA r e had casualties. Two killed, several badly damaged, and we intlicted several casualties by gunfire and signaller. The damaged wore hit on the head by the steel door that fits on the top of our turrets.