MIMIC WARFARE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1928, Page 4

MIMIC WARFARE

LAND, AIK. AND SKA FORCES TO PARTICIPATE. AUCKLAND, Aug. 24. The picturesque Orewa beach will be the scene of thrills and much excitement on a date to be fixed in February next, as it is the scene selected for military operations on the largest scale yet planned in New Zealand, which will include Territorial forces, Navy and Air Force. It is proposed to embark the Auckland battalion of Territorials on the warships Dunedin and Diomede, which will approach Orewa hcac-h in the hours of darkness. The Territorials will be conveyed to the beach in the warships’ boats in much the same way as was done at the historic landing at Gallipoli beach, and its approaches will be held by the Auckland Mounted Rifles who will certainly he on the qui vivo in an endeavour to frustrate the landing. The landing force will be under cover of tho guns of the cruisers, while both attackers and defenders will have the services of aeroplanes. After landing the Auckland Territorials will re-em-Uark and the position will then ho reversed, tho Mounted Rifles attacking with the cruisers giving every assistance to save the Territorials from “annihilation.”

It was learned to-dnv that all the preliminary arrangements for the staging of the “battle” had been made, one which will certainly he on, a very comprehensive scale and where for the first time aeroplanes will be used in conjunction with a land force under service conditions. It was stated that there were yet a lot of details to be worked out, as the idea is to test iij every way the efficiency of tho forces, particularly in the direction of repelling an enemy attack. The “battle” is to be divided into two stages, the landing, either in the darkness or somewhere ‘ about dawn, and the withdrawing of the attacking force in daylight. The latter promises to ho a 1 cry spectacular piece of “warfare.”