ARMY MANOEUVRES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1941, Page 3

ARMY MANOEUVRES

TERRITORIAL TRAINING SCHEME OPERATIONS IN WAIRARAPA AND ELSEWHERE. SEVERAL THOUSAND TAKING PART. The most extensive Territorial manoeuvres yet undertaken in the Wellington province in which Wairai’apa men will take part, will commence on May 5. Several thousand men will participate. Concentrations which began this week, are at Palmerston North, Foxton and Tauherenikau. The manoeuvres will be a testing ground for the value of the three months’ intensive training that the Territorial Force units engaged have already carried out. The men will be tried out under conditions approximating as far as possible actual war conditions. They will bivouac in the field, with a ground sheet and 2 blankets each and will be fed'from field kitchens under campaigning conditions. Among the large number of troopsiengaged will be two brigades, the 2nd Infantry Brigade, and the 2nd Mounted Rifles Brigade. An idea of the transport engaged can be gained from the official estimate of 10 hours to make the Rimutaka crossing. The following outline of the scheme is given by Brigadier N. McD. Weir, N.Z.S.C., officer commanding the Cen-’ tral Military District.

ENEMY LANDINGS PRESUMED. He said that the scale of the operation involved action by the Central Field Force, under Colonel L. Potter. N.Z.S.C., from an initial concentration at Palmerston North and , Ashhurst against presumed enemy landings at Palliser Bay, Waikanae and Plimmerton. The enemy would be represented by the Manawatu Mounted Rifles (mechanised), artillery attached for the purpose of the manoeuvres, and independent mounted rifles units. In the final phase the Ist Battalion, The Wellington Regiment (City of Wellington’s Own), would take part 'from initial concentration areas at Featherston, moving later to Waikanae and finally to Plimmerton. The first phase after concentration would be on May 5 with the movement of the Central Field Force from Palmerston North and Foxton to the Masterton and Levin areas respectively. The move to Masterton would be by motor transport using three routes and involving the construction of a pontoon bridge by engineers to enable one of the routes to be used. Where this bridge has to be made and of what size it will be, the engineers Will not know till they are confronted with the problem. The distance of this move to Masterton will be 75 miles; it is hoped to complete it iff seven to eight hours. Once there, an outpost line will be established on the Waingawa River. The move down to Levin will be by the 2nd Mounted Rifles Brigade (.Colonel W. R. Foley. M.C., V.D.) not using the roads at all but coming down inside that line of sandhill country on the west coast.

CONTACT WITH ENEMY. The next phase will be the first contact with the enemy in the vicinity of Carterton, involving the preparation for and conduct of an attack against a defensive position occupied in depth. According to plan the attack will succeed and the enemy will withdraw. This done, the job will be to preserve contact with the enemy and keep him on the move. A night advance will follow, succeeded by a dawn. Attack on May 7 against the main enemy position on Bidwill’s Ridge between Featherston and Martinborough. While .that is going on the 2nd Mounted Rifles Brigade vzill continue their move from Levin to the Waikanae area. This operation .will entail cross-country movement and dismounted action With the flanking movement directed toward the landing area in that vicinity. That phase over, the Central Field Force, now in the Featherston area, will move on May 8 to the Hutt Valley, involving the crossing of the Rimutakas, using the only route available to mechanical transport; the main road. This crossing by mechanical vehicles will occupy 10 hours With the minimum density of vehicles to the mile to reduce interference with civilian traffic to the least possible. This crossing involves problems in anti-aircraft protection measures, traffic control by the provost corps and other details. A bivouac area will be occupied in the Upper Hutt Valley.

MASS ATTACK. The final phase will be on May 10 and 11 involving an attack against an enemy landing at Plimmerton and Titahi Bay. This attack will be made in two directions; in the north, the 2nd Mounted Rifles Brigade operating in the direction of Pukerua and across country to Paekakariki, and in the south. by the infantry toward Titahi Bay. This will finish on Sunday afternoon, May 11. That night troops will return to bivouac areas adjacent to the battle area. Next day the return move will be made to Palmerston North and Foxton; this will be by road. On May 14 the troops will disperse from the Palmerston North area. Brigadier Weir stressed that the manoeuvre was definitely a war operation. The enemy force will be commanded by Colonel H. B. Maunsell and the defending force which, in operation, will attack, by Colonel Potter.

OBJECT IN VIEW. The object of the exercise for the men is to practise them under conditions approximating as far as can be reproduced to war, while commanders and staffs will be concerned with a series of lessons arising out of each particular phase. While the general scheme is known to officers they will have to meet the situations it brings about as they arise. The initial step from Palmerston North will be a practice in the movement of troops from concentration areas to battle areas. Then comes the making of contact with the enemy, a study in problems involved in an attack against a defensive position occupied in depth and, having chased the enemy from such a position, the next problem is to maintain contact and defeat him. AIR FORCE TO CO-OPERATE. R.N.Z.A.F. planes will co-operate with the Central Field Force on reconnaissance and detection work. The principal infantry force engaged will be the 2nd Infantry Brigade undere Colonel J. L Saunders, DS O„

V.D., with Major E. Reeves, M.C., brigade major. They will be encamped as follows for concentration: Ist Battalion, Taranaki Regiment, Show Grounds; Ist Battalion- Hawke’s Bay Regiment, at Hokowhitu; Ist Battalion Wellington-West Coast Regiment, at Awapuni racecourse. The 2nd Mounted Rifles Brigade under Colonel Foley is now at Foxton. It has Major J. F. B. Stevenson. M.C., as brigade major, and Major L. Hickford as staff captain. Colonel R. S. McQuarrie will command the artillery engaged. The Ist Battalion, Wellington Regiment, will be commanded by Lieut.Coloncl A. L. George, with Captain W. F. Sellon. N.Z.P.S., as adjutant. Men becoming sick during the manoeuvres will be evacuated to the nearest civilian hospital, a scheme covering the whole problem of caring for sick and possible injured having been arranged by the Assistant Director of Medical Services for the Central Military District, Lieut.-Colonel M. B. M. Tweed.