OFFENSIVE ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 September 1941, Page 8

OFFENSIVE ACTION

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS HOLD REHEARSAL REALISTIC TRAINING OPERATIONS LANDING FROM THE SEA. (From the Official War Correspondent with the 2nd N.Z.E.F.) CAIRO, August 19. With distant anti-aircraft fire lending the spectacle an added touch of drama. I watched New Zealand Infantry, gunners, engineers and ambulance men practice last night a kind of warfare which, in real instead of makebelieve form, would be the fulfilment of their most eager wishes. Emulating the armies waiting in Britain, the N.Z.E.F. and other Middle East formations have been carrying out advanced training in offensive action, and last night's exercise—a landing from the sea—was the largest and most complete yet undertaken by the New Zealanders.

As the Allied fighting strength and reserves expand and consolidate, it is logical to suppose that offensive action against the Axis Powers, which is already gathering force in the air. is week by week drawing closer on land as well. Equally reasonable is the presumption that such action is likely to take the form of beach landings, since so few alternative avenues of attack are left. Our men know these facts, and their understanding has been reflected in the keenness with which they have entered the spirit of the invasion exercises. Moreover, this training in which naval and air forces are co-operating, is spectacular and highly interesting in nature. It gives the troops an invaluable insight into the potential striking force of the combined services, and their fondest hope now is that the day when their experience may be applied is not far off. A full infantry brigade, with Maoris and cither supporting troops, took part in the all-night exercise as a culmination of some weeks of intensive instruction. The plan was to effect landings on a partially defended coastline, establish a bridgehead and join forces with an armoured formation already in contact with the enemy. At zero hour I watched the first, flights of infantrymen and sappers set off for the attack in invasion barges and tugdrawn boats, which crossed the ribbon of moonlight on the water like black silent shadows.

Noiseless minutes passed before shots split the darkness. Then in the orange glow of flares we could see infantry sections running from the water’s edge to meet the defending forces. The sounds of battle waxed and waned as the attackers drove inland, with fresh troops landing behind them. Success signals were relayed back to the Brigadier’s staff, which crossed to the shore in a fast Ameri-can-built naval motor-boat. Within a few minutes headquarters wore set up, progress reports began flowing in and wireless sets chattered as signals operators urgently called up the forward battalions. Ahead of us enemy patrols lurking among the sandhills were counter-attacked and little knots of prisoners escorted back for interrogation.

From the decks of barges touching the shore behind us armoured vehicles, trucks, guns and motor-cycles were driven on to a portable road surface of steel mosh stretched over the sand. They roared away to strengthen the fire-power of the infantry. The speed and smoothness with which a formidable invading force was thus shown capable of landing was extraordinary, and it bespoke highly efficient co-op-eration between the military and naval partners in the attack. Air support was not demonstrated in this particular exercise, but it is an integral part of any such operation. As it happens the invasion training is being carried out in a part of the Middle East where the air seems never free from the drone of R.A.F. machines —a coincidence especially encouraging to our men on the ground.