NOVICES DO WELL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 September 1941, Page 5

NOVICES DO WELL

PRACTICE WITH ITALIAN GUNS. INCIDENT IN EGYPT. (From Official War Correspondent with the N.Z.E.F.) CAIRO, August 16. An interesting change from infantry routine was recently experienced by battalions of a New Zealand third echelon brigade when they engaged in a live shoot with captured Italian field guns. The weapons have an interesting history and can be used either as anti-personnel or - anti-tank. Firing from a mounting on a truck, the infantry novices displayed remarkable skill. Some very good performances were put up with very little preliminary ranging. An amazing feature of the performance was the fact that most of the gun crews had never done artillery work, and had been given little more than one day’s instruction on the guns. Used as a mountain gun in the Great War, the weapon can serve many purposes, and undoubtedly the versatile New Zealanders are capable of making the best' use of it. The practice was thoroughly enjoyed by the soldiers and they were jocularly barracked by fellow soldiers when the guns jammed to apply the remedies so familiar to a Lewis gunner. All agreed they were willing to let the Italian sample a little of his own medicine.