TACTICAL SCHOOL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 August 1942, Page 4

TACTICAL SCHOOL

OPENED BY GENERAL PUTTICK

ENCOURAGEMENT OF INITIATIVE IN OFFICERS.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI, This Day. The New Zealand Tactical School was opened yesterday by LieutenantGeneral Puttick. The school, which will be attended by students from all parts of New Zealand, is to give instruction to officers in held tactics. All the instructors and students live at the schoo which has study and lecture rooms. "Outdoor practices will be a featur ® the courses. A.s each draft o. • dents finishes its course and passes out it will be replaced by another. Opening the school, General Puttick emphasised the importance of tactics in modern warfare, illustrating his address with many examples _ from tne Middle East. He urged the instructors to encourage officers to develop initiative. The Army was often calle ° a machine and so it was no said, to the extent that each part dovetailed wit. the other, but it was not made of me< and there were human factors of skill coolness and cunning. The aim ‘ teach officers the principles beh ’ n ', making the best use of the men and equipment and country at them disposal. He stressed cunning. Il there was one fault with our method of waging war, he observed, it was that we were inclined to think there were Maiquis of Queensbery rules. Our enemies weie skilful and ruthless. We had to match cunning with’ greater cunning.