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THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 4, 1941.
SURPRISES IN BRITISH ARMY GAMES
WHILE WAR is flaming up fiercely in the Middle East the Army at home is training ceaseless- ly and fighting that insidious enemy tedium, still waiting for the invasion that has threatened since Dunkirk, says Mr. L. Mararsland G a nder of the "Daily Telegraph." A whole year has now passed since the people of Britain first felt the peril close, a year during which the Army here has played the unspectacular part of garrison and guard.
Yet the importance of that part hardly needs the emphasis laid upon it by statesmen on both sides of the Atlantic. Logic insists that however far Hitler may press his conquests in other fields, in the end he must turn with all his force upon the island citadel that is the centre and inspiration of continuing resistance.
SOVIET ENVOY
PAYS TRIBUTE TO R.A.F.
A tribute to the "marvellous work" done by British bom- bers
over Germany was expressed by M. Ivan Maisky, Soviet Ambassador to Bri- tain, at a speech dur- ing a reception offer- ed at the Army & Navy Club.
"I hope," he added, "that during the au- tumn the aid given us by the Royal Air Force will be still more effective."
A year at action stations with-, prised and wiped out a corp com- out the stimulus of genuine action mander's headquarters. But in the or the encouragement of victory process the brigade lost 85 per is a test of patience: yet it has cent. of Its armoured fighting also been a providential oppor-{ vehicles, And eventually VNy tunity for strengthening in num- deemed to have come to a stand- bers and equipment the Army still for lack of fuel and aminunl- defending our vital heart of tion. Empire. In the year the progress Incidentally, many of the men has surpassed all expectation. in this flying column were 33, 34 Certainly there is much left to be and 35 years
It goes without saying that of age, and thus roads must and will be kept free done and a call for still greater showed their paces to younger from civilian traffic. Nor would efforts in the workshops and fac- comrades. According to modern tories, but to cast one's mind back practice they had rushed on re-fight, for the spreading pools and‣
there be much purpose in civilian to Dunkirk days is to find great gardless of their flanks, and had rivulets of invasion might be en- even left many strong points be-countered anywhere. If the Ger-
cause for thankfulness,
Guard
Detours Round The Defences
Then we were straining our re- hind them still held by the sources to re-equip the exhausted; ' defenders. weaponless legions back from France; the B.B.C, was broadcast. ing appeals for shot-guns with which to arm the new citizen army that had sprung into being -over-night the Local Defence The brigadier in command of Volunteers, now called the Home this armoured force has been associated with fanks since 1918; To-day there is a vast well. he had covered 170 miles of wold equipped regular Army here, sup- and dale country in 30 hours ported by a force of Home Guards before the umpires brought him 1,750.000 strong, whose arms and, to a halt. His fast armoured cars training
are improving steadily. were constantly turning up in the Our Home Guard is, in fact fur- most unexpected places, and it nished with weapons such as was a reconnaissance unit of Af- Tommy-guns, which not even our teen cars which gave the corps crack regiments
in commander possessed
indigestion at his June, 1940.
breakfast, Equally important, too, there has been time to
pass armies newly recruited from civil life through the process
What Civilians Have
To Visualise
This brigadier expressed to me the opinion that even now we under-estimated the speed possible In
modern war,
man runs to form he will fing everything into the battle from the start, attacking everywhere he can with unbridled ferocity. After a time. If our best hopes are fulfilled, he will be contained within fairly well-defined areas and the mapping-up process by the defenders will begin.
Power Of The Trained Soldier
Fifth column activity in these exercises has introduced another element of confusion-and also of humour. Bogus military policemen, innocent "coldiers on leave," and even bogus war cor- respondents have operated in the battle area to keep our troops constantly vigilant for treachery.
German agents must indeed be plausible if they can emulate the feats of these amateurs. The les- son of discretion is being learned, yet, in an official car with a con- dueting officer, I was "blown up"
and the movement of physical toughening which is a sure foun- dation for the best fighting man.
He added that a good tank Now thousands more stooping hunter would prove a dangerous clerks and pallid factory workers man, but he believed that the chief are bronzed, straight-backed soldi-defence would be anti-tank guns ers performing feats of endur. and mines. The brigadier had, in ance they would have deemed im- fact, encountered many unpleasant and riddled with imaginary bul- possible a year ago.
surprises in his rapid advance. lets by the 16-year-old cadets of Some at the secret anti-tank
a Yorkshire college who saw devites suggested that British something suspicious in the fact Ingenuity, which evolved the tank, that our car did not carry the flag is finding an answer to it. Sur- of one side or the other. Nothing- prise. complete concealment and
we could do or say would induce The civil population of Britain simplicity of construction are all them to let us pass. has had a good deal of instruc-illustrated in one device. In the Perhaps the most encouraging tion as to its conduct in invasion result the jaws of the pincers did but still, perhaps, finds it difficult not meet. to visualise the circumstances of an invasion, England's green and pleasant landscape in June con jures up no picture of desolation, slaughter and confusion. Even excrcises have an air of unreality as tanks rumble sedately along country lanes spurning, out of re- spect for the crops, the short cuts across country which they must know how to take.
Mimic War
feature of all is the increasing physical fitness of our troops. Nevertheless, despite the num- They are prepared to march their erous traps, the elusive armoured 35 miles a day with full equip- columns seemed to be everywhere, ment, sleep under hedges, wade progressing by wide sweeps and through rivers and then fight at detours, often by passing defend-the end. I have seen some of our ed villages and sometimes taking toughest soldiers, belonging to Home Guard posts in the rear. | various regiments and training Adding to the general mix-up of specially for guerilla tactics and friend and enemy was the drop combined operations with the ping of paratroops by both sides. Navy, scaling a cliff with full Sometimes the speed and chang-equipment, including a Bren guns. - ing direction of battle caused it to These men, educated in the com- lose all obvious pattern, Aircraft plete simple life, - combine some played only a limited part with of the attributes of Boy Scouts, Yet despite their obvious limita- their maching-gun and dive-Red Indians and shock troops. tions, much may be learnt from bombing attacks. but it was exercises, and a little imagination obvious that had they could have will paint the picture. It is a profoundly affected the fortunes picture of seeming chaos, arising of war. from speedy movement and mix- up of opposing forces, which,
We are told frequently' that though it may be limited in its
'men, cannot fight against ma- area, will certainly be reality in
chines, but even the best war. I lately had the opportun-). It was regrettable that owing to. machines are useless in weak ity of closely following mimic' war the limited purpose of the exer- and Irresolute hands:" fought by 70,000 troops-and Home cise it did not include defence of What, then, is the best safe- Guards, over a wide area of the aerodromes against airborne in- guard against successful invasion, Northern Command, including part vasion. Both this exercise and apart from tactical considerations of Yorkshire.
another which I followed recently and the multiplication of machine - In this exercise the scales in South-Western England as and weapon power? It is to ob- were by design heavily weighted sumed that the main invasion tain the utmost from every man against the defendera in order was scaborne and that the Navy and every weapon. This was one to train troops in dealing with by some extraordinary mis-of the alms of Lt-Gen T. R tanks. It was assumed that a chance had been undble to pro- Eastwood, the newly-appointed. complete Nazi panzer brigade vent a landing in force,
Bringing Attack
To Standstill
Utmost: From Every
Weapon
had somehow established itself. In these exercises the role of as an organised unit and com- the Home Guard, the subject of prised the northern fang of the so much discussion, emerged clear pincers, the southern fang being ly. It is to act as a delaying force composed mainly of German in considerable depth, holding its In addition, it is his purpose to Infantry, #
strong points and villages, attacle It was a "battle" full of shocks ing tanks with a variety of cun- for invaders and defenders alike. ning, often terrifying, devices, till In the first. 24 hours the panzer Buch time as the Regular Forces brigade, swept through the defen- and our own mechanised columns ces with such velocity that it sur- come to the rescue,
Army commander, during the re- cont Northern Command exercise. Afterwards he expressed the oplaton that we must make still further efforts in this direction,
inculcata a spirit of constant alertness, a feeling that there is no end to exercises, that the army. must (as, in fact, civilians also must) be rondy at any time of day or night.