Men on Manoeuvres
During the Army Manoeuvres which ended this week the evolutions of the 1st Corps were not at all stages characterised by a smooth precision. It would have been a great pity if they had been, for more than half the value of this type of training lies in the mistakes that are made and the lessons that are learned from them. " Surprise Packet " and the other exercises which preceded it had an ambitious and complicated pattern, and on the whole the 6th Armoured and the 3rd Infantry Divisions (the two formations in the 1st Corps) conformed remarkably well to the frequent and drastic changes in their tactical roles and respon- sibilities. In the closing stages fatigue rather than over-caution may have 'accounted for the lack of enterprise displayed— particularly at night—by the leading troops in some sectors ; and a failure to integrate infantry and armour, in the attack was a weakness rather often-noticeable. Control by the directing staff worked well on the whole, but the numerous umpires needed far- more wireless sets than they could be provided with. The standard of training of the National Service man was high. The heavier (within reason) the demands made on these young soldiers the more keenly they seem to respond to them ; it is having too little to do—a fate seldom bemoaned by the old type of Regular—that gets them down. There was inevitably damage to property in some places, but it was less than had been expected, and much less than it would have been if the weather had been wet and the going bad.
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