Army officer cadets were given a taste of life as a gunner during a recent artillery exercise in Waiouru.
All young army officers receive instruction in "All Arms Call For Fire" which is the direction of artillery fire onto enemy positions. A scenario involving an enemy force was developed in the snow-covered Mangawhao valley, and as each strongpoint was located the officer cadets directed artillery fire at the "enemy" in the valley’s southeast area.
At the same time as the officer cadet exercise, the Army’s 16 Field Regiment helped the School of Artillery with an exercise in which officers and soldiers were tested under live firing conditions, using the six guns of 161 Battery.
Army Instructor Gunnery Captain Kristian Dunne said the exercise, which provided the officer cadets with their first experience of artillery fire, went well. It involved long hours and much hard physical work, with officers and soldiers working into the early hours of the morning in falling snow and darkness as they dug into their positions, and shifted guns and ammunition.