Page 313 - PERSIAN 9 1941_1947

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Artillery#

Excellent. Owing to shortage of ammunition firing
practices have had to be cut down but several practices
have been carried out both guns alone and working with
Infantry. Tho guns are now carried by lorry.
Machine Guns.
Good. Jemadar Lashkaran being new to this work took
some time to find his feet but is now doing very well. He
was fortunate in that he has four good and experienced M.G.
N.C.O's under him, all of whom are capable of controlling
the M.G. Platoon. Training has been carried out with M.G.
on pack and in M.T.
The results of Range and Field Practices have been
very good. Several schemes both in Mountain and Open Warfare
have been carried out using live ammunition with troops.
It has been found necessary to increase the safety limit when
giving over head covering fire and the five-degree safety
limit when giving flanking fire owing to the state of barrels
and tripods. All guns are overdue for an Arsenal overhaul.
Weapon Training.
The annual course has produced good results but the
L.M.G. results were not good enough. Steps are being taken
to rectify this.
All men, other than recruits under training have
carried out Grenade Training and a short period of Anti-
Aircraft Training. This was reduced as not being essential.

All officers and men armed with the pistol have fired
the course as laid down for the Indian Amy. There were only
three failures.
(7) SHIPMENT AFP CLOTHING.
It is not proposed to deal with this in detail here
as Your Highness is fully aware of the situation as is
H.B.M.'s Consul to whom I have addressed many letters on the
subject.
Equipment is good. A few items of our indents still
have to be delivered but clothing (shirts and shorts) is
non-existent. We have had none whatsoever since 1941. Men
now parade in what few clothes, literally "rage®, they them­
selves possess. A bale of jerseys which arrived here in
October had been cut open and on arrival only three remained.
This is most unfortunate just at the beginning of the cold
weather.
No cloth in sufficient quantity is obtainable locally
and it is, literally, a matter of a few months before the men
are naked unless the 1942 clothing which overcarried in
April 1943 or the 1943 clothixv* ia received.

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