Evening star., 1943-07-02
Front-Line Repairs
By Craftsmen Keep
Weapons in Battle
sx 3 staff correspondent Of The Star.

By &. staff Correspondent Of The Star.
ALGIERS (By MaiD "A corps oi
skilled craftsmen, masters Of more
than 50 trades and capable OF fix-
ing anything of use in warfare from
a tank to . Swiss watch, had 4
major role in the North African
campaign from the beginning.
Perhaps more than ever before
"Reme," the cabalistic Army name
for the Royal Mechanical and Elec-
trical Engineers, demonstrated that
this is basically an engineers war.
They went far toward solving the
problems Of keeping equipment in
workable order under campaign
conditions, Of setting up and op-
Grating under fre shops where the
finest sort Of mechanical work was
DONE.
Odicers Engineering Graduates.
The functions of this new group
in the British Army were explained
to correspondents the other day by
its commanding general. He found
the closest comparison in the Med
ical Corps. It repairs wounded
tanks and guns As they repair
wounded bodies.
The majority Of its officers are
university graduates with degrees
in mechanical or electrical engi-
neering. It's soldiers in almost every
case are men skilled in trades be-
fore they entered the Army. There
are times, however, when recruiting
sergeants make funny mistakes as
in the case of = litter who, it
turned out, had been filter in a
woman's tailoring shop, or an "elec-
trical operator" who turned out to
have been 4 barber using electric
clippers.
Reme's big job started at the
beginning of the invasion, when
many tanks would have been lost
except for their recovery efforts.
The tank driver, steering his mon
ster vehicle of a landing craft. Is
plunged walst-deep in cold water.
He must be cool-headed enough to
keep his foot on the accelerator
steadily when this happens. If he
once relaXes the tank is stalled,
perhaps many yards from the beach.
Such a tank becomes an immediate
casualty which the RENE" men
must get into action again.
The majority of the mechanics
are at, or near, the front. In hun
dreds of cases, according to the COM
manding general. it was found that
a tank which had been run across
a mineefild or stopped by artillery
fire could be put into the fight again
Immediately by repairs which were
relatively simple for skilled men
Damaged German weapons, aban-
doned at the front, could be fixed
up at once and turned against their
erstwhile owners.
Fabricate New Inventions.
During the campaign, the officers
and men of Rene have laid the
foundations of an essentially new
science, the improvision of parts for
cars. tanks and guns from the debris
of battlefield. A good example
is using empty shells to patch holes
In tanks. There is no time to send
back for new material.
The organization often is called
on without warning to build some
entirely new piece Of military equip
ment. the bright idea OF some officer
in another branch or an imitation of
something captured from the enemy.
Two originals, or exact duplicates,
of everything captured. it was re-
vealed, are preserved. One is sent
to the Ordnance Department in
Washington and the other to
London.
Rene" essentially puts up and
operates pilot plants at the front,
often under heavy fire, to test out
the validity of new ideas.