Training at Kota Tinggi DPR/TV/988

Beach landings to assault defended "enemy" villages are rarely carried out by Australian troops in Vietnam, but in Malaysia such assaults often form part of the training programme for students at the Jungle Warfare School at Kota Tinggi in Malaya's Johore State. Less than 60 miles from the heart of Singapore the school is regarded as the best, and certainly the most cosmopolitan, jungle warfare school in South-East Asia. At the School's Jungle Wing an Australian Captain, John Dwyer, of Katanning, WA, is the chief instructor. He is assisted by an Australian Sergeant Colin Fawcett of Bankstown, NSW and two British sergeants. The normal course conducted at the Wing lasts for six weeks and is aimed at training students in jungle tactics and navigation. Students who make up the courses come from British, Ghurka, Singapore, Malaysian, Thai and Brunei armed forces, and other include members of the Singapore police field force. Located in the heart of Ulu Tiram rubber plantations and surrounded by dense jungle, the area is naturally suited to practically exercise students as they progress from the lecture room. One of the more advanced exercises for students is an assault from landing craft, or in this case a hovercraft. Command among the students is changed frequently to enable individual students to be assessed by the instructors. After a briefing on the proposed attack by the student temporarily in charge, the exercise goes into full swing with a short trip down the Johore River to a predesignated spot where an "enemy" village has been located. A demonstration platoon of Ghurkas prove to be the "enemy" and the students meet considerable opposition as they sweep through the village. At the end of the action, the students are informed of their mistakes and how they could have launched a more successful attack. Then it's back to the lecture room to prepare for the next phase of their jungle training. (Also identified: Sgt Jock Simpson, English army instructor; Sergeant Harry Hayes, English army).