The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-16

army corps VIII frequently occupy many
miles Of country. Il often the General
in Chief Is from fifteen to thirty miles
distant from the General commanding the
corps. and in order that immense MODERN
grades may nav the cohesion indtspen-
sable to success it is necessary TO reduce
TO q minimum the time required for the
establishment Of direct relations between
the Genera in Chief Il the army corps.
The automobile lessons this difficulty by
Increasing the rapidiIy Of communication.
and il is with this end in view that the
military authorities have fOliowed with
Teep interest the progress of the automo-
bile industry. In Germany a certain NUM-
Der of automobiles of different models
were set aside for the Generals quarters
OF each army corps during the grand
maneuvers. and these vehicles We're IN
constant use during the marches and dur
ing the battles.
Although military experts express them
selves as highly peased with the results
and it is certain that automobiles will play
a conspicuous part in future wars. ii IS
not probable that they will ever be
brought into use for the rapid t~ransporta-
t!on Of large bodies of men; but they are
Of the utmost value for quick scouting
ah for hauling and transportation pur-
pnsSs. During the recent naneuvers at
Schwerin their availability was repeatedly
proven. especially for courier. search islt
and freight services. Staff officers col
iecting reports Travelled go miles in a day;
Il dispatch-bedrer rode fOrty-ive miles an
hour On his motorcycle. and. in another
Instance an autotrain ~ansports zen
tons of foTage fifty miles in a single day,
saving two days time over similar Work
by thirty-six horses.
CONVINCING STATISTICS.
The German authorities appear to favor
machines of from six to fifteen morse
power. The heavier motors drag lnEee
heavily laden wagons over difficult MUS
without much trouble and with Eery rare
.breakdowns. One car travelled a distance
of over 100 miles without 4 single break
down and without needing any repair OF
adjustment. Notwithstanding that il was
on many occasions called on to leave the
main road and to TAX to rough amp
fields torn IN by heavy transport 10
open agricultural land and to traverse a
country partly covered with water from
foods SO severe that part of the mill
tary programme had tn be abandoned.
Take. for instance. the case OF supply
ing an intrercfed camp for an army OF
$1,000 men. assuming that the distance 10
which material and stores have TO be
transported is five miles and that thirty
days ara available for the work. win
wagon transportation the round trip could
be made twice q day. Consequently more
than I.S1 horses would be required 10
transport. in the given time, the hecesr
sary artillery. material n supplies OF
the meantime, however these horses
would require for their support an i'm
mense amount OF forage. which would 9th
srwise be stored for future use-as dur
ing a siege. Tor example
To replace these horses by automobiles
would require Grout ~thirty-four machines
Of tWenty-ive-horse power But II must
he remembered that the automobile can
a given load two and one-half
as fast as horses and can also util-
ize mora hours of the dav for work More
over, with two reliefs, the thirty-tOur an
toniobiIes would require only sfxty-eight
drivers. whereas the wagons would re-
~ SPEED AND EFFICIENCY
Automobiles can readily 20 with q heavy
lead seven miles an hour. The great ad-
Of the resulting rapid transpof-
tation ,per horse power are that INC nee
wal preparations Installing mate
l. made: that provisions and forage can
bo collected more rapidly and over an
area of greater radius h by wagons.
that the effects OF Indictment weather nay
he more readily avoided and. finally. that
their means the necessity for spend
ing the night on the road in the open may
entirely avoided. These are certainly
great advantages in and about ortinc
lions and intrenched camps
The first of these advantages will be
readily seen if we remember that an auto
mobile can carry the heaviest siege gun
on a grade OF one in thirty at a rate OF
he one In ten. the rate is still two miles
an hour. and on such grades horses
could not be worked at all By means OF
twenty automobiles 800 guns could be
brought into position around a fort OF
in trenched camp IN twenty hours.
THE second advantage becomes very
striking If we consider what would have
been the effect had the French at Metz.
~ the Turks ~ pIeyna. or Genera S-oes-
sci at Port Arthur. possessed a number of
automobiles and started in promptly
when first bes'eged 20 collect SUPPLIES OF
food and forage from the surrounding
-i"r district. The rate of an automobile
being t7ken at about seven miles an hour,
it can readily go and return on the same
day to a point forty miles out conse-
gUently. the area covered in foragiug
about = fort is immensely greater than
with wagons
TO REPLACE CAVALRY.
Military men who are ultraenthusia Etfc
of the automobile for warfare.
even declare that 1t will be Of greater
service than cavalry in the pursuit Of a
retreating army. The rule. in warfare
nifiee the same in the usual manner by
running away is to give him some more
wise General gives his beaten enemy
no rest. but continues to push and ham,
me- him until g v~anquished army. re-
treating in good order. becomes a broken
This part OF the work is usually done by
the mounted men. and the General who
away his ayaIry during an action
instead of keeping them fresh for the
always be fresh and ready for i'm |
mediate action at any momeut
Arrangements for pursuing an enemy
are begun the ONE he gives tokens OF
having had enough The Chief of STAFF
the troops to lake each road by |
zach having. of course. been sscertained
through the Intelligence De-
-partmeut-and indicates to the Generals |
in command of a column their line of