Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-21
CAREFUL PLANNING
NEEDED TO PROVIDE
FOOD FOR ARMIES
Success of Field Campaign
Largely Depends Upon
Success of Commissary
Department.

How an army in the field gets It's food
from day to day Is an interegting story
that is told in the Scientific American.
The supply train of an infantry divi-
sion carries two days field and grain
rations. In the late afternoon or at the
end of march or close of combat the
division commander directs the field
trains to move up Immediately In rear
OF the troops, and informs the command
ing officers of organizations that one
| days rations have been ordered to a
designated place. An orderly is sent to
that place to conduct the wagons to the
organization; after being unoaded they
| return Immediately and join the grouped
| portion of the ration action. That same
night, or early the following morning,
the empty wagons are refiled fro the
| supply train, and this latter secures
renewal of its supplies from desig-
mated point on the line of communica-
tions, or is reloaded from q train per-
| tanning to the line of communications, II
the distance from the end of that line of
the zone occupied by the troops is so
/
| There are two methods of supplying an
army in the field:
| First. BY consgnments of supplies for
warded by the service of the line of COM
municatons and distributed as above
briefly Indicated; and
Second. BY utilizing the resources of
the country.
| 1t is generally necessary to utilize to
the fullest extent the food, especially the
forage, available in the theatre of oper-
| ations In former times the invader pos
! sessed the right of booty and pillage.
| the resort to which was most unfortunate
! for the army, II embittered the popu-
! lation and compromised the safety of
! the troops in an enemy's country. and
! in the event of any real or imaginary in
| jury being done them, it gave rise to re-
dress and rcprisals. These evils were in
measure remedied by not taking di-
rcctly from private individuals. but by
making upon the civil officials certain
demands called acquisitions Cor a spcci-
fed quantity of supplies necessary for
the troops. The local authorities could
apportion the demand among the inhab-
itants. according to the known means or
each or could procure the stores by pur-
chase. The former practice OF Sponatlon
thus assumed the milder form of war
tax. This eventually led to the practice
of giving receipts for the stores deliv-
cred.
In order to assure the continuity of
the service Of supply, that is to say, the
relation between tine troops in the hcld
and the centres of production in rear OF
tho army, the work performed by the ad-
mnistrat,vc departments Is divided into
three distinct spheres of action, VIZ:
l. The service performed IN rear of
the army, established in the national ter
irtory or in the Governments of the oc-
cupiod countries for the purpose OF col
lCctinG the resources and providing mcahS
for the supply of
:. The service of tho line of communi-
cations: the duty of the commander OF
which is to provide for replacing OF
the stores consumed by the army. ind
the transportation, subsistence ana quar-
terinG of all troops, prisoners, sick and
wounded passing over the line and also
provide for its protection
3. The supply of the troops in the field
during active operations.
The success or failure of the campaign
depends upon the proper operation of the
service Of the line of communications,
and this important position is always as
signed to n general officer of recognized
ability and discretion. lie is assisted by
a large and numerous staff TO enable him
to carry out tho varied and multitude
dition, has a competent force of all
arms Of the service to preserve order
along the line of communications, guard
the depots of supply, and protect the
line from attacks by the enemy. Such
officer is subordinate to the commander
of tine troops i'm the field, hut. his duties
and responsibilities are second only 10
such officer.
The commander of the line of COM
muncations must then see that his de-
pots are adequately supplied and must
forward each day to the troops the nee
cssary supplies for man and horse, and
likewise care for the evacuation of the
sick and wounded, and the custody and
care of the prisoners. To enable. hi INTO
do this, all the necessary field equip
ments are provided; for instance, field
bakery COMPANY and equipment for each
division supplied by the line of conf
munications. The field bakery in our
army consists Of twelve linOck-dOwn bake
ovens with all the necessary equipment
for producing bread and the tentage in
which to install the dough troughs, and
shelter the men. Each oven Is capable
Of producing $500 rations of garrison
bread per diem, on 1900 ratiOns of field
bread.
A ration is the allowance of food for
one person for one day. and comprises
various articles termed components. II
is interesting to note that the Turks
i'm the fourteenth century first cstab-
lished the allowance of a soldiers daily
ration. and iu the same century first had
regularly orgauized supply trains TO fol-
low Iheir troops.
Each man carries two days Tations
and the unconsumed portion of the days
ration issued the night before, for the
monday meal.
The preparation must extend to an
elaborate study of the resources OF the
home country and of a probable theatre
of operations In some of the great Pow
ers this work Is carried out through the
cooperation of the various civil authOri- |
ties, whose duty II is To make instant
report of any change in the supply situa-
tion i'm their district. Statistical data
and supply maps are prepared showing:
The principal production of the country:
the distribution of the available resources; |
the Importance of the last harvest: the |
amount Of the exports of same: the !
amount locally. consumed; tho number |
ana kind of meat cattle; the number mo- /
tive pOwer. daily capacity and location of
the -four mills. the number and average |