Omaha daily bee., 1915-07-01
The Railroads in Warfare
The Railway Are eazstts.


one OF the big achievements OF the war in Europe
has been the handling OF the transportation situation
by the railroads. One general has called
war Of railroads." because OF the vast role played
by them in getting troops. provisions and munitions
to the front and time the victory being with the
army that goes first a critical point The oftquoted
remark Of Napoleon. An army is as strong as its
feet" has been adapted to read. AN army IL as
strong az It's railroads"
Every railroad man today knows that Germany
has been able to keep up a remarkable fight on its
two frontiers by it's aforementioned military rail-
road system, which enables IT 10 shunt the same
troops and forth from frontier TO the other
II is known that the French railroads have rem
dered equally great service in France and at the
time with the exception OF the first two weeks
OF the war. practically continued their regular
schedule for civil and commercial freight
And all this wonderful work has been done without
any noteworthy accident and Il has been done with
constant rerouting OF large numbers of troops and
material TO meet battle conditions a front
90 klometers bs4 miles, long from the English Chan
mel 10 the Swiss frontier. IL has been done with
decrease OF rolling stock in the face Of ever de-
creaslng coal supply and always with the same or
smaller number of railroad men.
During the critical period from August to 20 last
no less than 10000 soldiers were got TO the front
and each OF these soldiers handled three times
that in reality $4,000 troops delivered at
the required points While these troops being
moved while possibly 100000 of the civil population
also travelling. while two armies being
hurried into Alsace and Lorraine pegin a double
campaign TO turn the German army heading for Bel
GUM. August g. special train provided 10
NJ
Berlin. No. there was panic among the railroad
employees there was no breakdown Of the French
railroad system.
One must have the handling Of army corps
to get idea of what work these MISUNDERSTANDING
French trains have accomplished and sti are accom-
pshng. Let railroad officers who have sweated ovor
1O0-car circus movement consider that any hSavy
movement OF troops Is made by army corps and that
an army corps consists of no fewer than $1,000 men,
all told; and that to boot there cannon, horses
kitchen equipment. engineers equipment. wagons,
Reroplanes. ammunition boxes, provlsions-enough
things TO make the moving OF trainload OF wild ami
mails seem tame in comparison.
It takes two trains of fifty each TO transport
the men OF an infantry regiment This regiment Is
subdvided into three battalions OF 1000 each,
and each battalion into four companies The military
end Of the affair Ia Get your there the
soldiers company by company hop In quickly, with
out any confusion. Your OF infantry regiments
easily got rid Of But you need an extra 100 cars
to carry nothing but the immediate infantry equip
fnent-mitrailleuse guns, regiment wagons and odds
and ends Of baggage.
Then you need another extra twenty trains for the
artillery OF this army corps Only one cannon can
be set flat including its timber About fifty
cars necessary for each regiments cannon Next
there must DO the horses that drag the can
nom for the artIlerymen and for all the other
equipment that goes with cannon
II the cavalry regiments travel with the army
corps, the Job Is still worse, fewer than six
trains OF necessary for one cavalry regI.
ment Add to these trains the ones required by the
oommissary, the hospitals the heavy artillery the
trench dggers the bridge builders and no fewer than
seventy trains of fifty about fifty circuses
| are necessary to move army corps And the
French railroads. IL you please. had to move no
fewer than forty-two army corps in twenty days.
/