The Washington herald., 1916-04-26
By r. b. JOHNS.

| ANY intelligent person can see that
at some time in the future animal drawn
vehicles with an army will disappear,
| is the comment that appears in the re-
port of the Army War College on motor
! transportation in the campaigns. The
War College report is based upon the
reports of military observers with the
armies in the European war. While the
War College states that there is an in
clination on the part of the daily press
to overestimate the value Of motor trans
portation the European war will make
radical change in the transportation
systems for the army.
The report says, in commenting on
motor transports in the European cam
paign: Strategy has been affected by
the altered conditions affecting the battle
and even the conduct Of action has been
influenced. Along with the use of motor
transport, which altered the aspect Of
warfare, both in countries with good
highways and in those which lack them,
comes a speeding up of the rate at which
military operations can be conducted.
The strategic mobility Of troops has been
increased and this fact will bring about
greater ease in the grouping OF forces
for battle.
Indirectly they promote the inde-
pendence of troops Of their lines of COM
munications by facilitating the bringing
up of supplies and by creating possibili-
ties for concentration and movements
which did not formerly exist. Comman-
ders acquire thereby greater freedom of
action"
No special type of motor truck or auto
mobile is recommended by the War Col
ege, The military observers report that
more success has been met with the en-
ploying the type of automobile that is
In ba tpr NJ
erations.
In France" says the report, no at !
tempt has been made to use any particu- |
lar type Of either automobile or motor |
truck, but the government has taken |
what 1t could get from the principal man
ufacturers. AS far as possible, endeavor
Is made to have all the motor trucks Of
each army the same.
Various American trucks have been
found excellent in every way, and a
light chassis for ambulances is render /
ing the best service. These can go where
heavier vehicles in many cases could not
pass, and where they would only encum-
ber the road. II
TT seems to be generally conceded
abroad that the trains corresponding to
Dur field and combat trains should be
horse drawn, while the division corps
and army trains are best constituted Of
motor transport. There are to be found
some exceptions to this rule, but generally
speaking, the official reports are a unit
n this respect"
Automobiles and motor trucks have not
,nly been used in the European war to
transport supplies, but to move troops.
With them infantry has frequently moved
With greater rapidity than cavalry. !,
Whole divisions of infantry are said to !
lave been loaded into automobiles and /.
ushed to reinforce threatened portion :
# line.
Says a report: zone of a great num-
'er of uses Of auto trucks today is to :
move troops promptly into threatened
ector of the line of trenches. In one
peration each division had temporarily
nder its orders fifty auto trucks for
moving troops. These trucks were kept
nth the reserve. Each truck could
AIRY twenty equipped infantrymen. BY
he use of these trucks within a very y
ew minutes 1000 men could be loaded :
nd moved to the threatened point With
his load and moving at the rate of about
kilometers an hour II would not take 4
ing to commence throwing in reserves Il
There is no question but that in q
ther theaters of war, when a war of a
laneuver has been carried on. these :
-ueks have been used to carry troops
n raids accompanying cavalry The n
lpply trains with cavalry have also
cen made up of the Transports The N
ninlal drawn army train except GER is
lin vehicles for artillery and engi- ii
eers, have been entirely done away
ith, and their work done by the y
rmy automobile convoy"
The problem Of keeping sItouoA6lsst