Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1916-05-10
HOW VERDUN WAS SAVED.
Wonderful Organization and Equipment
That Were Used to Furnish Sup
plies and Men.

PRIMARILY Verdun was saved Dy Tn
courage and devotion of the tirst-lin
troops. who held the trenches when tn
attack began. They performed thei
full duty they held the line until tn
reserves came up. They did preclsel.
what the German troops had done il
Champagne last fall and with approx
mately the same losses and with cour
age and devotion which will remain
memorial.
But the defending of the Verdun sec
tor was made possible py the prepare
tion that mad actually been made lcne
months before. The civil authorities
asked by the military, to supply new
railroad, mad failed mlserably.
AS pointed out earlier, there was
only the single-track. narrow gauge
line, which in point of fact was used
almost exclusively to evacuate wound
ed, but there was the motor transport
and this was the miracle of Verdun.
Months before, the military authori-
ties, recognizing the dangerous posi-
tion OF the Verdun salient, reconstruct
ed the one great highway running
north from st. Dizler and Barbecue
to Verdun. The existing highway was
doubled, trebled in width, proper turn.
outs were made and Verdun was bound
to France ny magnificent road going
north beyond the range of the German
artillery all the way to the outskirts
of the city itself.
In addition, General Herr. who COM
manded the sector, had worked out an
intricate ard marvellous system of mo-
tor transport.
When the blow fell it was only nec-
essary to mobolize the motor trucks,
and in an incredibly short time thous-
ands and thousands OF these trucks
were IN operation.
Coming north as did from st. Dizier
to Verdun for more than fifty miles the
road was a continuous line of trucks.
Over almost the whole distance they
were marching IN single file with
Gong up heavy laden. they passed
through the region behind the front,
discharged their contents at the ap
pointed place, and returned empty by
smaller side roads.
On all the course / never saw a block
or a delay. Rarely, very rarely, a
camion was upset or broke down and
was turned to the side of the road and
temporarily abandoned.
In every village there were repair
stations, but day and night steadily,
fairly rapidly, this endless chain OF
motor trucks filed past, bringing men,
munitions, supplies.
BY this method perhaps quarter of
million men were brought fresh to
the firing line; innumerable guns,
heavy and light, were kept supplied
with ammunition armies were ration
ed the whole intricate and enormous
domestic economy of great modern
army was handled without friction or
disorder.
In the cities, such as Bar educ, the |
squares and the turns were marked by I
signs. telling the road to Verdun.
Even in rlny villages traffic policemen,
soldiers, instructed the drivers, kept !
the traffic separated, for In addition to
the Verdun sector, the St. MlhIel and
the Argonne sectors were fed in part
by the same route.
All night long In Bar-le-Duc 1t was
possible to hear this endless rum BILE OF
the wheels of the great trucks. On
The road Paris buses, laden with fresh
meat, numbered steadily.
1t was rather like huge torrent
than like vehicular traffic, and it was
The real salvation of Verdun, for it
preserved Verdun from isolation, 1t
.emeuled the essential defect due to
;he cutting of the two railroads, 1T re-
placed two useless arteries by third,
which was absolutely sufficient. II
In this war the world has talked
Mostly OF German efficiency. prepara- ,
ion, foresight. Yet to see this never i
,nding procession, these thousands and
ems of thousands of motor vehicles !
proceeding on their way. assembled ;
rom somewhere. from everywhere, 8
without delay, without difficulty, mo-