Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-07-21
BY THE DAILY HERALD'S MILL
TARY EXPERT.

4 LARK EAfEtEl. hNrE
Copyright, 1917, by The Newspaper
Enterprise Association).
The "Pershing Zone will soon be
q fact. A little strip Of the United
States is going to extend across
France from the American base on
the French coast to the front line
American trenches. e
After 8 detailed investigation Of
the system established by the
British and French, Gen. PERISH
ing has decided to establish a
complete. American controlled
line of communications, Il
The business Of maintaining an
army at the front is like running a
small nation, continually subjected to-
q series Of earthquakes, devastating
fires, floods, famine, plague and sud-
den death. It Ia a carefully planned
effort to meet the unexpected.
I will undertake to describe as
clearly as possible in the limited space
allowed to me the method Of carrying
on this great business.
Boss of Communications Is Next
to Pershing in Importance.
Gen. Pershing's army at the front
must spend its entire time and atten-
ton on the business Of fighting the
front is another army whose business
1t is to keep the army at the front in
condition to fight. ~,
And the commander Of this 'army
behind the army-whose name
probably will W. be mentioned in
dispatches-is. next to Gen. Pershing
himself, the most important man on
French soil today. His modest title
is Commander OF the Line of Com
m~unications." The zon which he
commands embraces a strip of terri
the point where contact is made with
the trains of the combatant forces on
the front.
This Is the circulatory system
OF Pershing's army. It's railroad
"arterfee" pump forward the
food, clothing, ammunition, tools 3
and equipment needed at the
front; and it's veins" OF steel rail
carry back to the 'heart'' at the
base the sick and wounded, the
worn out gums for refitting, the
wagons that must be repaired,
and the empty vehicles which
must be refilled and sen pulsing
forward again.
HEHIL l.. r+gAtaa-rtf -- NAEL1
Before a single one Of Pershing's
fighters landed in France. groups Of
staff corps men from every technical
branch OF the army went with PERISH
Ing AHEAD to make all arrangements
for receiving, supplying and forward
ing the troops. The result is the
"Pershing Zone In France"
How does this Zone work?
The commandment the line of COM
muntcations will organize it into three
administrative units: (a} supply,
sanitary and telegraph service;n (b).
service Of military railways. (cl,
Service Of military police"
Lines OF CommunicationA Are
Divided INTO Two Sections.
To administer and control the sup
ply, sanitary and telegraph service"
the line of communications will be di-
|vtded into two sections base Sec
with an assistant chief Of staff in
charge, competent to issue orders in
the name Of the commander. The adj
vance section commander establishes
his headquarters at the advance
depot on the rail head Immediately
behind the fighting troops. Here he
has under him a staff, REPRESENTING the
quartermaster, medical, engineer.
ordinances and signal corps. TO his
depot are attached ammunition, sup
ply. sanitary and engineer columns to
connect with the corresponding di-
|yisional columns attached to the light
ing troops.
The commander Of the base SECTION
controls all that portion OF the line OF
communications UP to the depots, SAN
|ttary units and telegraph stations OF