Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-04

When we went into the war. the of trucks
and automobiles in the army new thing
to US, except for very brief experience of haul
ing supplies that way Mexico. And the other
belligerent nations hadn't brought the motor bust
ness to anything like the Importance it now has
on the western front. WheE ire armies came out
OF their trenches, and the present of maneu-
vers began the motor entered upon phase
OF usef=-ness Not only could supplies be sent by
trEck to the swiftly moving fighting units much
more surely than by rail, but troops and artillery
are now transported by motor. Trucks are being
used into which three horses may be loaded,
while field piece and caisson are hitched on
behind as trailers. In this way an artillery unit
may De moved from one place to another at the
rate OF fourteen miles hour, and then set down
to maneuver in the usual way.
The motor trucks corps is just as highly or
gained as any other branch of the service. A
truck company consists of twenty-seven trucks,
with repair machine, baggage truck and
moving kitchen. corporal and private are
on the drivers seat of each truck If the corporal
is killed, the private takes his place The first
sergeant travels in the side car of a motorcycle,
end the two commissioned officers in command
usually first and second lieutenant, go ahead
in a light passenger car.
Most of the moving of supplies and ammuni-
ton is done at night and without lights That is
why the corps is training its chauneurs by
sending its trucks from factory to seaboard in
TINS country under their own power at night.
Despite all precautions, a she'll frequently
hnds truck Some trucks stay in the service
for years, and others are blown to pieces In a
few days. The most strenuous work of the corps
comes in case of enemy advance 1t is then
the duty of the truckmen to load up the supplies
and get them to the rear, to save them from
capture. When the Germans made their big push
in the spring, heavy percentage of our trucks
were shot to pieces while trying to carry away
supplies. But they didn't leave much for the
Germans to pick up at that.
1 is open secret that our motor service in
the early stages of participation in the war
vas not wonder of efficiency. Lots of men
were sent to France short notice, who claimed
to know all about cars, but proved to be unable
to shift gear Then, too, trucks of all kinds
were sent to the front and there was no adequate
supply of spare parts for the different makes.
When a motor transport officer was asked how
he got his spare parts, he answered with mono
syllable frankness: "Steal 'emi'
That's all over now. Before the Motor Trans
port Corps was organized, the motor service in
France had been brought to high state of eff
cheney. The service made separate corps
simply because it had become too big and too
important to be branch of anything else.
The Importance of the motor service abroad
is growing daily by reason of the fact that Ger
many is almost out of trucks and cars. She hasn't
the materials to build them. In this war of
maneuver, she is, therefore, dependent more and
more upon hastily constructed narrow gauge rail-
roads The advantage to the Allies of first
class motor service is self-evident.
The vehicles which the Motor Transport Serv-
ice include trucks, passenger cars, motor
cycles, ambulances and bicycles. The tanks and
caterpillars in corps of their own.