The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-08-05
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SINI1fS
United PresS STAT t~arreevO.1Ier

y i4AAt4 EIESe ola4A s. VI g l'yt4N-est-Atf
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
THE FIELD. June So--"The Lilies.
they sometimes call the staff officers out
here. on the ground that they toll not
neither 90 they do anything but spin
joyriding ii autos
But did you ever stop to consider the
amount Of administrator" required to
keep an army going The man in the
street. even the average soldier. seldom
takes the trouble to figure it out. To
him. the Brass Hat is mainly decora-
tive Is he
Take the one problem of transport
looked after by what the British cali the
o" STATS With the Germans attack
ing along a 50-mile front how many
pounds Of supplies daily do YOU estimate
must be hauled UT to battle positions
from bases at the rear
The answer IS a0o.oooooo pounds.
100000 tons.
And this is taking for granted that
the bases previously have been plentt-
fully stocked at tremendous pains and
labor with requisites from the four
corners of the world
An Astounding Task.
The more one thinks Of it the more
astounding the task proves to be. and il
is all the greater during a defensive
battle
During an offensive the work is cut
out for every officer and man in ad-
vance 1t Is all matter Of routine
From general commanding down 70
truck driver everybody knows today
pretty much what tomorrow's supplies
must be- in what proportions. 70 what
unite they are 10 he delivered. where
and al what time.
The defensive changes all this March
co. "a" was following out its routine de-
liveries March 81 the entire system
was as obsolete as the written rules for
crossing the sands Of the Sahara were
to old Noah when he suddenly was call
ed upon to navigate the Ark,
British divisions no longer were
where they had been. Their addresses
had changed. Al daybrea-z they were n
one place A. noon another A.
night raaybe they were no place at all
but on the move.
That vas one problem which had TO
be solved
Needs Change often.
Then the needs Of the divisions had
changed overnight and were changing
almost from one hour to another. Be
fore. thcv had 10 have trench morfars
and trench mortar shells None of this
stun vas needed now that they were
On the move. Sometimes one kind Of
ammunition was urgently needed then
got needed at all. Suddenly. IN ona
spot a particular kind of artillery ma
terial would he absolutely necessary
and just as suddenly os no use what
ever. Barbed wire was in great demand
one day and a glut on the market the
next.
Before the offensive started Sup
plies" knew to the man how many re-
lions we're required. Afterwards. with
armies shifting and sicc-s!ippins: div =
sions merging and criss-crossing all the
time: with British divisions being sent
10 the French and French divisions be-
ing shunted up among the British, ~
know V hat to send and how much was
enough to puzzle the solver Of the Asian
mystery himself
Where one day supplies vent up by
train. the next they mad 10 60 by motor
truck. horse transport and pack mule
From routine the system had 70 be
extraordinary elastic, adaptable to hour
IS changes.
Americans Arrive.
About this time Americans began ar
irving in large numbers in this zone.
They were without transport, engineer
ing supplies. and mostly minus equip
ment. %" had 70 take care Of this
situation while not neglecting the othsr