Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-05-28
DEBORAH BOYS WORK
FRANCE
Connie ROsenthal Was in the Motor
Transport Corps, Which Did
Such Fine Work

of F. j. Rosenthal, was a member of
the motor corps. and saw much
service in France:
| speed, rapidity won the war for
the Allies. Speed, rapidity would not
have been possible had it not been
for the motor transportation of the
different Armies Of the Entente.
What the Entente lacked in pre-
paredness it had to make up for in
speed.
| 1.-THE motor truck and the automo-
bile played bigger part in winning
the war than any other factor out
side of combatant troops. Paris
would have fallen in the first months
of the war, had not General Gallieni,
military governor of Paris, thrown
every available motor vehicle to the
front loaded with troops, and so
checked in time the oncoming Ger
mans. Again before Paris, four, years
later, motor transportation turned
! the tide by rushing into the Chateau
Thierry sector.
1.-THE first unit of American motor
transportation landed in France in
May 1917. Between that time and
\ the close of the war, the Motor
Transport Corps was organized and
equipped with more than seventy
thousand vehicles of all kinds, and
was functioning not only on the
front lines but in every nook and
corner of France, where it was nee
essary to carry men and supplies.
This in spite Of the fact that when
war was declared there was practic-
ally no organized motor transporta-
ton in the United States army.
"The fighting men won the war;,
but the fighting men could not have
fought in France in any great num-
bers had it not been for the motor
| truck. For with the facilities at
hand in the way of shipping it would
have been a physical impossibility to
Lave sent over two million men to
! France and to have kept them sup
piled with wagon transportation only
to depend upon. Wagon transporta-
ton is slow and too much OF its ton
mage has to be used to carry sub
sistence for the animals that drew it.
1T is safe to say that, had the
motor truck not been in existence,
the United States could not have
sent to France and maintained here,
more than 100000 soldiers during
the period in which 100000 were
sent over. There was not one day of
the time in which these 100000
men were here that they lacked
anything necessary for their well
! fare and comfort. The motor truck
can be largely thanked for this.
eff Germany could of sunk every
ship carrying motor transportation
and, therefore, have prevented any
trucks from arriving in France,
American soldiers would have been
but a negligible quantity in the war.
''The war has developed motor
TRANSPORTATION tremendously, not only
for military, but for civilian pur-
suits. 1t is safe to say that, becauce
of the war, ten times more trucks
will be in operation in the United
States in 1919, for example, and it
is also safe to say that when the
Regular army of the U. s. is reor-
ganized. motor transportation will
play conspicuous part in the tables
of organization.
"The Motor Transport Corps has
been one of the very biggest things
in this war, and this statement may
! be safely made at any time or In any
company without hope of successful
contradiction by anyone"
Brodeaux, where I have been sta
| toned is one of the largest cities Of
France, has population of 100000
and is on the Garonne river about
| seventy miles from it's mouth. Be-
cause of the excellent docking facili-
ties, this port was designated as one
to be improved by the government
by the addition of the most modern
docks in the world. The result has
been that more tonnage has been
unloaded at this port than at any
/, other in France.
When reported. down there, there
had been received from the United
States Is passenger cars, It's trucks
anil less than hundred motorcycles.
To date we have unloaded, assem-
bled and put into operation over a.
900 motor vehicles, and feed, clothe
and move the 100000 men in this
section, which requires the use OF
l120O vehicles and 5000 men. When
the armistice was signed we were
unloading 113 vehicles from boats
daily.
This port has been designated as
one of the principal points OF en-
barkation for the returning troops,
with the result that this section rs
now buster than ever.
Il