The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-23
WAR RESPONSIBLE FOR
IMPETUS IN MOTOR
TRANSPORTATION
Important Figure Cut in Early
DAYS of Conflict More Than
Maintained as Years Faded
Into History.

Into History.
The worl Ia war was responsible fer
The enormous impetus given TO motor
transportation during the last few
years Under most adverse conditions
m otpf cars and motor trucks demon
strated their mobility and usefulness
1T In not an exaggeration to SAY thAt
they contributed as much to- winning
lhs war as any other means utilized
hy the allies.
In the dark days OF the early fail
of 1sI4. without the motor buses OF
Paris requisitioned as transports, Won
hlucks army would not have been
hanked and forced 10 retreat from
the very gates Of the French capita
when the Crown Princes army at the
81 Mihiel salient mad nearly enveloped
Feraun and has artillery had de-
Stroyed every sembianoe or q rail-
road leading INTO that city, the French
troops defending the lines received
iced and ammunition by motor
trucks.
Thu extraordinary mobility Of the
German drives into Poland and kusslh
md Reumania was due to the hne or
ganixatton Of motor transport facilI~
tsos Briefly both sides depended on
motor transportation throughout the
struggle Every highway WAS ii STRAIT
csic point TO be wen or defended to
ynt last man,
USE IN THE ARMY.
As an "Aampte Of the development
., ltlis branch of service. take The
aiGeu States army. In 1908 the gov
eminent authorized the purchase of
ore lnot"r vehicle for transport work,
In 1909 traction engine with two
lrGiteEs and number OF heavy
wagons Was placed IL operation by
tne army.
wneu Pershine made his dash into
Mexico in search Of Villa in 1915 the
army had rust eighty nine motor We
hicles, twenty of which were not To-
Gated In this country. Emergency
orders were issued for trucks, and.
as result number of bare chassis
were sent TO the Mexican border by
express trains.
Arher the United States entered the
great war in 1917 the extraordinary
demands for motor transport led to
The purchase of all sorts of vehicles
This naturally resulted in some
waste and confusion in operation and
maintenance and supply of spare
parts. In April, 1915 the motor
transport service was established as
part of the quarterInaster corps,
Later this branch became known As
the motor transport corps But in
September. 1918. it WAS put back I'M
der the quartermaster corps
As an example Of the growth OF this
branch OF the army il Ia interesting
~ note that when the armis1lce was
signed there were S,0sS officers and
e3,252 men enrolled in it. More than
half were on duty overseas. The
highest rank In the motor service is
krfg8 dfer-generR}
TRAINING THE CORPS.
The task of training this transport
corps (which was as great as Lee 5
entire army at Gettysburg) was ire
mendous one. schools were opened
all over the country. Instructors
were chosen from the enlisted men
who were automobile mechanics III
had other experience in handing
The corps was divided into four
divisionsE--the executive division the
service division, the operations dl-
VISION the maintenance division. As
another example OF the size Of the
work, the repair branch OF the main
tenance division erected three recon
struction parks at a cost of over
eleven and a half million dollars on
land costing over half a million dol
lars. The machinery for equipping
these plants cost nearly two million
dollars. The buildings alone covered
over 500 acres OF ground
The United States army. authorities
are great believers IN employing
rrailers. These trauers carry from
three-quarters of ii tonic ten tons.
The supply train, for an Infantry
division consists at present of[1g9
trucks Other vehicles, including
motorcycles and kitchen trailers,
bring the total up 10 81
s census of all motor vehicles II
government service IN December, 1917
gave "a grand total Of 10000 NAM
doubtless were not adapted to the re-
qulrements Of the army, which WAS t.
be expected in the rush CT the Hercu.
lean Undertaking. But from eighty
n.ns motor vehicles IN 1918 To Io0. 00G
or even 10000 IN 1918 was the most
TloQGtut answer possible 70 the ques-
tlou Is the meteor vehicle an essen
s,sl in military operations 2"
GOOD HIGHWAYS.
Eut while the motor vehicles Op-
Grating in the European campaigns
t-aversed shell rorn roads at the
front they found back OF the lines.
Ez Il rute, et-eA highways The roads
or Europe are in the main good roads
The Romans taught the world the
value Of good roads And Frances
rystsm n highways did much to save
France
VIVA America needs is system Of
coed roads buil' both for the develop
faeist i peaceful fitdaistry and FOR
militia needs The good roads
movement Is working and making
progress. But much remains to be
done
During he war experiments In
TRANSFORMATION were tried by the gov
sfnf.ent One Was the Transporting
IF q detachment ~ eighteen soldiers
~ n.ptoc truck over an average road
fTam FORT Ogefthorpe TO Atlanta
& tsssa nca or 80 miles This detach-
ner' carried full field equipment and
made the trip Ia Ave hours and thirty
1--WE minutes figuring on the rail-
read route between these ncints and
tskin~ into account switching delays,
II sAArchfng the men to the station and
\ esstrs iHin~ them, The route by truck
q MaA two hours shorter. The cost was
Sal 9NN kys truck also
~