MOTOR CAR IN WAR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 506, 13 May 1909, Page 7

MOTOR CAR IN WAR.

GERMAN TRANSPORT EXPERIMENTS. IDT TtLKaiurn—rnuss association—coituidbt.) • ■ ■ Berlin, May'll." ; Germany, ,' following Britain's example, is experimenting, with the mobilisation .of troops by moans of motor cars at Frankfort,. Strasburg,. and other places.. . ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMOBILES 'lN - TRANSPORT. VULNERABILITY- OF RAILWAYS AND ■ COLUMNS. " ; The experiment of convoying a 'battalion composed of companies from various regiments of the Guards,' with guns and baggage, from London to Hastings on a hasty summons to repel an imaginary invasion; by means of motor-cars, was carried out on March 17, and was attended with. complete, success. The special correspondent of "The Times" thus explains the importance of the experiments "What was done in some three nours would have occupied about ; three days in. formto times, and the men would have arrived fatigued by the long march, instead of fresh and ready for any operation. It was desired to show what coulu be accomplished,' as a general illustration of: a new means of military transport. Railways are vulnerable''to.'the' attack of raiders,' who are tempted by the facility—unless the places arc strongly guarded—of blowing up bridges and tile mouths ■of tunnels, tearing up rails and otherwise damaging tho permanent way in.suoh a manner that months may bo required .to make good the damage done, . "It is true that Wednesday's trial, was only of the dispatch of a battalion at war strengtn, with first and second lino transport stores, and all requirements complete, for troops taking the. field; but what was done in this ..way was only an illustration'of what could be accomplished on a larger scale, if an organisation were prepared beforehand. The members of the Automobile Association, have about 14,000 high-powered cars amongst them, 1 and. it has bean shown how admirable would be their service if a proper system of registration in view of the needs of rapid mobilisation wero introduced. ■ .'■ , . "It is sometimes forgotten that a slow-mov-ing force 'drags at each remove a lengthening chain,' and that. tho difficulty of feeding tho men and. providing pure water is apt to increase with every day's march. : Anything that tends to shorten:tho length or■ diminisn the vulnerability of . columns, on the .march is immensely valuable. A big 1 British division would stretch some 1G miles along a road, and if a strong advance guard could be hastened forward by means of motor vehicles, supposing no railway to be available/ a great: military object would be attained, by striking soon," and. we should hope striking hard, and by protecting the march of the column in the rear." It is something new for Germany to borrow military ideas from Britain.' Recent German military experiments with motor-cars have been in the direction of armed automobiles, heavily gunned and proteoted. :