TROOPS AND TRAINS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15445, 7 September 1914, Page 11

TROOPS AND TRAINS.

DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSPORT. "WHEN BIG ARMISE MOVE. Laymen who look at a map of France, gridironed with railways, may imagine that it is easy to shift large armies from one point to another. Yet, even with a well-arranged service, the transport may seem slow., because of tho time required tor entraining and detra.nuig. in ti.o case of single line rail, which have no separate inetais for the returning trains, writes tho iiamous Field Marshall liaron. Von Der Uoltz, a. block iu the tratfiu very , otten arises, and therefore the.r capabilities must not be overrated, and tney must not be depended upon with the assurance justified by double lines. As a rule, twelvetrains a day is regarded as the maximum performance of a single, and eighteen a day of a double hue. Colonel Blume, after the experience of IS;0-71, eons ders it advisable to assume only eight and twelve trains respectively, instead of the figures quoted. It represents the average performance of those of tho French lines, of the slowness of which there were so many complaints in 1370. Under ordinary conditions an armycorps requires on a single lme eloven, and on a. double lino seven days in order to get tinder way with all its impedimenta. On foot, in eleven days it can cover nearlv 140, and in seven, days about 90 miles. It thus appeal's that an army corps as a whole will not- gain, time by entraining, unless the available railway tracks are longer than those distance*. A railway train of from 100 to 110 axles and jin approximate length of 540 yards can accommodate a battalion with a regimental or brigado staff, or a rifle battalion, or a- squadron with regimental and brigade stalls, and 11 squadrons respectively, a field battery with regimental or artillery brigado staff, five-sixths oli a horse artillery battery. 1-1 engineer companies with a divis onal pontoon train; finally either an ammunition or a provision column, a remount depot, a field hospital section, etc. All army corns, complete in all details, wouid thus require, roundly, 100 trains, if ccmprsing 2o battalions, or 10S trains if consist'ng of 33 battalions: thai- is if four battalions have been fonned in the infantry regiments. An infantry division (exclusive of _ train) would claim from 24 to 26 trains, and a cavalry division (also without train) 20 trains. On ih : s basts the number of days required for the convoy a nee of a given body of troops pan readily bo calculated. Assuming eight trains a dav for a single, line, and twelve for double l'nes. an army corps would be shipped in J2.J to 13i and B.'.- to 9 days respective! v; au infantrv division ui three arid two. and a cav;;.lr- division in 2J a"d op? and .two-third clavs respectively. By addii)"- the duration of a s'im!e jour n ev. th? time 13 arr ved at which .is required to move, tho body of troops, in question from jjoint to point. Since a mi]_it-arv ti'Q.ui_ii>avsla nt most 18 miles par hour, tlie a distance of, sav 400 miles! would Im> for nn_army corps on a snide i; nn 13.'..] 41 days, an a double line 9J-10 days: !j r .tho of . ir niv corn? 2i-3 and 2 dnvs resneetivelv; (V>r an infant.rv .or cn.vfllrv d'vision, 3-4 days and 2 2-3 days respeetivelv.