Show i.- i. fi r French Transport Service 1 Attains Marvelous Efficiency P. P SM I. I f td I The automobile service of ot the vi Fr French army is a vast organization equipped for every conceivable kind I 1 ot haulage and at the tho disposal of ot every 0 bianch of ot the army writes W W. F. F Bradley from Franco to Automobile 4 Industries The variety of ot work done 1 1 bar by bY ordinary army trucks Is greater t that undertaken by any civilian 1 5 haulage contractor contracted for the underlying principle Is la that the trucks shall be bethe bethe t the disposal of the entire army armr W l. l one branch may be inactive and 11 ye ve no o need for mechanical haulage lher may ma- mabe be passing through a ped pe- pe Jd d' d of oC intense activity Thus for the service there are no periods of ot oti i rest such as are known by bye e 6 Infantry cavalry artillery and the tous ou technical branches of ot the army truck kuck ick efficiency demands that v cloo 11 be run as constantly as possible f this condition Is obtained by nonie non- non Ji ie the whole of ot the auto- auto l I III tile fleet being a at t the disposal of to whole of the army and for the needs of ot that armyo army i o give specific Instances when an anis anis n is t. consolidating its positions ir tf no Intention of ot attacking for a r 1 c considerable time the amount of ot amIi am- am Ii lii to toe be e carried to the front is s aft Ji Deduced to a a. minimum but at Sli such h t e the amount of material required f fc fbi new gun emplacements new f. f q f. f t hu shelters bridges etc is s at i 4 maximum a and fd trucks s a are kept p b busy this class of work When a big Is 18 Imminent consolidating oper- oper are pra practically suspended but A mv a time tim the number of men In t L th trenches and held in reserve imme- imme 1 behind the front line positions position at its maximum thus the trucks Which a few days before were carry carry- t. t T building material ar are all employed t S transportation of ot men the sup- sup w p fa f food and water for the men at mt nt and alo the increase of the tho theof f of oC reserve resene ammunition in the behind the batteries fi A the a French arm army the artillery is 1 1 fr independent of ot the general automobile automo- automo bile Ue service ce for tor the transportation of ot S i for al This condition is not comP com com- P ro alt the armies of ot Europe and L H even at the present time there Is a c amount of ot discussion in i 1 circles as to the value or otherwise f t the French ch system It Is only for tor t f 4 of heavy artillery that au- au are used to the exclusion L The light 76 mm fieldi field field- i r r presents a special problem It possess extreme mobility and be ot of f getting Into any position ct b results have been obtained ag the S gun on a special au- au jl ol bUe chassis having nothing In r- r iri with the truck chassis and from this chassis The larg larg- ed permanently on and M-an M automobile chassis is one I ot of 10 11 mm used by a certain allied r. r WHEE WHEEL DRIVE I i With these exceptions artillery Is hauled In Instead tead of ot being carried earned I fUi and this necessitates a special type of which In the French rench army I d drives trea through all alt four wheels The automobile hauled batteries keep these thesel l S tractors exclusively for their own use and a also aleo have a certain number of of true for tor carrying ammunition from f tJ the e dumps clumps to the guns gun Thus the bat- bat are entirely independent of oC the general automobile service for their I although they still have to J rely on the ordinary trucks the t J c carriage of their ammunition from Crom railhead rail rail- S head bead to dump t S Under this system when a battery receives ves orders to advance or retreat It can CaD get under way as quickly as the guns and caissons can be hitched up to the tractors there l is no need to communicate with an outside service serIce ice or to walt wait for trucks or tractors to be beI besent besent I sent up The main objection brought j J against this system Is that the tractors t are not employed to anythIng an thing like their t full tun efficiency It If a gun takes up a position and retains it for U ti month th the t tractor idle for Cor that length c of cf time only a few yards from its gun hidden under the cut branches of ot trees or by other covering so as to screen i It t from the eyes of ot aerial and terrestrial terres terres- t trial rial observers In In the general automobile service there are three classes of trucks which i in n order of ot Importance are transport of ot material usually known under the abbreviation abbreviation ab ab- abbreviation ab- ab of ot T T. M M. transport of personnel personnel personnel per per- T. T T T. P P. and fresh meat wagons R It V V. F F. The Tha T T. M M. 1 trucks form the backbone of the automobile service service service ser ser- vice of the army They are three and anda a half halt and ton five-ton trucks officially designated for the transportation of material but In reality employed for every conceivable kind of ot work In connection connection connection con con- with the army and at the disposal disposal dis dig of every branch of the army which may happen to require their ser- ser vl vices es For or or these trucks there is no slack time no waiting for events no material which cannot be carried RELIEVE EACH OTHER It If If a quick movement of ot troops has hasto hasto hasto to be made the T T. M M. trucks come to the aid of the special vehicles for tor carrying car- car n en if the artillery is unusually I active the T T. M M. 1 trucks carry shells from the railhead to the dumps or the batteries If It there I I a big demand for tor timber r the T T. M M. trucks go to the aid of ot the forest gangs gangi the call is the same if It there are big bridge building road repairing or trench making oper oper- The Tha T T. M M. truck service is ts the general haulage contractor of ot the army It It is difficult to state with any degree de degroe de- de gr groe gree e of accuracy the proportion of au automobiles au- au to fighting men The following follow follow- in Ing however will give an Idea The tOllow 1 army which on a fair estimate comprises men has an automobile automobile auto- auto mobile service of six thousand men and andone j I I one hundred and fifty officers As there are always two men to a truck I this gives a ratio of ot ope automobile I truck to one hundred fighting men This calculation however only takes tales account of ot the T T. M M. and T T. P P. trucks I meat wagons and ambulances It is necessary to add all officers officers' cars the I ai artillery tractors and automobiles the airplane service and the various specialized specialized specialized vehicles already mentioned On this basis there is one automobile for Cor forty men in the field In this connection consideration has been taken taken taken tak tak- en only of ot troops and automobiles In the field the immense services es in the interior carrying on work which makes it possible to maintain the fightIng fight fight- I ing forces all have their own automo j bile bUe services ORGANIZATION MUCH IMPROVED I In in deciding on spare parts and tools I for tor trucks American Americ n manufacturers and authorities appear to have been influenced by touring car practice and to have assumed consciously or Unconsciously un un- un consciously that their vehicles would operate singly Thus some tome American trucks are sent into France with spare valves es and springs fan tan belts magneto parts rubber note hose gaskets spare main bearings bolts nuts and washer wash wah- er ers etc some of or the specifications which have appeared in print provide for tor an even more elaborate stock of spares though it is absolutely unnecessary unnecessary sary under war conditions condition Prior to 1914 there was a somewhat somewhat some some- what similar luxury of ot spares in the French Krench army anny Since then the automobile automo automo- bile bUe service has learned much and one of ot the first actions is to strip American Ameri Amen can trucks of ot all the spares supplied by the factory and to order trucks from their own factories without any ac ac- ac- ac The unit in the field Is not a single truck but a section comprisIng comprising Ing ng fifteen or twenty vehicles accordIng according accord accord- ing to their individual capacity An army trained automobile lIe driver is not I given credit for tor any real mechanical knowledge and is assumed umed t tp be Incapable in incapable In- In capable of making use of spires even een when they are necessary I In the majority of ot cases this as assumption assumption as- as Is fa correct the exceptions are beneficial to the service but they are HO so rare that hat they need not be taken into consideration Compared with the Hie early earb days davs of at the war automobile or organization organization or- or In France is so highly de developed developed developed de- de that it would be as absurd to give a R. bl big stock of spares to individual drivers as to place them ia In the bands hands of ot men at the wheel of ot Fifth avenue omnibuses SPARE PARTS AND TOOLS One of the bet beit American trucks and one with the best supply of spares and tools was noticed on the French front with reserve valves and springs carefully packed in a special spare I parts box For some real reason on or other these valves had been allowed to re remain remain remain re- re main in m tho the possession of ot the driver but the officer in charge stated slated that this Ulis particular truck never burned out outa a valve alve and the spares were absolutely absolute absolute- ly useless Another American truck with poorly designed water Jackets had hada a rather high consumption of valves while cracked Jackets were not unknown Un- Un un un- known Yet this maker did not consider consider con con- sider aider a n pair of ot valves a necessary part pant of ot his truck equipment Obviously the decision as to what is and what is not necessary should not rest with the manufacturer The individual French army truck carries a kit of ot tools toots comprising I wrenches to fit every nut hammer files tiles grease gun oil can Jack a few bolts boas and nuts a couple of oC spark plugs plug and of course a reserve supply of grease and oil The tools are uniform for tor each make or type and andin in ln order to toI I facilitate control are carried on a ape ape- special cia cial I took rack or board so that the officer can tell at a glance If any artcle article art anti I cle dc is missing I Each section of ot fifteen to twenty trucks has a breakdown tool kit in I charge of A. A couple of ot mechanics who are not usually called upon to drive In some cases eases the mecha mechanics have ha at their disposal a a. wheel two-wheel canvas covered cov coy ered trailer which serves senes as a storehouse store store- house but can be u ed to a limited I extent as a workshop I |