PERILOUS WORK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 247, 6 July 1918, Page 7

PERILOUS WORK

THE.A.S.C. IN A IIETIIiEMBNT; . \"R." in tho "Daily Mail.") In retirements it is moving "the Army behind the Army" that presents the greatest'problem. Tor every man who uses rifle or. artillery thero arc three or tour others'stretching away rearwards to j attend upon his needs. When tho ac- j tual fighting men begin to fall back danger arises of the men behind them being turned into a disorganised mob.' This can be prevented only by careful generalship. ' It is commonly supposed that the Army Service Corps and other such auxiliaries have 11 "cushy" time. Never was there a'greater misconception. During a retirement such as that our Army has been making in Franco ihe enemy seeks to isolate the troops immediately in front of him by cutting off all communications in -their rear. He hammers roads miles back 'with heavy artillery, particularly spots where ways intersect one another or which are in the vicinity of a railhead.' Hut* "touch" much be maintained. Consequently the A.S.C. drivers, whether of horse transport or motor-cars have to make their way through the hail of projectilcs.,'. Onco they have won, through ihey.must turn,and risk it again. All i munitions for men and guns are moved' in this manner. As tho front line falls hack so.the transport has to reorganise itself in orderly fashion no matter how thickly enemy shells may be dropping [Mound. , Traffic in all circumstances is usually ilireoted on tho same system as it is in London.. Frequently there are ex-Lori-don policemen cohtrolling.it. One string of wagons parses forward, keeping to its proper side of the road, while the backward moving stream flows along the other. ■ No departure from this rule is permitted. If it were, the vehicles joining from opposite directions would ;ct in each other's way and in place of nn orderly withdrawal' there would bo a mere rout. Guns go up and down in tho same manner. So do the ambulances. Tho "Traffic Control" stands at every street corner, at every cross-road, and wherever ii 'switch-road has been opened. What ho says counts as law, for ho is lord of t;ie highways and all must obey him. No cheerful task his, either. JTo mat-'-•r how hot may be 'the corner he occupies, he has to "stick it" so long as he. remains uninjured. Immediately ho gels "pipped" another .autocrat "steps into his place. All main roads arc quite well known to the enemy, who is able to fire on them "by the map," as it is termed. In other words, .he knows just how to lay his guns to make any particular section of the vcad practically impassable. Ifoad-making forms a. far more important part of the operations than is generally • realised, whether troops ho advancing or retiring. 1 Particularly in the latter case unduly congested traffic may bo the precursor of disaster; therefore svery general'tries his utmost to avoid it. Conditions may easily arise in which the heavy motor-lorries, now used in <uch numbers' by both fides, become something of an embarrassment. They :annot be/driven over ploughed - field's ?r any kind of rough country, as can light horsed vehicles. Jlade roads are needed to carry them. And in a withlrnwnl this class of traffic demands care;u) handling if dangerous "blocks" are' :o bo prevented. Such problems as these iro not left to the chance of tho monent, but' are carefully thought out be'orehand, since a competently handled u'lf.y has its plans laid for a move in ;ither direction at any time. An advancing force always forms big Mumps" (or depots) of various kinds of var, material eloso behind it. Buildings if different sorts also spring up to meet he hundred and erne requirements of lie troops, and nowadays also thero are :ho held railways. Shifting back this inpedimcrta is seldom possible. Conse[iientiy if. is destroyed to prevent it 'mm falling into the enemy's bands. Sometimes ho may advance so rapidly hat this cannot be done. But generally ;ho kerosene, can or tho dynamite has lono its work before tho enemy reaches lepots of abandoned stores. Miildings, or •uilwnys that would be of ise to him.