Communication & Transport

• Revolutionary wars


  Claude Chappe = semaphore signalling system which could move a message 150 miles in 15 minutes

  The British army adopted Willian Congreve’s rockets in 1806 – their use was limited due to their inaccuracy

  Transports = on foot or on horses
• Crimea


  RAILWAYS:

  GB 25 mile rail from Balaclava to frontline (240 tons supplies a day)

  ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH:

  War = political

  Public knew about the war and were more educated and having the right to vote

  Public pressure on politicians
• ACW


  RAILWAYS:

  Key rail centres (Chattanooga, Atlanta and Nashville)

  Supplies and reinforcements moved at speed

  Confederates =bringing in reinforcements BATTLE First Bull Run

  Sherman’s March to the Sea destroyed huge amounts of Confederate Railroad

  But his army was kept supplied by one route of 3 lines (500 miles) – took away the need for 36,800 mules!
• Small wars


  FRANCO - AUSTRIAN WAR

  French delivered 120,000 men to Northern Italy in less than 2 weeks via railway + 70,000 by steam ship (Austrians marching at 3-4 miles a day)

  AUSTRO – PRUSSIAN WAR

  General Staff integrated Telegraph with the Railway

  Moltke put more emphasis on Railways than forts

  They moved 250,000 over 300 miles over 5 lines
• WW1


  War plans depended on Railways

  Russia had also invested in railways so mobilised quicker than the Germans expected

  Germans still had to march near 400 miles in Schlieffen Plan

  Railway Timetables = could be sabotaged

  French soldiers rushed to the defence of Paris at the BATTLE of the Marne in Parisian taxis.
• WW2


  Transport = WW2 mobile

  Blitzkrieg needed all transport

  Aircraft for airborne operations BATTLE (Crete, D day and Market Garden) - Plane carried A bomb

  Did not work in Russia (Op. Barbarossa) because of scale and weather.

  Market Garden also failed because the troops were isolated