How Very Apt

We Are Back On The Riveting Subject Of Logistics Again

Because I made notes and read up on the subject, so you can SIT BACK DOWN! because this is interesting.  

     Okay, as you know Conrad is elderly and very short-sighted, and has recently managed the motivation to go get new spectacles from Visionexpress, meaning a Saturday afternoon appointment at 14:30.  Of course - obviously! - I arrived much too early, so I sat on a bench in The Spindles and read a book brought along for that exact same purpose.  Art!

     That's an 'Atomic fire generator' in case you were curious.

     ANYWAY the book in question is Omer Bartov's "Hitler's Army: Soldiers, Nazis And War In The Third Reich", which is my go-to Bag Book, as it's a slim paperback that doesn't take up much space.  Art!

Chapter 1 is titled 'The Demodernization Of The Front' and illustrates, with examples from the 'Ostfront', just how detrimentally affected the Wehrmacht was in it's invasion of the Sinister Union.  As the Teutons advanced further into Belorussia, the Ukraine and Ruffia proper, their front line expanded from 800 PROUD IMPERIAL miles, to 1,500 miles long, with supply columns having to travel over 1,000 miles to supply front line units.  Art!

     Half of the Teuton infantry divisions used horse transport for their logistics transport to begin with; Army Group South had to replace half of it's trucks with Ruffian 'Panje' wagons, thanks to the breakdown and unserviceability of said motor transport.  The sensible strategic alternative of supplying to forward railhead using railways was a non-starter, as the Sinister Union used a different gauge to Germany.  This created huge bottlenecks at the border where freight was offloaded and then reloaded, leading the Teutons to re-lay 10,000 miles of railway, which was still not enough.

     Bartov provides another example of de-modernization: 18th Panzer Division.  It started Operation Barbarossa on 22nd June 1941,with 200 panzers, yet by 24th July 1941, it had only 12 tanks left.  This meant it was now an infantry division, which had to dig in and conduct trench warfare akin to that of 1916.  Art!

Constructing a light railway

     Speaking of which, let us now return to Sir Eric Geddes, spawn of Scotland and scourge of the Wilhemine war machine.  Sent to France in 1916, he was immediately given the rank of major general and title Director General Of Railways' and 'Director General Of Transport', whence he put his analytical and organisational skills to use.

     What do you see in that photo above?  Yes, a light railway being constructed, using steel rails and wooden sleepers.  Rails would come from a British foundry, and before Geddy took up his post, timber for sleepers - and barbed-wire stakes, fuel, trench revetments and hutments - would also come from  Great Britain*.  Art!

     

     With considerable prodding, Geddy got the French to agree that a specially formed Canadian lumberjack company could fell timber in French forests, half of which would go to France, half to the British army.  This was far more efficient that importing Canadian or British timber and saved space on freighters carrying supplies to France.  A single company of 200 men thus replaced much of the 15,000 forestry workers previously needed, releasing manpower that could then be used on the front lines.  Art!

Ambulance barges in use

     Ambulance barges were much preferred for transporting the wounded, as they gave a far smoother ride than horse or motor transport.  Just so you know.

     ANYWAY Geddy's analysis revealed that many of the problems with logistics were down to no settled or established policies or procedures, thanks to there being no overarching control, until now.  Rather than following a set of rules, British army logistics were dominated by ad hoc usage, a kind of 'we'll muddle through as best we can when we hit a problem'.  This is anathema to any well-organised manager.  Railways, docks, roads, light rail and canals were all being run with no central direction.  Canal barges such as the one above were only used if there was no rail capacity; despite Haig being keen to use light railways where possible, once again - no policy; roadmaking materials were guessed as to what tonnage was needed, rather than what was really required.  Art!

     That's 'Road metal' and no, I have no idea why a load of crushed stone is gifted with being steely hard.

     Ah!  I just checked, and it comes from the Latin <hack spit> 'Metallum', meaning 'Mine'.

     I am putting up this Intro as an example of an argument used by Kenneth Macksey in 'Why The Germans Lose At War', where the German General Staff considered logistics to be a very unimportant aspect of training their senior officers, whereas the British, long used to operating overseas with consequential verrrry long supply chains, focussed on it with intensity.

     Thanks to Janet Macdonand and her 'Supplying The British Army In The First World War' as the basis for this Intro.  There is more yet to come and I bet you can hardly wait.

     

'Screamers' Are You Listening?

 I refer to the feature film starring Peter Weller, adapted from a Philip K. Dick short story.  Art!

     It's okay for what it is, except that they have to pad out a short story into a film.  It features 'Autonomous Mobile Swords', a variety of robot that patrols No Man's Land and homes in on anything with a heartbeat.  Art!

An AMS

     Everything goes horribly wrong, obviously - of course! - and that's thanks  to the first word of their description - 'Autonomous'.  Not only that, they develop and evolve into more deadly models over time.  Art!

The Devdroid TW 12.7

     Say hello to an Ukrainian Unmanned Ground Vehicle.  These puppies will fit into the back of a pick-up truck for transportation to the front lines.  They don't need to eat, drink, sleep, rest, breathe or visit a latrine.  -45º Centigrade does not bother them.  They don't get depressed, homesick or apathetic.  They are NOT autonomous, being directed by remote control, so there's no worry about them trying to take over the Donbass and turn it into the world's first Robot Republic.  Note the machine gun - a South Canadian/NATO 0.50 calibre heavy machine gun that will turn anything not a tank into Swiss cheese, rather than a Sinister model MG.  Very symbolic.  The Ukrainians have been using these on the front lines to substitute for actual live Hom. Sap. soldiers.

     As I keep saying, we are living in the future.

Welcome To Hades!

More from that scamp 'Daractenus' over on Twitter, from his third series on 'posh' Ruffian cities, because the acronym POSH - 'Piece Of S*** Housing' might offend.  Art!

     Welcome to Vladikavkaz.  Here the Ruffians have erected the most luxurious pig-styes known to man.  Art!

     This reminds me of the joke about Nixon visiting Moscow, when he sees a block of Sinister apartment blocks, and he enthuses about them.  The Mayor of Moscow preens with pride at this praise.  'Yes,' says Nixon, 'I mean, back in America we'd never think of putting television aerials on pig-styes!'

More Shoeing

As you ought to know by now, Conrad is no friend of Donold Judas Trump.  In fact, I have been collecting hideous photographs of him lately, because I can and the Flabby Farting Fraudster needs to be mocked whilst still alive to be annoyed by it.  Art!

     Don't tell me, he's mainlining carrot juice via an IV in the back of both hands.  Or is it just makeup?  Note the difference between his saggy sepia face and his pink ears.  Hang on, hang on.  Art!

     I cannot remember where I got this horribly unflattering portrait of Peter The Average, nor if it's real or not, as it might be AI rather than Putinpot not bathed in flattering light and makeup.  He doesn't look happy, does he?  

Finally -

We shall end with a Biercism.

"Mayonnaise,n: One of the sauces which serve the French in place of a state religion."

     Thank you and good evening.

*  Using this just to tick off 'Horseface' Lavrov.