AUTOMOBILES IN WAR. Previous to the breaking out of the European War in 1914 the potential value of the automobile in mili tary operations had been recognized by army men, and its use had been tested in manceuvres, sometimes to the complete exclusion of horse drawn equipment. In England a certain type of military automobile had been decided upon by the authorities, and in order to have a large number at hand in case of hostilities, the approved design received a subsidy. This type of vehicle, however, did not find favor with the British commercial public, and few of them entered into general use. In France, a similar forward-looking provision had been made for a supply of automobiles which could be com mandeered for military purposes in time of need, but no special design was insisted on. Any automobile which would meet certain re quirements as to performance received the sub sidy. When the war broke out England found that there was no appreciable stock of the military automobile to be taken for service, and all kinds of motor vehicles were commandeered, and did measurably good work. The French had a very considerable number of approved machines at their disposal. But within a very few weeks after the war had actually started both the English and French governments were buying largely the regular stock American commercial automobile trucks. And these, with some minor modifications, have withstood suc cessfully the vicissitudes of the most rigorous use. Of course, special service demanded special vehicles, and these had to be specially constructed.
The Germans on the other hand were well prepared with an almost innumerable fleet of standardized motor vehicles of every descrip tion. Many months before war was actually declared German automobile owners were noti fied by the authorities to send their machines to designated shops, where holes were bored in frames, and lugs bolted on. When the mobilization occurred every type of machine had its special attachments ready to be put in stantly into place. The invading troops were rushed into Belgium and France in squadrons of motor vehicles at a speed three times faster than any recorded in military annals. Perhaps the most sensational feat of the war has been the transport of the 60,000 troops from Paris overnight to the flank of von Kluck's advanc ing army on the Marne. It was accomplished by thousands of motor cars of all descriptions from the city buses to the motorcycle which could carry only one. Another emergency use of unspecialized automobiles in war was the endless chain of 4,000 cars of all sorts which connected the battlefield of Verdun with the railroad station at Bar-le-Duc, 30 miles away, for a space of three months while a railroad was being built. This heterogeneous procession of cars 60 feet apart, and moving at the con stant rate of three feet per second, carried in the needed supplies of every sort and brought out the wounded.
During the punitive expedition of the United States troops into Mexico whole regiments with their supplies and equipment were moved at a speed of 125 miles per day, four times faster than would have been possible with horses.
On 1 July 1916 it was estimated that on the western battle front the British and French troops had in action about 60,000 automobile vehicles, of which number nearly 25,000 were of American manufacture. Experience with so many machines of so many different types soon led to a decision as to the chief requirements of the war automobile. The machine which has proved most effective has been the truck of French make and the 3-ton truck of American make. The weight of these machines is about 6,000 pounds. They are of the platform type, the floor 138 inches by 67 inches, with removable sides 24 inches high. The engine most in favor is of 4 cylinders, averaging about 3.9-inch bore and 5.7-inch stroke, housed under a hood. Gasoline is considered the only dependable fuel. Every variety of drive has been represented, but no superiority has been shown by any par ticular design. The large-diameter vertical tube radiator was most successful, the honey comb type being pronounced a failure. The pump circulation system was definitely proved superior to other systems. Mechanical self starters were not demanded. The splash system of lubrication won out over the forced circu lation method, chiefly because the pump in the latter system was free to pick up and send on to the bearings any kind of harmful dirt which might happen to get into the oil chamber. Ignition by high-tension magneto fulfilled all requirements. Four-speed gears were found necessary to meet working conditions, and the French constant-mesh gears were the only ones quite satisfactory. Where the truck was obliged to travel off the roads and over rough ground, chain-driven wheels were employed; in extreme cases caterpillar track bands were attached. One of the most radical alterations was the spoked wheel made of steel in place of the artillery type of wooden wheel. For lighter cars the steel disc wheel with solid rubber tires was found dependable. The tires adopted after much experience were 36 inches by 6 inches for the front wheels, and dual rear wheels with tires 40 inches by 5 inches. The driver's seat was fitted with a separate closed hood, generally of canvas, but sometimes of wood. The bodies were fitted with heavy hoops and canvas tops, the front and rear hoops being strong enough to carry a load of 650 pounds each, and the middle hoop a double burden. The object thus attained was the conveyance of wounded soldiers on slung stretchers on the return trips from the battle front.