3 
roads, Theycan only supply the batteries by means of the corps parks. 
Even those sections, which have means of draught, cannot move 
right up to the batteries because the nature of their waggons will 
not allow them to go across country. This renders “continual 
forward movement of supply impossible at present, but does not 
effect the soundness of the principle. 
(b.) Abolition of unnecessary transfers of ammunition.—The more frequent 
the transfers (repacking) of ammunition, the more difficult it becomes 
to maintain uninterrupted supply. Yet: after unloading the ammu- 
nition at the last railway station it is repacked three. times, ViZ. : 
(1.) From the filled boxes of the grand park to the empty waggons 
of the corps park. (2.) From. the latter to the divisional columns. 
(3.) From them to the battery waggons. Only the first of them is 
necessary. The regulations of 1890 direct the interchange of 
wagegons between ammunition columns and batteries, but this has 
not been carried out on account of the difficulty arising from 
kits in battery waggons which might go astray. This is an 
administrative difficulty which might ‘be obviated. 
(c.) As regards the reloading between the corps park and ammunition 
The 
columns, this might be avoided by making whole sections of the 
two interchangeable. As soon as a section of the former is 
emptied, it should go back to the nearest station of a grand park, 
and a section of the corps park should move forward to take its 
place in the ammunition column. The present system has the 
following disadvantages : (1.) Loss of time in transmitting orders 
and in collecting the different units of the supply system. (2.) 
Waste of strength of men and horses from long hours of waiting 
for orders, etc. (3.) In expectation of orders as to point of re- 
assembly, empty sections remain uselessly near the troops in action ; 
this leads to a dangerous collection of empty carriages in front, 
whilst fear of jamming the roads keeps the full sections in rear. 
(4.) To secure connection between the units of supply, all of them 
should receive the orders of the chief commander, but nothing is 
less reliable than the simultaneous receipt of orders-—any delay in 
receipt or, worse still, non-receipt of orders may have fatal con- 
sequences. If we adopt the principle of interchangeability, any 
section becomes, in turn, part of an ammunition column and of the 
corps park. It is simply a train of munitions whose position, as 
regards the troops, varies according to circumstances. 
orders of the corps commander then need only be confined to giving 
the direction of supply which, as a rule, will agree with the direction 
of march of the corps—the supply columns “continually moving in 
this direction must inevitably establish connection with each other 
if there is an engagement, 7.¢., if there is a check in front. A 
change of direction is communicated to the rear portions by orders 
left at the point of divergence. 
(d.) Immediate despatch to the. rear of empty waggons.—This is most im- 
portant to avoid blocking the roads and to hasten the supply from 
the rear, As regards the battery waggons, as these are necessary 
for the rapid transport in action of part of the gun detachments, 
they must not be sent to the rear immediately they are emptied, and 
this means leaving empty carriages near the troops engaged—it is 
an additional reason for the speedy arrival of the supply sections, 
