Watching this on a rerun today, also after Dr Phil on yesterday. A brilliant presentation by Christian, I am really enjoying this week, such great topics.Thanks Christian and Paul
That was a superb presentation from Christian; a knowledgeable & enthusiastic presenter with some fantastic slides covering a rarely covered topic. Can't ask for more. Thanks Christian, and thank you Woody for finding all these wonderful presenters.
Very much looking forward to the follow-up to this presentation. More, more, more!! How about more on the mechanics of artillery: ToT, ammunition, types in the armies, etc.
Yet another top presentation. It's so rare and welcome to see something about engineering, communications, and logistics. Allied mastery of those things was a major reason for Allied victory.
Great episode! Indy did an episode on the Czechoslovak Legion and the Trans-Siberian Railway when he was at the Great War, so more people may have known about it than both of you suspect. 😀
Incredibly enlightening show on the use of railways in WW2 and other conflicts. Wolmar makes strong case for more attention being paid to the role of railroads in moving troops and supplies. Outstanding show.
Thank you Paul for your comments regarding the Sherman tank and the need to keep the size to fit trains and ships. So many who bad mouth the tank ignore this vital point
Spot on Robert - there is no point in having a factory full of the best tanks in the world if you cannot get them to the battlefield in sufficient numbers (and keep them supplied).
Great quest Woody. We have all learned so much that we never knew before about the use of trains in the industrialized conflict that WW2 was. As Christian informed us, trains were really at the heart of the industrialization of war right from the start. Just yesterday I saw a train carrying U.S. Army vehicles and equipment back from a deployment or some training event. I was reminded of just the things we are learning. I think that the use of trains is overlooked because they are taken for granted in so many ways. Great presentation.
As previously said in other episodes, "War is won by logistics." The railway is a huge part of logistics. They carry raw materials to the factories, finished products as in supplies and equipment to the ports to be shipped. From ports to supply depots and then to supply depots near the front lines.
Railway rolling stock was a major part of the Lend Lease program. The US manufactured and transported by Liberty ships 1000's locomotives and rail cars spec'ed to local rail gauging and coupling methods for the local railway lines in western Europe, Russia and Persia. Believe about 2000 locomotives and 10,000+ rail cars /wagons were shipped to Russia alone. Actually, more Russian lend lease tonnage moved through the Persian gulf and Iran region then through the northern arctic route. There were numerous US railroad construction and operating companies /battalions stationed in Iran to manage the rails through Iran and the Transcaucasus region. Was told they had to construct a 360 degree rail line loop tunnel inside one of the mountains in northwest Persian to deal with the elevation rise. After the northern pacific area was secured, Siberia became a key destination for sea shipments but required a lengthy overland rail movement the eastern Russian fronts.
Overlooked in the discussion of the rails in the American Civil War is most of the US railroad were built and run by West Pointers. Without them the railroads would not exist and function. They understood the role of logistics. In the western campaigns the rivers were equally important.
It is a pity that researchers only seem to have taken this topic up recentlt. 20 or 30 years ago there would have been a lot of retired railway workers at all levels that could have contributed a lot to our knowledge on this topic. Hats off to them for doing such a sterling job!
Great show, but it also hit on a pet peeve of mine with the use superlatives to describe one of many elements that are critical to warfare. New technology and the combatants' adaption thereof is always an important factor in wars. (Ukraine - all sizes of drones, cell phones and social media psych-ops, etc.) What amazes me is to think about all the elements that an effective military must master. This requires them to teach, train, plan and implement a multi-faceted organization. You have to coordinate boats to railroad to trucks to smaller conveyances - like animals (in certain terrain) ... finally to each unit of the military. All this logistics interplay, and of course the tip of the sword functions, are essential to winning wars. That's not to denigrate any presentation on any of these elements. I'm fascinated by the granularity you bring to teaching us about WW 2 history (like the pest control units - who would think about it). Keep up the good work.
In the case of the resistance group attacks of the rail line, common historical pictures show charges being set on straight sections of single rail line. Could be training photographs. Better target sight selection is a dual lane section rail on a curve. Object is to blow the outside rail of inner line to direct the locomotive and railcars cross the second rail line and off the curve bankment, if possible. This increases the damage to the rail and stops the usage of the railway on multiple lines in both directions, and hopefully damages more rolling stock and transported equipment. Should also cause more damage to the railbed. This offers a better risk /reward factor. Other reasons for targeting a track on a curve is it may be less patrolled, the curve limits the line of sight of any rail sentries, less potential for the engineer to spot trouble and may offer better security for the assault team. Plus the attack may still be successful if the train is travelling with a lead armored or protective car. This same type of rail attack on a curved section of track was done by the resistance fighters without explosives by removing the fishplate joining the rail, removing a few outside rail spikes and wedging the fishplate into the break in the rail. Some great video clips of some WW2 rail line attacks in the Balkans with the locomotive and whole line of railcars with armored vehicles plunging off a cliff. Bad day for the Germans.
Great stuff! Another topic of interest around supply lines in general is the black market that fed off them, sometimes really putting a dent in how much supplies of all types reached it's intended destination. Would be interesting to see an episode on that. Cheers Paul and Christian.
My father told me of being on a troop train in WWII. He was on his way to Marine basic training in southern California from Minnesota, when a famious actor came on board (I forgot the actors name). He was in the dining car, when he bought a round of drinks for all the soliders. My father was 14 years old. He lied about his age to join the marines.
You have just got to love a bit of logistics!! If you can't maintain and protect your logistics you will not win the war. This is what I love about your channel Paul, you always get interesting presenters covering such a wide range of topics, keep up the great work👍😁
Wow, what an important show. How did you get the idea for this subject Paul? Japan signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviets that held until the final months of the war. This allowed Stalin to call back Zhukov and all those far East troops just in time to save Moscow in that first winter and turn the tide with numbers of reinforcements. 5000 plus miles on the Trans-Sib-Railway line. Wow. Great show.
The Cushing Library at Texas A&M University (formerly the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas) is named after Edward Benjamin Cushing, a railroad executive and graduate of TAMC considered the father of American Military Logistics. He was given a direct commission in the US Army in WorldWar I (he was already a senior railroad executive at the start of the war) and was the Army staff officer tasked with the plan for moving the American industrial and military supplies and troops to Europe and for the American logistics operations in Europe.
@@amerigo88 A&M is under new management. Quite a lot about the history of the corps (read that the history of TAMC not TAMU) is no longer accessible as “good Bull” in the age of “diversity.” Cushing was class of 1880, was Chairman of the Board of Regents in 1912 and selected as President for the College. He spent huge amounts of his personal fortune to fund much of the College’s operations in that time period, blocking a bid by the Texas Legislature to roll AMC up into the University of Texas system. His leadership of the college and his Presidency of the Association of the Corps of Cadets after 1912 were instrumental in motivating the Class of 1917 to resign en masse and enlist in the US military the day after the declaration of war. This “good bull” and was taught as part of Corps History in the 1970’s. Cushing was one of the seminal figures who not only saved A&M from dissolution in the late 1800’s and early 20th century, his regency established much of the dynamics that led to the Corps establishing most of the traditions the current “A&M”, almost all of which came out of the 1890’s thru 1939, when what is the current Quad housing area was finished. The intrigue behind that expansion is quite extraordinary (LBJ, Roosevelt and a few others moved slush money from the CCC to AMC to begin the rapid expansion of the Corps to beef up the production of officers in anticipation of the massive build up to WW2). It’s a great bit of history, but it does not fit well into the modern DEI and Woke focus of almost all state supported schools in the US, so it’s not taught any more.
US Civil War - Union Army getting troops or supplies to Chattanooga was interesting; trains were routed south out of Nashville, TN, to Decatur, AL, then east to Chattanooga, TN, and finally NW back to Nashville.
A friend of mines father or Grandfather story was he was a British radio operator attached to the White Russians with Army liason officers. He said he never managed to send a signal because the liquid batteries froze and cracked. he did say that at the end they were gradually cornered and the trains pushed down towards Crimea. his train got seperated from the main force and managed to contact the Navy who were to rescue the officers and him from Sevastopol. Crimea was the center of the russian champagne region, and when they arrived the Bolshoi Ballet was hiding there till things were sorted out. The train officers had the local swimming pool filled with champagne then dived in having thrown the Balerinas in and had a party whilst waiting for the Reds to turn up because they were all convinced they were going to be shot. He nd the British staff were slipped out on a fishing boat and loaded onto a Navy Cruiser
The railing bombing campaigns targeted the key choke points, bridges and rail yards verses straight rail lines. The operational planners knew the rails were key to rapid movement of equipment and supplied once western European ground operations began. Rail repair and rolling stock replacement was part of the main operational invasion planning. The air mission was designed for controlled damaged. Don't destroy everything you may need.
A few points about the US military railway service. The sponsoring railroad provided the training for the battalion that they sponsored. They battalion was not necessarily made up of employees of the sponsoring railroad. My uncle was an employee of the New York Central Railroad but served in a Pennsylvania Railroad battalion. American railroads historically were divided into one hundred mile or so segments. These segments are known as a division. Each battalion had different companies to handle all of the aspects of maintaining and operating a division.
He underestimated the number of Russian history enjoyers who watch, the Czechoslovak legion seizing the Trans-Siberian railroad was a critical part of the civil war and was a boon to the anti-communist forces, until the Czechs betrayed them
RE the American subway guy at about 40 and putting rail cars on landing craft...when you say 'subway' in the American context I think immediately of New York City. (There were and are subways elsewhere in the US but NYC has by far the biggest system.) New York in those days had lots of train ferries across the Hudson River taking cars from the major railroads from the New Jersey side to the big terminals and yards in Manhattan. Any experienced railroad/subway man in the New York area would have known this and had experience with that sort of transport.
You had a photo of a railroad line going straight to a beach. You may be interested in a book written 25 years after WW2, "The Ordeal of Convoy 119", author Charles D. Gibson. This concerns a convoy of tugboats and railroad barges that came through the North Atlantic from New York to Britain in the fall of 1944. Two earlier convoys hadn't hit bad weather, but this convoy lost several tugs and railway barges, like the ones in your photo.
At 54:12 they cover the Red Ball Express. In Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, there was no railway running from the Persian Gulf port of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to the "tri-border area" where Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq come together. This point was intended as the logistical hub for Allied military operations once an offensive against Iraq was to begin in 1991. As a result, General Gus Pagonis, head of Army logistics, resurrected the "Red Ball Express". Military traffic was given absolute priority, enforced by military police, on the lone, paved, two lane highway connecting north-south from Dhahran to Kuwait (Highway 5), intersecting the lone, paved, two-lane highway running east-west parallel to the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border. This east-west road supported the Trans Arabian Pipeline and was known as the TAPLINE Road (Highway 85 on modern maps). I practically lived on the TAPLINE Road for four months, seeing all manner of military traffic mixed with local civilian traffic on it. Fuel Refuel Points (FRP's) with JP5, the military's universal fuel that powered HMMWV's, helicopters, and cargo trucks, were located at intervals along the TAPLINE road. US Army helicopters often flew parallel to the TAPLINE Road, using it for navigation and flying Nap of Earth (NOE) to stay below Iraqi radar. The satellite telephone stations where soldiers could phone home were located within a few hundred meters of the TAPLINE Road at wide intervals. A third, paved, two-lane highway (Highway 50) ran north-south from Hafar Al Batin to King Khalid Military City which had a massive runway allowing us to fly home from there when the war was over. As far as adding a railroad, it would have been quite difficult given the sand dunes, frequent sand storms, and lack of materials like wood in Saudi Arabia. However, if operations were required for more than a few months, no doubt a railroad would have been built. When they discuss the Red Ball Express, they mentioned the classic problem of a tanker truck carrying the fuel it also burns. Horses pulling wagons of fodder to feed other horses had this same problem for thousands of years and it imposed definite operational restrictions on armies all through military history. Part of why 18th Century warfare moved so slowly was the requirement for each army to support itself with supplies paid for by the royal treasury. Large storage points for wheat and flour were set up in peacetime to support eventual wartime operations. When Napoleon and the French Revolutionary armies stormed across Europe, they adopted the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) approach of "living on the land." It allowed Napoleon to move much faster than Frederick the Great had moved, but at the cost of despoiling European farms, bakeries, and granaries. This had the result of making the French less and less welcome as the Napoleonic Wars dragged on from about 1796 - 1815.
Something new to add. One of Churchill's concerns in the build up to D-Day was French civilian casualties when Ike demanded control over the strategic bombing force to cut the German Atlantic Wall off from supply and reinforcement. This frustrated Ike, so he went to DeGualle. DeGualle's response was that France will have to pay its price to be liberated.
As to the ACW although the new tech of railway logistics were game changing one should not forget the importance of the excellent American riverine network which - one could argue - was equally as important. Grant certainly thought so. Remember - the most cost efficient way to move stuff is by boat.
Good point. Railheading tanks is the only way to move tanks long distance. The wear and tear on the tracks alone make it prohibitive if you want to be able to fight when you get there.
In the bigger picture, we are seeing the same problem with the russians the Germans had, in Ukraine. The russians can not sustain their forces much more than 100 km from a railhead for lack of vehicles to move supplies, troops, fuel. The Ukrainians are putting in a serious effort to not only disrupt rail roads, but are now hitting every type of vehicle. It seems to be working. We are seeing less, and less russian military trucks now, and more and more "Scooby-Doo" vans being hit. The Germans ran in to the same problem, especially as their horses were killed off. They were actively trying to capture American lend lease trucks from the soviets.
Rabbit Hole comment: The Wright brothers used trains to travel from Dayton to Kitty Hawk (600 miles) for a year or 2. Then 1904 to 1916 an electric trolley/tram from Dayton to Huffman Prairie Field daily (10 miles). An elephant in the room transport assistance to flight development.
There were some interesting points and it's a very large subject but the converse story was only touched on - namely what were the effects of the war[s] on the railways?
Railway employee here but I have to challenge your Red Ball express comments. True the Express was not particularly efficient but the story of the express was who was driving it, their courage and fortitude doing it and the lack of opportunity for them to do anything else due to the racism of the US armed forces.
Is there a debate about whether the Marquis or the Transportation Plan were more effective at destroying German logistics before D-Day? Really? I refer you to the Before and After images displayed in the presentation. I would humbly submit that no matter how brave and patriotic the resistance operatives were (and THAT is a really interesting topic in and of itself) they would be hard pressed to achieve those results. It was the Allied airforces that buggered the rail system to hell. Brilliant show again Woody!
They were effective in different ways. The Resistance were better at delaying trains and muddling with the German system, but yes of course Air power had far more impact with regards destruction
I also think that railways can hamstring modern armed forces as much as it enables them. Continental powers must relay upon them up to the area where they can be disrupted by the enemy whereas oceanic powers rely upon them far removed from enemy action and can use riverine and sea transport as an alternative.
This video is heresy! Everybody knows that the Red Ball Express was the most important method of getting fuel to the front after the Normandy breakout. I'm joking of course. That is what I thought until today. There is a Bugs Bunny cartoon, made during the war I assume, which I watched as a child in the 70s where Bugs yells, "make way for the Red Ball Express!" That is an indication that it was well known of at the time. The role trains played, not as well understood.
@@kinikinrd I think you are correct, and as a short term effort to supply fuel to the suddenly rapidly advancing front which was accomplishing the noble goal of liberating occupied France, with the efforts of many men driving on narrow and congested roads, the Red Ball Express certainly scores quite high on the coolness scale.
Its ALWAYS about logistics. Whoever can get the men, beans, bullets and gas to the point of contact WINS. The Romans may have thought of this as beans. fodder and spear points, but the principle holds. Men win battles. Logistics wins wars!
The US railroads filled many of the stateside personnel gaps with women. The same thing applied to the urban subways and the trolleys. (Scott Grimwood caught this too.)
Excellent talk, thanks Christian
What a brilliant presentation. Christian is one of these guys you can listen to for hours, no matter the topic.
Watching this on a rerun today, also after Dr Phil on yesterday. A brilliant presentation by Christian, I am really enjoying this week, such great topics.Thanks Christian and Paul
That was a superb presentation from Christian; a knowledgeable & enthusiastic presenter with some fantastic slides covering a rarely covered topic. Can't ask for more. Thanks Christian, and thank you Woody for finding all these wonderful presenters.
Very much looking forward to the follow-up to this presentation. More, more, more!! How about more on the mechanics of artillery: ToT, ammunition, types in the armies, etc.
Yet another top presentation. It's so rare and welcome to see something about engineering, communications, and logistics. Allied mastery of those things was a major reason for Allied victory.
Great episode!
Indy did an episode on the Czechoslovak Legion and the Trans-Siberian Railway when he was at the Great War, so more people may have known about it than both of you suspect. 😀
Incredibly enlightening show on the use of railways in WW2 and other conflicts. Wolmar makes strong case for more attention being paid to the role of railroads in moving troops and supplies. Outstanding show.
"They fed the trenches" -- so true in many ways.
Thank you Paul for your comments regarding the Sherman tank and the need to keep the size to fit trains and ships. So many who bad mouth the tank ignore this vital point
Spot on Robert - there is no point in having a factory full of the best tanks in the world if you cannot get them to the battlefield in sufficient numbers (and keep them supplied).
Paul I really appreciated your contribution to D-Day 24hrs. Your depth of knowledge was palpable.
Thank you Andrew
This turned out to be much more interesting than I expected it to be. Maybe I'm a rail fan and didn't realize it. :)
Great quest Woody. We have all learned so much that we never knew before about the use of trains in the industrialized conflict that WW2 was. As Christian informed us, trains were really at the heart of the industrialization of war right from the start. Just yesterday I saw a train carrying U.S. Army vehicles and equipment back from a deployment or some training event. I was reminded of just the things we are learning. I think that the use of trains is overlooked because they are taken for granted in so many ways. Great presentation.
Enjoy the video mate can't wait for the next one
Thanks 👍
Yes! WW2TV is back in action.
As previously said in other episodes, "War is won by logistics." The railway is a huge part of logistics. They carry raw materials to the factories, finished products as in supplies and equipment to the ports to be shipped. From ports to supply depots and then to supply depots near the front lines.
Railway rolling stock was a major part of the Lend Lease program. The US manufactured and transported by Liberty ships 1000's locomotives and rail cars spec'ed to local rail gauging and coupling methods for the local railway lines in western Europe, Russia and Persia. Believe about 2000 locomotives and 10,000+ rail cars /wagons were shipped to Russia alone. Actually, more Russian lend lease tonnage moved through the Persian gulf and Iran region then through the northern arctic route. There were numerous US railroad construction and operating companies /battalions stationed in Iran to manage the rails through Iran and the Transcaucasus region. Was told they had to construct a 360 degree rail line loop tunnel inside one of the mountains in northwest Persian to deal with the elevation rise. After the northern pacific area was secured, Siberia became a key destination for sea shipments but required a lengthy overland rail movement the eastern Russian fronts.
Read all your comments with interest Jim. Thanks
Great! Railways in WW Ii is the subject I've always wanted to learn more about!
Overlooked in the discussion of the rails in the American Civil War is most of the US railroad were built and run by West Pointers. Without them the railroads would not exist and function. They understood the role of logistics. In the western campaigns the rivers were equally important.
Great show Woody, hope you are feeling a bit better today! I missed the opening so have watched it on catchup.
It is a pity that researchers only seem to have taken this topic up recentlt. 20 or 30 years ago there would have been a lot of retired railway workers at all levels that could have contributed a lot to our knowledge on this topic. Hats off to them for doing such a sterling job!
Just signed up as a member for your channel, reslly good content!
Welcome aboard!
Great show, but it also hit on a pet peeve of mine with the use superlatives to describe one of many elements that are critical to warfare. New technology and the combatants' adaption thereof is always an important factor in wars. (Ukraine - all sizes of drones, cell phones and social media psych-ops, etc.) What amazes me is to think about all the elements that an effective military must master. This requires them to teach, train, plan and implement a multi-faceted organization. You have to coordinate boats to railroad to trucks to smaller conveyances - like animals (in certain terrain) ... finally to each unit of the military. All this logistics interplay, and of course the tip of the sword functions, are essential to winning wars. That's not to denigrate any presentation on any of these elements. I'm fascinated by the granularity you bring to teaching us about WW 2 history (like the pest control units - who would think about it). Keep up the good work.
In the case of the resistance group attacks of the rail line, common historical pictures show charges being set on straight sections of single rail line. Could be training photographs. Better target sight selection is a dual lane section rail on a curve. Object is to blow the outside rail of inner line to direct the locomotive and railcars cross the second rail line and off the curve bankment, if possible. This increases the damage to the rail and stops the usage of the railway on multiple lines in both directions, and hopefully damages more rolling stock and transported equipment. Should also cause more damage to the railbed. This offers a better risk /reward factor. Other reasons for targeting a track on a curve is it may be less patrolled, the curve limits the line of sight of any rail sentries, less potential for the engineer to spot trouble and may offer better security for the assault team. Plus the attack may still be successful if the train is travelling with a lead armored or protective car. This same type of rail attack on a curved section of track was done by the resistance fighters without explosives by removing the fishplate joining the rail, removing a few outside rail spikes and wedging the fishplate into the break in the rail. Some great video clips of some WW2 rail line attacks in the Balkans with the locomotive and whole line of railcars with armored vehicles plunging off a cliff. Bad day for the Germans.
Great stuff! Another topic of interest around supply lines in general is the black market that fed off them, sometimes really putting a dent in how much supplies of all types reached it's intended destination. Would be interesting to see an episode on that. Cheers Paul and Christian.
My father told me of being on a troop train in WWII. He was on his way to Marine basic training in southern California from Minnesota, when a famious actor came on board (I forgot the actors name). He was in the dining car, when he bought a round of drinks for all the soliders. My father was 14 years old. He lied about his age to join the marines.
You have just got to love a bit of logistics!! If you can't maintain and protect your logistics you will not win the war. This is what I love about your channel Paul, you always get interesting presenters covering such a wide range of topics, keep up the great work👍😁
I knew the question about the Czech Army taking over the Trans-Siberian railway thanks to Real Time History
I knew about it from the youtuber Lindybeige. Great channel if you haven't already.
Wow, what an important show. How did you get the idea for this subject Paul? Japan signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviets that held until the final months of the war. This allowed Stalin to call back Zhukov and all those far East troops just in time to save Moscow in that first winter and turn the tide with numbers of reinforcements. 5000 plus miles on the Trans-Sib-Railway line. Wow. Great show.
Well it was mostly Philip Blood who suggested a Railways week and Hugh Davie has been instrumental in finding guests
The Cushing Library at Texas A&M University (formerly the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas) is named after Edward Benjamin Cushing, a railroad executive and graduate of TAMC considered the father of American Military Logistics. He was given a direct commission in the US Army in WorldWar I (he was already a senior railroad executive at the start of the war) and was the Army staff officer tasked with the plan for moving the American industrial and military supplies and troops to Europe and for the American logistics operations in Europe.
Good Bull! Somehow I had never heard this in spite of my time in the Corps of Cadets, Army ROTC, etc.
BTHOO t.u.
@@amerigo88 A&M is under new management. Quite a lot about the history of the corps (read that the history of TAMC not TAMU) is no longer accessible as “good Bull” in the age of “diversity.”
Cushing was class of 1880, was Chairman of the Board of Regents in 1912 and selected as President for the College. He spent huge amounts of his personal fortune to fund much of the College’s operations in that time period, blocking a bid by the Texas Legislature to roll AMC up into the University of Texas system.
His leadership of the college and his Presidency of the Association of the Corps of Cadets after 1912 were instrumental in motivating the Class of 1917 to resign en masse and enlist in the US military the day after the declaration of war.
This “good bull” and was taught as part of Corps History in the 1970’s.
Cushing was one of the seminal figures who not only saved A&M from dissolution in the late 1800’s and early 20th century, his regency established much of the dynamics that led to the Corps establishing most of the traditions the current “A&M”, almost all of which came out of the 1890’s thru 1939, when what is the current Quad housing area was finished.
The intrigue behind that expansion is quite extraordinary (LBJ, Roosevelt and a few others moved slush money from the CCC to AMC to begin the rapid expansion of the Corps to beef up the production of officers in anticipation of the massive build up to WW2).
It’s a great bit of history, but it does not fit well into the modern DEI and Woke focus of almost all state supported schools in the US, so it’s not taught any more.
Awesome 👍👍👍👍.
US Civil War - Union Army getting troops or supplies to Chattanooga was interesting; trains were routed south out of Nashville, TN, to Decatur, AL, then east to Chattanooga, TN, and finally NW back to Nashville.
A friend of mines father or Grandfather story was he was a British radio operator attached to the White Russians with Army liason officers. He said he never managed to send a signal because the liquid batteries froze and cracked. he did say that at the end they were gradually cornered and the trains pushed down towards Crimea. his train got seperated from the main force and managed to contact the Navy who were to rescue the officers and him from Sevastopol. Crimea was the center of the russian champagne region, and when they arrived the Bolshoi Ballet was hiding there till things were sorted out. The train officers had the local swimming pool filled with champagne then dived in having thrown the Balerinas in and had a party whilst waiting for the Reds to turn up because they were all convinced they were going to be shot. He nd the British staff were slipped out on a fishing boat and loaded onto a Navy Cruiser
The railing bombing campaigns targeted the key choke points, bridges and rail yards verses straight rail lines. The operational planners knew the rails were key to rapid movement of equipment and supplied once western European ground operations began. Rail repair and rolling stock replacement was part of the main operational invasion planning. The air mission was designed for controlled damaged. Don't destroy everything you may need.
A few points about the US military railway service. The sponsoring railroad provided the training for the battalion that they sponsored. They battalion was not necessarily made up of employees of the sponsoring railroad. My uncle was an employee of the New York Central Railroad but served in a Pennsylvania Railroad battalion. American railroads historically were divided into one hundred mile or so segments. These segments are known as a division. Each battalion had different companies to handle all of the aspects of maintaining and operating a division.
He underestimated the number of Russian history enjoyers who watch, the Czechoslovak legion seizing the Trans-Siberian railroad was a critical part of the civil war and was a boon to the anti-communist forces, until the Czechs betrayed them
RE the American subway guy at about 40 and putting rail cars on landing craft...when you say 'subway' in the American context I think immediately of New York City. (There were and are subways elsewhere in the US but NYC has by far the biggest system.) New York in those days had lots of train ferries across the Hudson River taking cars from the major railroads from the New Jersey side to the big terminals and yards in Manhattan. Any experienced railroad/subway man in the New York area would have known this and had experience with that sort of transport.
You had a photo of a railroad line going straight to a beach. You may be interested in a book written 25 years after WW2, "The Ordeal of Convoy 119", author Charles D. Gibson. This concerns a convoy of tugboats and railroad barges that came through the North Atlantic from New York to Britain in the fall of 1944. Two earlier convoys hadn't hit bad weather, but this convoy lost several tugs and railway barges, like the ones in your photo.
At 54:12 they cover the Red Ball Express. In Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, there was no railway running from the Persian Gulf port of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to the "tri-border area" where Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq come together. This point was intended as the logistical hub for Allied military operations once an offensive against Iraq was to begin in 1991. As a result, General Gus Pagonis, head of Army logistics, resurrected the "Red Ball Express". Military traffic was given absolute priority, enforced by military police, on the lone, paved, two lane highway connecting north-south from Dhahran to Kuwait (Highway 5), intersecting the lone, paved, two-lane highway running east-west parallel to the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border. This east-west road supported the Trans Arabian Pipeline and was known as the TAPLINE Road (Highway 85 on modern maps). I practically lived on the TAPLINE Road for four months, seeing all manner of military traffic mixed with local civilian traffic on it. Fuel Refuel Points (FRP's) with JP5, the military's universal fuel that powered HMMWV's, helicopters, and cargo trucks, were located at intervals along the TAPLINE road. US Army helicopters often flew parallel to the TAPLINE Road, using it for navigation and flying Nap of Earth (NOE) to stay below Iraqi radar. The satellite telephone stations where soldiers could phone home were located within a few hundred meters of the TAPLINE Road at wide intervals. A third, paved, two-lane highway (Highway 50) ran north-south from Hafar Al Batin to King Khalid Military City which had a massive runway allowing us to fly home from there when the war was over.
As far as adding a railroad, it would have been quite difficult given the sand dunes, frequent sand storms, and lack of materials like wood in Saudi Arabia. However, if operations were required for more than a few months, no doubt a railroad would have been built.
When they discuss the Red Ball Express, they mentioned the classic problem of a tanker truck carrying the fuel it also burns. Horses pulling wagons of fodder to feed other horses had this same problem for thousands of years and it imposed definite operational restrictions on armies all through military history. Part of why 18th Century warfare moved so slowly was the requirement for each army to support itself with supplies paid for by the royal treasury. Large storage points for wheat and flour were set up in peacetime to support eventual wartime operations. When Napoleon and the French Revolutionary armies stormed across Europe, they adopted the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) approach of "living on the land." It allowed Napoleon to move much faster than Frederick the Great had moved, but at the cost of despoiling European farms, bakeries, and granaries. This had the result of making the French less and less welcome as the Napoleonic Wars dragged on from about 1796 - 1815.
Something new to add. One of Churchill's concerns in the build up to D-Day was French civilian casualties when Ike demanded control over the strategic bombing force to cut the German Atlantic Wall off from supply and reinforcement. This frustrated Ike, so he went to DeGualle. DeGualle's response was that France will have to pay its price to be liberated.
Very important to the fighting in China as well
As to the ACW although the new tech of railway logistics were game changing one should not forget the importance of the excellent American riverine network which - one could argue - was equally as important. Grant certainly thought so. Remember - the most cost efficient way to move stuff is by boat.
This is excellent. Especially in the context of the "modern" Ukraine war going on where rail roads are still defing the front.
Good point. Railheading tanks is the only way to move tanks long distance. The wear and tear on the tracks alone make it prohibitive if you want to be able to fight when you get there.
In the bigger picture, we are seeing the same problem with the russians the Germans had, in Ukraine. The russians can not sustain their forces much more than 100 km from a railhead for lack of vehicles to move supplies, troops, fuel. The Ukrainians are putting in a serious effort to not only disrupt rail roads, but are now hitting every type of vehicle. It seems to be working. We are seeing less, and less russian military trucks now, and more and more "Scooby-Doo" vans being hit. The Germans ran in to the same problem, especially as their horses were killed off. They were actively trying to capture American lend lease trucks from the soviets.
Rabbit Hole comment: The Wright brothers used trains to travel from Dayton to Kitty Hawk (600 miles) for a year or 2. Then 1904 to 1916 an electric trolley/tram from Dayton to Huffman Prairie Field daily (10 miles). An elephant in the room transport assistance to flight development.
I like trains 🚂🚃🚃🚃
There were some interesting points and it's a very large subject but the converse story was only touched on - namely what were the effects of the war[s] on the railways?
Buster Keaton. "The General".
US uses a standard 4 foot, 8.5 inch (143.51 cm) gauge which was adopted in the later 19th century/post-Civil War era.
Railway employee here but I have to challenge your Red Ball express comments. True the Express was not particularly efficient but the story of the express was who was driving it, their courage and fortitude doing it and the lack of opportunity for them to do anything else due to the racism of the US armed forces.
Valid points
Is there a debate about whether the Marquis or the Transportation Plan were more effective at destroying German logistics before D-Day?
Really?
I refer you to the Before and After images displayed in the presentation.
I would humbly submit that no matter how brave and patriotic the resistance operatives were (and THAT is a really interesting topic in and of itself) they would be hard pressed to achieve those results.
It was the Allied airforces that buggered the rail system to hell.
Brilliant show again Woody!
They were effective in different ways. The Resistance were better at delaying trains and muddling with the German system, but yes of course Air power had far more impact with regards destruction
I also think that railways can hamstring modern armed forces as much as it enables them. Continental powers must relay upon them up to the area where they can be disrupted by the enemy whereas oceanic powers rely upon them far removed from enemy action and can use riverine and sea transport as an alternative.
Japan in China during WW2 also advanced along the railway lines because of poor road infrastructure in interior China
This video is heresy! Everybody knows that the Red Ball Express was the most important method of getting fuel to the front after the Normandy breakout.
I'm joking of course. That is what I thought until today.
There is a Bugs Bunny cartoon, made during the war I assume, which I watched as a child in the 70s where Bugs yells, "make way for the Red Ball Express!" That is an indication that it was well known of at the time. The role trains played, not as well understood.
I'm thinking the Red Ball Express was a "make-it-happen-now" scenerio used until the RR was patched up enough to take over.
@@kinikinrd I think you are correct, and as a short term effort to supply fuel to the suddenly rapidly advancing front which was accomplishing the noble goal of liberating occupied France, with the efforts of many men driving on narrow and congested roads, the Red Ball Express certainly scores quite high on the coolness scale.
his glasses alone
Its ALWAYS about logistics. Whoever can get the men, beans, bullets and gas to the point of contact WINS. The Romans may have thought of this as beans. fodder and spear points, but the principle holds. Men win battles. Logistics wins wars!
OK
Was so impressed by Christian Wolmar, until I discovered he was a QPR fan, lol.
Word!
The US railroads filled many of the stateside personnel gaps with women. The same thing applied to the urban subways and the trolleys. (Scott Grimwood caught this too.)
OK