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If it is said that the U.S. military began to pay more and more attention to war logistics because of the Civil War, then in Western Europe at about the same time, the logistics system of Napoleon's way of thinking seems to be becoming more and more mature. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

This can be seen from the corresponding situation in the Franco-Prussian War.

And this point seems to be used as a modern war system, and its logistics have a relationship with the Napoleonic Wars period:

......

In 1868, two years before the Franco-Prussian War, Field Marshal von Moltke presented to the German government a plan for the strategic concentration of the German army.

These plans were based on Germany's assumptions of war against France alone or against France and its allies, and on years of research into the situation of a hypothetical enemy, including, of course, precise information on the forces and resources of a hypothetical enemy:

"Using its railway system to quickly concentrate its forces, Faro will have to disembark in two main groups near Strasbourg and Metz, which are separated by the Vosges mountains. The smaller of these groups may not initially move south of Germany, but will join the main forces in the upper reaches of the Moselle, which can only be accomplished by the usual march. I will occupy the inner line of the line between the two enemy groups in Pelatinath, so that I may strike at one of the two groups, or, if I am quite strong, at both. The concentration of all our forces at Pelatinat would both protect the upper and lower Rhine and facilitate an offensive against the enemy, which, if acted in a timely manner, would preemptively deter the invasion of hostile German territory. The question is, can I concentrate in Pelatinauth, outside the Rhine, near the French border, without the danger of being interfered with by the enemy? Our mobilization preparations, down to the smallest detail, are ready. Transport to the area between the Moselle and the Rhine can be carried out using six unimpeded railway lines. A timetable has been drawn up for the date and time of departure and arrival of each unit. On the twelfth day, the first troops will be disembarked near the French border, on the fifteenth day two corps will arrive there, by the twentieth day the number will increase to 300,000, and on the twenty-fourth day the armies will be replenished by their own baggage squads. ”

"We have no reason to think that the concentration of French troops could proceed more quickly, since their mobilization was not scheduled for a specific date. Since Napoleon I, France has only practiced partial mobilization, that is, the army units that go to the front line to expand their forces by garrisoning them in the rear.

"The French, because of the efficiency of the railway system and the abundant supply of rolling stock, were able to completely empty the island garrison (including the barracks) in the north-west, and without waiting for the reserve troops to be brought in, they could form an army of 150,000 men on the border in a very short time. Such reckless actions are in line with their national character and have been discussed in military circles. Assuming that [France] had decided to make such an emergency army, with cavalry and artillery, it would have been organized at Metz on the fifth day, and probably cross the border at Louis de Salé on the eighth day. I should still have the strength to control my railway transport and disembark our troops on the Rhine. It would take six days for the enemy to march to the line, and at that time (i.e., on the fourteenth day), because of the equal forces of both sides, the enemy's advance would come to a standstill. As long as I control the crossing, I will be able to attack twice as many as the French in a few days. ”

"If I had fought against France, the above figure would have been increased by thirty-one thousand, since the First and Second Bavarian Armies could be immediately incorporated into the Third Army, bringing the strength of that army group to 130,000 and the total strength of the German army to 384,000. By the end of the twentieth day, after the above-mentioned concentration of troops had been accomplished by the railway, the First, Second and Fourth Armies would be able to move forward, thus increasing our total strength to 485,000 men. ”

These translations, based on later translations, show that Prussia had a deep understanding before the Franco-Prussian War in order to deal with France, its greatest enemy.

As the saying goes, "knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent is invincible", the Prussians had already developed a detailed and profound understanding of France in order to deal with the possibility of a possible war, or a war that was only a matter of time.

Moltke's conjecture was probably based on relatively correct intelligence sources, and because of this, Prussia had done far more logistical work than France did in preparing accordingly.

......

Prior to the Franco-Prussian War, this plan was carried out largely as originally envisaged, except that the concentration of troops was reduced by four days in accordance with the later revised plan.

The situation judgment described above is related to the topic we are discussing. It shows that: (1) the German combat forces are well organized, (2) the enemy's strategy and resources are analysed, (3) the German resources are analyzed in great detail, and (4) the German resources have been used to meet the strategic and tactical needs in order to achieve the objectives of the war.

The fact that a great deal of work has been done and that the organization has been so adapted to the actual conditions proves that this achievement is the result of a precise analysis of the tasks and a clear division of labor.

For the division of labor or "activities" (in the words of von Clausewitz) required to maintain (broadly speaking) combat forces is the key point of our study. The best way to find a principle that can be universally applied to any form of government in logistics is to take a general look at the German system.

The German War Office is the highest administrative authority of the whole army. "It may generally be said that all matters relating to administration, organization and armaments fall within its competence. All matters relating to personnel, discipline and purely military nature are only indirectly related to it. The theory was that the commanders were the supreme authority in these respects, and of course, they were to follow the emperor's instructions. However, because the War Office controls the financial power, it is difficult for any deployment (regardless of which branch of work it may affect) to be carried out without its cooperation or consent. ”

As proof of these descriptions, Prussia carefully divided and promoted its corresponding military organs:

The War Department has the following agencies, each headed by an Army officer:

(1) The Ministry of Military Affairs. Responsible for: all military affairs requiring personal decisions by the Secretary of the Army, matters relating to personnel of the War Department and military supervisors, management of books and archives, printing of public publications, and all matters relating to military decorations.

(2) The General Operations Department, which is responsible for the organization and organization of the troops. By function:

1. Army Bureau. Responsible for management: peacetime and wartime organization, replenishment of troops (1st and 2nd class non-active reserves), large-scale tactical exercises, change of station, railway system, road and bridge construction, military conferences.

2. Bureau of Infantry. Responsible for the following special matters relating to the infantry, rifles, rifles, artillery, engineers, railways, air pilotage, infantry schools, fortress schools, military music, light weapons ranges, military training and military education systems, military libraries, clerical work, statistics.

3. Cavalry Bureau. Responsible for the following special matters: cavalry, field artillery and baggage, cavalry schools, veterinary institutions, gendarmerie, cavalry and field artillery ranges.

4. Bureau of Engineers. Responsible for the following matters: engineering units, siege warfare, construction, reinforcement and maintenance of fortresses, explosives, telegraph systems, blasting of mines for bridges and tunnels, carrier pigeon systems, engineering schools.

(3) The Ministry of Military and Economic Affairs, which consists of:

1. Finance Bureau. It is headed by a civilian officer known as the "Privy Counsellor for the Real War".

2. Feeding Bureau. It is headed by a civil official with the title of ditto.

3. It is loaded. Led by an officer.

4. "Service Bureau". Headed by an officer, it deals with issues related to barracks, barracks, shelters, military chapels and cemeteries, maintenance of exercise grounds, and deals with compensation for damage to private property.

(4) The Administration of Disabled Soldiers, which consists of:

1. Pension Service. Led by an officer.

2. Relief Service. Led by a civilian officer.

3. Appointment Division. It is managed by an officer and is responsible for the employment of retired officers (including non-commissioned officers), the School for the Disabled Soldiers, the Military Association, the enforcement of judgments, the Labor and Corrections Company, military trials, worship, extradition, taxation, elections, conscription rolls, military flags and regimental flags.

(5) The Ordnance Department, which consists of three bureaus (each headed by an officer):

1. Bureau of Light Weapons.

2. Artillery Bureau.

3. Technical Bureau. Responsible for matters related to arsenals or artillery factories.

(6) The political situation of Malaysia. Led by an officer: responsible for managing the Itinerant Horse Purchasing Committee.

(7) Medical Bureau. Headed by a military medical officer of the General Staff of the Army.

The War Department is in charge of the General Military Treasury, the Cavalry Commission, the inspection of field artillery, infantry schools, light weapons and ammunition factories, the military veterinary system, and the military law schools, and the commissions responsible for the organization of artillery tests, light weapons tests and military medical examinations.

There is also the "Personnel Bureau", which is headed by a senior adjutant. The Bureau was one of the components of the Reich General Command, and its functions need not be discussed here, as it is not important for the study of logistics.

The second thing to look at is the General Staff. Its head, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, was directly subordinate to the Kaiser.

And with such a division alone, there is no actual execution. And in order for this division to be implemented and to play a corresponding role, the Prussians made it mandatory:

"All matters relating to the disposition of the army in time of war, as well as the command of the general forces, are within the scope of his duties, and at the same time he is to deal with all questions concerning the conditions of operation of the troops and the defence of the country, in coordination with the other departments. ”

"The Railway Brigade, as well as the Air Navigation Agency and the Military Academy, are to be under his command in all matters relating to the science of war. He oversaw the training of officers in the General Staff as well as the training of the existing officers of the Department at a higher level. Once a year, he presented to the Kaiser a list of the above-mentioned officers, suggesting which staff officers had been returned from the General Staff to the troops and from which they had been transferred to the General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff shall have a regular exchange of views with the Minister of the Army on all matters relating to the military training of the Army units, the question of the formation of the Army in peacetime and wartime, and the transfer of the Army from peacetime to wartime structure. ”

In addition, the Chief of the General Staff should have a direct exchange of views with the general staff of the corps.

The Chief of the Army General Staff has three direct assistants, who are "the intermediary supervisors between the Chief of the General Staff and the various departments of the General Staff." ”

Of the three assistants, one was the deputy of the Chief of the General Staff when for some reason he was unable to perform his duties. These assistants act as part of the powers of the Chief of the General Staff and make final decisions on certain minor matters.

......

The Prussians' emphasis on military logistics lies in one point:

Each military headquarters and division headquarters has a quartermaster department, and the quartermaster of the military headquarters is the head of the quartermaster department of the military department. The Quartermaster Department of the War Department is the intermediary supervisor between the War Department and the subordinate specialized supply departments. The Quartermaster may deal directly with the War Department, but will still be under the orders of the Army Commander.

The duties of the Quartermaster Department of the Military Department are: appointing quartermasters, procuring grain and raw materials for making bread, procuring cloth and other supplies for making military uniforms and equipping troops, and procuring land for the resettlement of troops (camps). Housing and household utensils; supervising the food and bread drying room, supervising the personnel work of officers in the supply department, supervising the administration of barracks and hospitals; assisting in the management of funds and property related to military education and military training departments; handling matters relating to the mobilization and pension of the military administration, technical schools relating to the artillery and engineering systems, and relating to military horse management stations; military-economic affairs of troops, as well as non-corporate officers and officers of non-divisional units or not assigned to divisional quartermasters.

The Quartermaster Department of the Military Department consists of: 1. Finance Department, 2. Physical Supply Office (except for Loaded), 3. Loaded Supply Office, 4. Resident Administration";5. Hospital Administration".

In addition, each military department has a Quartermaster Director, who is responsible for providing professional advice on engineering and construction matters.

The functions of the quartermaster department of the division headquarters include: handling all matters related to the salaries, rent, allowances, travel expenses, and other matters of the officers and men of the division; examining and settling the property accounts and cash expenditure accounts (including temporary random inspections of the cashier's departments of the division's units), handling matters related to the equipment and equipment of the division's subordinate units; participating in the biennial counting of troops; and providing supplies for troops and reservists.

Since the Chief of Staff, who is assigned to work in the Troops, has overall supervision over the Adjutant General's Office and the Quartermaster Department, and has direct control over the work of the General Staff, the Commander can be relieved of all specific matters and only need to draw up his overall plan and inform the General Staff of the plan. While the commander is the supreme authority of his unit and can exercise his authority directly when necessary, officers of the General Staff and the Administration are usually in direct contact with their respective heads in Berlin and are able to act with full authority in accordance with their respective lines of duty.

Because of the organization's unity and many years of experience, it has become more and more a natural machine, able to work in harmony and error-free. In addition, this organizational division of labor also allows officers in various positions to be trained into highly skilled specialists. The objection to this type of machine-like organization is that it deprives individuals of the right to work independently, that is, of their ability to create. But that doesn't work here. This is because each staff member has responsibilities and considerable authority within his or her area of responsibility. Such an organization is in line with modern management methods, and specialization is the key to its success.

......

And in a sense, it was because of the importance that Prussia attached to logistics, so in this regard, it eventually became one of the key factors in the victory of the Franco-Prussian War. (To be continued.) )

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