Have you ever ran a military? We haven’t sent out a reader survey in quite a while, so I have no idea how many of you out there are currently in charge of a major military force. I assume at least some of you are, commanding armies and navies and forces of air, and I’m sure you’re aware of all of the complexities it takes to operate a military force. Once of these complexities has to do with the machinery used; unless you have standards types of machines and vehicles, the logistical complexity of operating and maintaining a fleet of different kinds of vehicles would be an absolute nightmare. This is a lesson the US Army learned over a century ago, and it’s worth looking at how they ended up solving it.
The US Armed Forces were actually quite late to mechanize travel if you think about it. Well, maybe not the Navy; the Navy had been using steam-powered ships since before the Civil War, and really expanded their use during the Civil War, including ships that did not rely on sail power at all, like the USS Monitor ironclad and the montior-type ships that followed it, such as the Passaic class. But everyone else? It was still a fighting force powered by horsemeat.
Even in 1914, when Gavrilo Princip decided to add some speed holes to Archduke Ferdinand and thereby set off what would come to be known as World War I, somehow didn’t quite sway the US Army to start thinking about motorization in an organized way, even as American truck companies like Mack and GMC were getting swamped with orders for trucks to be shipped over to the war in Europe. In fact, the first actual, official use of motorized trucks in a military operation didn’t happen until 1916, with the Pancho Villa Expedition.
Essentially, this was an attempt by the Army to hunt down and capture or kill Mexican revolutionary Francisco “Pancho” Villa, who had attacked a town in New Mexico, part of a larger conflict along the Mexican border. This expedition used about 588 trucks, and while there were certainly a few dominant types – the GMC Model 15 and F.W.D. four-wheel-drive trucks, for example – well over 100 different types of trucks made up this very eclectic fleet.
As you can imagine, the maintenance and repair demands of this huge fleet of primitive trucks going over some extremely rugged terrain in the punishing context of a military mission were huge, and trucks were breaking down all the time. Because there were so many different kinds of trucks, getting the right spare parts for the right trucks was incredibly difficult, and broken down trucks were often stripped for parts to keep the rest of the trucks going, because that was easier than trying to repair them.
In short, it was a huge mess, but it taught the army a very valuable lesson, one that may seem obvious, but likely takes the pain of experience to really drive home: a standardized truck, built with a standard set of parts that could be stocked and made available to any army truck, anywhere, would be a massive improvement.
These hard lessons informed the Army’s Quartermaster Corps who teamed up with the then-young Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to come up with a design for the Army’s ideal truck, or at least ideal enough given the state of motor vehicle technology of the era. The resulting vehicle, which was ready by 1918, was an impressive and extremely utilitarian machine. It was a very basic design, with a beefy, simple chassis, an inline-four engine displacing nearly seven liters (425 cubic inches) and making all of 52 horsepower, the same as my Nissan Pao. Though, to be fair, the Pao does it with only 997cc, but it does have about eight decades of progress helping out.
This new standardized truck, known as the Standard Liberty truck, was a rear-wheel drive machine, with large spoked wheels and solid rubber tires, so at least flat tires were no problem, and, I suspect, ride comfort was also as unlikely to happen as a flat tire. There was a four-speed transmission, to get everything going, and when it got going, the top speed was only about 15 mph, and it only got around 7 mpg, at best. Considering this was a machine with an over 10,000 pound curb weight and a payload of three to five tons, I suppose these numbers really aren’t all that surprising.
I do like that spring-mounted front bumper, which sort of predicts the energy-absorbing 5 mph bumpers of the 1970s. The first series of Liberty trucks had electric lights front and rear, and a full electrical system with a battery and generator, along with a parallel magneto system for the ignition. A second series of Liberty trucks simplified the electrical system significantly, retaining the magneto-based ignition system but getting rid of the generator-battery electrical system, and with that the electric lights, which were replaced with oil-wick sidelights and taillight, and carbide spotlight mounted on the dash, which you can see in this photo:
This may be the only example I can think of in all of automotive history where an update to a vehicle switched from electrical lighting to oil/gas lighting?
A huge number of companies were contracted to build Liberty trucks and/or Liberty truck parts, including Bethlehem Motor Truck Corporation, Diamond T Motor Car Company, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Selden Motor Vehicle Company, and more, most or all of which are long gone today. Unfortunately for the Allies in Europe, not all that many really made it to the front before the Armistice that ended the Great War, which isn’t surprising considering how late the United States entered the fight.
All in all, 9,364 Liberty trucks (both versions) were built before the war was over, and while there were about 40,000 orders outstanding, production ended in 1919. Incredibly, some of these beefy old brutes remained in service into 1940, though they had received a lot of updates and mechanical upgrades that pretty significantly changed their abilities.
Even if it came a bit too late to be a big part of WWI, the Liberty truck is a huge milestone in US Military history, as it is the very first armed-forces specified, standardized motor vehicle. There would be no Jeep, no Humvee, were it not for the path laid by the slow, heavy Liberty.
If you’re still eager to ponder this influential truck and its legacy, there’s a very comprehensive video here you should enjoy:
I think what makes the Liberty so fascinating is that it may be the first time that a mass-produced vehicle type was designed and built based on a set of criteria and use cases from an organization. The Liberty truck wasn’t so much designed as it was cast by the demands and restrictions of what the army wanted and needed. A lot of truly iconic cars came from this approach after the Liberty, cars designed to solve a specific set of problems.
The Jeep, for example, was another military project designed from the demands of a go-anywhere small general-purpose car; the Volkswagen Beetle came from a set of demands that the German people have an affordable car to carry a family down the new Autobahns at 60 mph; and the Citroën 2CV was designed to get French peasants off their horses and into a car, a car that could go over a field and not break any eggs. There’s more, sure, but I think you get the idea.
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Mules hung on in the US Army for a long time. I worked with a WW II vet who’d used mules in Germany.
https://www.mulemuseum.org/u-s-army-mules.html
“[W]ell over 100 different types of trucks made up this very eclectic fleet.”
Seems that fleet also included a few Model Ts as recounted in a book which was fictionalized but based on historical accounts titled The Tin Lizzie Troop written by Glendon Swarthout which was his first novel published after his 1970 bestseller Bless the Beasts and Children. The 1972 novel was about several Philadelphians who were recruited for the Pancho Villa expedition along with their personal Model Ts.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/glendon-swarthout-8/the-tin-lizzie-troop/
If you want to be annoying, tanks were standardized motor vehicles that went into action in WWI a couple-ish years earlier, so these would be the first standardized wheeled motor vehicles.
Armed forces were using tractors with tracks even before Princip met Ferdinand, although I’m guessing they may have just bought off the shelf from their version of Tractor Supply instead of designing from the ground up.
The basis is United States Military use and Standardized Vehicle.
So none of what you wrote likely applies.
And yes, you are annoying
(kidding)
“This Lumbering Truck Was The First ‘Standardized’ Military Vehicle Ever”
The US Armed Forces were actually quite late to mechanize travel if you think about it.
…..
But everyone else? It was still a fighting force powered by horsemeat.
Not so. Even the mighty German army of WWII was “still a fighting force powered by horsemeat”:
https://www.factcheck.org/2017/04/hitler-chemical-weapons/
The German dependence on horsemeat remained constant throughout the war:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_welfare_in_Nazi_Germany
I’d have quoted more but it gets into the welfare of the animals which some may find disturbing.
Yes, the Germans used on average 1.1 million horses in WW2 and around 375k in WW1. They actually were MORE dependent on horses.
The reason was the train.
The German military was masters of trains from 1871-1940. In 1940, the Germans conquered wherever there was a train connecting them to Germany.
The problem was that there wasn’t a train connecting Germany to England. That narrow crossing was too much for them. The trains connecting them to Moscow had different width tracks and the Germans couldn’t use the Russian train tracks. There weren’t enough train tracks across north Africa. Wherever the Germans were more than 100-200 miles from a Train station, they were in trouble.
Then two things made this worse. First was the heavier tanks the Soviets, British and Americans had. The Germans had to go from little tanks to big tanks to fight the T-34, Churchill and Sherman. The big German tanks were nasty as nasty could be if they got into combat, but the high fuel demands basically gave them shorter leashes from the depots. The Second was the USAAF. Once the Luftwaffe was knocked out of the sky, the US 8th and 15th Airforces shot up any German train they saw. Soon, trains could only work at night and had to hide in tunnels during the day. Outside of Germany proper, a motionless train parked in a tunnel was a prime target for a resistance attack. The result was that the greatly feared Tiger Tanks were as likely to be lost from non-combat reasons (mainly running out of supplies) then combat losses. Because they horses couldn’t get them enough fuel, ammo and spare parts to keep operational.
The Tiger tanks had thirsty twin 15-liter air cooled Porsche V10 engines.
Maybach not Porsche. The Tiger 1, Panther and King Tiger all used the Maybach HL230. It was a 23-liter V12. It made 690 hp. It was planned to be upgraded to put out closer to 900, but didn’t before the war ended.
In theory, on the road under ideal situations, the King Tiger got 1 mpg. Sherman tanks actually got similar fuel economy in theory. Like a lot of heavy vehicles, you really want to go diesel, where the T-34 got about 3 mpg in theory.
Porsche submitted a proposed Tiger 1. It was an interesting concept. It used two V-10 300 hp gasoline engines like you describe. Each engine ran a generator and electric motors were used to drive the tracks. The VK 45.01(P) looked like the Tiger 1, but with the turret shifted significantly forward on the chassis. Porsche made 90 hulls in the belief that the tank would win the competition. And if the competition was “which tank catches on fire the quickest?” Porsche would have won by a landslide.
These 90 failed Tiger 1 hulls were converted into the Elefant/ Ferdinand tank destroyer. They put the biggest gun they had on top, swapped out the crappy air cooled V-10s with the water cooled V-12s from Maybach and sent them into combat. They proved high successful at breaking down to be captured and put into museums.
Thinking of the story I heard from a Belgian draft horse breeder about how they saved their best stock from the Germans – there were pastures on both sides of the Belgian/Dutch border, and some mornings there’d be one less horse on the Belgian side and one more horse on the Dutch side than there was the night before. Who can keep count after all?
It always amazes me to think of how far the Germans got with their exotically-fueled Wunderwaffen even while they were relying on horses and converting cars to wood-gas because of their limited petroleum access.
This thread, and all the responses, is fascinating. Thank you all!
Stanley Lovell’s name is familiar, but I thought William Donovan was the head of OSS? As I recall, he was a close friend and classmate of FDR that served in WWI.
Ugh, you’re correct. Lovell was wartime director of OSS R&D, not of the whole organization:
https://www.thelegendofq.co.uk/stanley-lovells-rd.html
https://malwarwick-98471.medium.com/the-professor-moriarty-of-the-oss-in-world-war-ii-2fa5b24bfce1
So even “factcheck.org” can make mistakes. At least they left out his honorary “Dr” title.
The older I get and the more I learn about the world wars the more I am impressed by the logistics of how supplies and equipment got all ordered, designed, manufactured, built, transported and delivered all is such short time. Logistics is amazing. Think of everything we as a country during WW2 in the time it takes a kid to go through high school.
Yeah, some archeologists have noted that the most impressive aspect of the ancient Egyptian pyramids was not the actual edifices themselves but the sheer scale of logistics involved in managing and running the construction especially since the workers were actually not slaves as was so long thought but citizens working during the off season (that is, during the lull in seasonal agriculture) as a form of tithing to their pharaoh. These workers were actually reasonably well-fed (with bread & beer, back when beer actually had substantial nutritional content, lol) & provided with reasonably decent housing, all of which indeed took a lot of logistics in addition to the actual construction of the pyramids. What’s also impressive is how the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest of the Egyptian pyramids, was built in *just* 26 years, a good testament to the logistics of running the construction thereof, especially since they had to work around the agricultural work of the people involved.
Beer. fueling construction sites for nearly 10,000 years.
Ha, yeah. In this post from the British Museum when they recreated one of the recipes for ancient Egyptian beer they noted that the workers at the pyramids of Giza were provided with over 10 pints of beer per day:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/sip-history-ancient-egyptian-beer
I work in nuclear power. Years ago, there was a push to clean out the sump areas of nuclear power plants so that if there was an accident, there wouldn’t be debris getting into critical pumps.
The amount of beer cans found hidden in the basements of nuclear plants built in the 70s and 80s was impressive. Construction workers going construction, no matter how much you try to control them.
I mean, it’s got water in it.
The brewery Dogfish Head has a line of archeological brews:
https://www.dogfish.com/blog/ancient-ales.
They worked with a molecular archeologist who helped them reconstruct recipes from offerings found in tombs, ancient records, etc and used many of the original ingredients (e.g. grains, yeasts) or as close as it was possible to get. One of the cable channels had a miniseries about them. Each episode was a different brew:
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1795111/
I was able to get my hands on a six pack of that and other ancient brews. It was kinda weak but well flavored. They’re worth seeking out if you have an interest in ancient history.
That’s why they say amateurs talk strategy and professionals talk logistics.
Recommended:
“Destructive Creation: American Business and the Winning of World War II”
Mark R. Wilson
“During World War II, the United States helped vanquish the Axis powers by converting its enormous economic capacities into military might. Producing nearly two-thirds of all the munitions used by Allied forces, American industry became what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called “the arsenal of democracy.” Crucial in this effort were business leaders. Some of these captains of industry went to Washington to coordinate the mobilization, while others led their companies to churn out weapons. In this way, the private sector won the war—or so the story goes.
“Based on new research in business and military archives, Destructive Creation shows that the enormous mobilization effort relied not only on the capacities of private companies but also on massive public investment and robust government regulation. This public-private partnership involved plenty of government-business cooperation, but it also generated antagonism in the American business community that had lasting repercussions for American politics. Many business leaders, still engaged in political battles against the New Deal, regarded the wartime government as an overreaching regulator and a threatening rival. In response, they mounted an aggressive campaign that touted the achievements of for-profit firms while dismissing the value of public-sector contributions. This probusiness story about mobilization was a political success, not just during the war, but afterward, as it shaped reconversion policy and the transformation of the American military-industrial complex.
“Offering a groundbreaking account of the inner workings of the “arsenal of democracy,” Destructive Creation also suggests how the struggle to define its heroes and villains has continued to shape economic and political development to the present day.”
https://www.amazon.com/Destructive-Creation-American-Business-Politics/dp/0812248333
Also recommended:
“War Is A Racket”
Major General Smedley Butler
https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html#c3
If anyone knows about war it’s this guy:
“Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a United States Marine Corps officer and writer. During his 34-year military career, he fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution, World War I, and the Banana Wars. At the time of his death, Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. military history. By the end of his career, Butler had received sixteen medals, including five for heroism; he is the only Marine to be awarded the Marine Corps Brevet Medal as well as two Medals of Honor, all for separate actions.
In 1933, Butler became involved in a controversy known as the Business Plot, when he told a United States congressional committee that a group of wealthy American industrialists were planning a coup d’état to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Butler also claimed that the plotters of the alleged coup intended on using Butler, at the head of a group of veterans, to place the federal government under arrest. The individuals alleged to be involved in the coup all denied the existence of such a plot and the media ridiculed Butler’s allegations, but a final report following an investigation by a special House of Representatives committee confirmed at least some of his testimony.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler
And that’s why my dog is named “Racket.” There’s also a Porsche 911 in Virginia wearing RACKET on Marine Corps plates, right next to the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor symbol.
Nice!
I believe that book should be required reading for all HS students.
The US military is, and needs to be, the greatest logistics organization that exists.
The answer is always Miata!
As far as having runned a military unit, I leave that to my father, a story involving Jacque Loussier and dried eggs.
The Liberty Truck was initially a Thornycroft J Type, standardised by AEC (Associated Equipment Company) as the AEC Y type, more than 8000 were built before the American version was built under license.
It always annoys me when some knowitall chimes in, I am now annoyed.
Plus: proven, standard design.
Minus: Motor pool had to source Whitworth wrenches.
It might not be a surprise, but drop forging Whitworth spanners is a thing that I can do! Very big and heavy (really 58 tons heavy) chunk of metal goes up, three yards, white hot chrome vanadium steel bar goes underneath and … whack.
The bed needs preparation, sand, stomped by the drop. the kieselgur layer is next, stomp again, then the formers, hand carved teak spanners, leave them on the top of the casting bed and whomp.Take the formers out (very carefully) lay the rolled bar of steel on the base, ideal temperature around 1500 Celsius and drop the hammer , again. This time there will be sparks and super heated steam and other hot things, (Leather Apron, goggles and fire proof balaclava, are a must, do not answer the door to anyone whilst so dressed) Then the tempering, buckets of oil, there are a lot of variables so I will not get too detailed, Eric Oldberg or William Allyn Richards are a good start.Alternatively, Whitworth spanners turn up at every garage sale I have been too. often in a stained cardboard box with the words “fing useless spanner sin faded marker on the side.
I can also offer advice in the setting of Myford lathes for screwcutting in ASF , BSF and Whitworth.
No one has invited me to a party since the date started with nineteen something.
Yeah, I never got beyond pecking out a chisel and set of tongs with a 2# hammer.
“Even in 1914, when Gavrilo Princip decided to add some speed holes to Archduke Ferdinand and thereby set off what would come to be known as World War I.” [Snortlaugh]
I named the first bicycle I designed and built Gavrilo Princip, because wanted it to be the start of something big.
And then in the 2000s, Jeep brought the name back with the *equally* iconic and capable Liberty!
I have nor ever will run a military unit, but i have played hearts of iron 4 since release so i am very much not qualified to answer your opening question.
Okay I am not an English major nor a journalist. But I am pretty sure you can say I run a military unit, present tense, or I ran a military unit, past tense but can you ask if anyone ever ran a military or is it has anyone ever run a military? It do sound right.
In addition, this was not the first time any military ever realized a equal transportation vehicle was the better choice. In fact Hannibal transversed the Alps with all similar equipment Elephants. Think about it food for one animal type or all animal types, medical equipment, vets, and drugs for one animal type or many, garb and storage for equipment transport for arms, ammo, and equipment fit for one animal instead of many. You make an excellent point but about 2000 years after it was figured out. Unless Genghis Khan did it too.
There are no new ideas only modified ideas
Hannibal had horses, too.
I don’t need to run a military to know this; I have instead foolishly embraced it as a hobby.
Do you need to ran a military?