LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTING THROUGH WARS

BY ERICK GUERRERO GARCIA

 INTRODUCTION

The Iron Age period (1500 B.C. to A.D. 100) was marked by constants wars,
time in which large empires conquered states of all sizes. War, warriors, and
weapons were part of human existence. Also at this time armies produced the
prototype of every weapon that was developed for the next three thousand
years.

The armies of the Iron Age were the first to practice conscription on a regular
basis. The Iron Age gave birth to the national standing army based on citizen
service and later adopted by Napoleon.

One of the most important military developments of the Iron Age is the
dramatically change in Logistics-Transport-Warehousing. [Annex I]

 OVERVIEW

To give an idea of the difficultness of the logistics and transportation of goods

for the armies through the wars look at the armies size in the Iron Age. [Annex
I]

As bigger the armies were and battles increased, ancient armies had to
improve the task of logistically supporting these armies in the field. The
logistical features of ancient armies were often more difficult and achieved
more proficiently than in armies of the 19th century, when the railroad, mass
production of weapons, standard packaging, and tinned and condensed food
made the problem of supply considerably easier. The need to support armies in
the field for months, sometimes years, was a function of the rise of the
imperium.

 REQUIREMENTS OF LOGISTIC OF ANCIENT ARMIES

The most important requirements of logistics of ancient armies were the need
to supply large numbers of men with adequate food and water and animals
required to transport supplies also had to be fed. By the other hand the difficult
climate of the Middle East made the physical maintenance of the soldier's body
even more difficult on the march. To have an idea of the ability of ancient
armies to provide these requirements see “Reality in numbers”. [Annex I]

 DEVELOPING THE METHODS OF TRANSPORT [Annex II]

 STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL MOBILITY

A tremendous increase in strategic mobility resulted from the ability of Iron Age
armies to deploy larger and larger armies and to sustain them logistically in the
field.

The greater the area over which a military force is able to conduct military
operations and sustain them over time, the greater the degree of strategic
mobility. The ability of Iron Age armies to project military power over great
distances was not equaled again until the armies of the 19th century. [Annex
III]

 CHANNELS OF TRANSPORT

It is important to remember that there were few packed roads and none of the
paved roads that were later introduced by the Romans. Military movement was
done on foot across country or, less frequently, on narrow, foot-worn paths that
reduced the speed and flexibility of movement even more. Carts required
drivers and a large corps of repairmen. Repairs required tools and lumber, all of
which further increased the logistics load of the army. Maps were an important
military resource. By the time of the Persian Empire, states had begun to
construct regular roads for military purposes. As Rome established her
hegemony over the Western world, she connected the entire empire with a
network of military roads. The Romans built over 240,000 miles of roads,
40,000 of which were paved, permanent roadways, most of which still exist.
[Annex III]

 MEDIEVAL AGES

We mentioned the logistics, methods of supply and advantages and

disadvantages.

Third Crusade Example.

 BRIEF OVERVIEW OF MODERN WARS UNTIL NOWADAYS

Seven Weeks War.

Franco-Prussian War.
American Civil War.

World Wide Wars.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Roman Army. By Brian Campbell. Routledge, 1994.

The Great Armies of Antiquity. By Richard A. Gabriel. Westport. Praeger,

2002.

Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army. Donald
W. Engels.

Soldiers live through the History. By Richard A. Gabriel. Greenwood

Publishing Group, 2007.

Travel and Geography in the Antique Empires. Collin Adams.

Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton. Creveld, Martin

van. Cambridge University,1977.

The Encyclopedia of military History. Dupuy R. Ernest. Harper & Row,

1970.

ANNEX I
 LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT
CULTUR TRANSPOR NEEDS ACHIEVEMENTS
E T
Depots and special Machines remained
Egyptia
Chariot mobile repair functional on the march
n
battalions.
Army should secure, Obtain and process 3,000
breed, train, and horses a month.
Train
deploy large Assyrians first to learn how
Assyrian “Musarkisu
number of horses. to sustain two types of
s”
transports [Chariots-
Cavalry].
Baggage Transport siege Knowledge acquisition for
Greeks-
Trains and towers and engines. the later transporting of
Romans
artillery catapults and shot.

ARMIES SIZE
ARMY YEAR SIZE [men]
Sargon of Akkad 2300 B.C. 5,400
Egyptian [Ramses II] 1300 B.C. 100,000
Assyrian 800 B.C. 150,000-200,000
Persians [Xerxes] 480 B.C. 360,000-500,000
Persians [Darius III] 331 B.C 340,000-700,000
Macedonian 331 B.C 60,000
[Alexander III]
Roman 216 B.C. 350,000
 WAREHOUSING
CULTURE WAREHOUSE ACHIEVEMENTS
Contained 200 tons of iron
Assyrian “Dur-Sharrukin”
weapons.

REALITY IN NUMBERS

In this climate a soldier required 3,402 calories a day and 70 grams of protein
to sustain him in minimal nutritional condition. In addition, soldiers required
nine quarts of water a day. Modern analysis reveals that the standard ration of
three pounds of wheat a day produced only 2,025 calories, insufficient to
maintain even minimal nutritional requirements for very long. Thus,
Alexander's army of 65,000 men required 195,000 pounds of grain and
325,000 pounds of water to sustain it for a single day. The army also required
375,000 pounds of forage per day to sustain cavalry, baggage, and transport
animals.
 ANNEX II

TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT
CULTURE TRANSPORT ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
PERIOD
Bronze Age Donkey Carry about 300 pounds Not enough load.
Normal pack load for a
Ramses II Ox-drawn single ox 1,450 pounds
approx.
To move large loads: Slow the rate of
Persians [Philip wooden siege and mobile movement.
Oxen-cart
II] towers. Approx. 13,920
pounds.
Could carry the load of a
single Ox-cart. Move the
Assyrians Horse load 4 miles per hour for
8 hours. Move easily over
different terrains.
Coastal Not enough load.
Egyptians Supply armies quicker.
vessels
Support of ground The problem of speed
operations. Take and flexibility of
advantage of movement over rough
shipbuilding and terrain remained.
Persians Large-Scale maritime skills of their
[Alexander III] Navy coastal provinces.
Transport infantry,
horses, and supplies
including vessels for use
on rivers. NOTE 1
Besides everything said
before gained even
greater speed and
Soldiers as
Romans [Gaius mobility for his logistics
beasts of
Marius] train by turning his
burden.
soldiers into beasts of
burden. Carried 60-70
pounds on his back.

1
Coupled with their extensive use of the horse in the supply chain, the supply
system of the Persian army was more effective than anything the world had
ever seen and allowed the world's largest armies to remain deployed far from
home for months on end.
 ANNEX III

STRATEGIC MOBILITY
PERIOD STRATEGIC RANGE FROM-TO
[Miles]
Bronze Age 350 by 150
Sumer and Akkad 250 by 125 Upper Tigris Valley-City of Ur
Egypt [3000-1400
600 by 200 Nile Valley-Syria
B.C.]
Egypt [1300 B.C.] 1,250 by 200
Assyria 1,250 by 300 Assur- Susa-Thebes
Laxartes and Indus Rivers-
*Persia 2,500 by 1,000
Thrace, Cyrene and Thebes
Hellespont-Caspian Sea-
*Alexander 2,600 by 1,000
Persian Gulf
Germany to Morocco and
**Rome 3,000 by 1,500 from Scotland-Armenia and
Babylon
*SEE MAPS ANNEX IV, **SEE MAPS ANNEX V
STRATEGIC MOBILITY
PERIOD ROAD CHARACTERIST FROM- DISTA TIME
ICS AND TO NCE WITH-
ADVANTAGES [Miles] WITHOUT
Unpaved roads
and bridges
over streams.
Sardis- 15 days-
*Persian Royal Road Permit move 1,500
Susa 3 months
Persian siege
towers by oxen
teams.
Terrain
obstacles
crossed by
**Roma bridges. A Rome-
Appian Way 132
n Roman legion Capua
(6,000 men)
could move 8
miles a day.
 Via Emilia - Placentia in the North,
through Bononia to Ancona in the
East
Via Aurelia - Up the West coast,
past Genua to Savo.
Via Cassia - Northwards up central
**Roma Italy.
n Via Flaminia - NE to Fanum.
Via Salaria - East to Asculum and
Castrum Truentum
Via Tiburtina - East through Tibur
(Tivoli) to Aternum
Via Latina - SouthEast to link up
with Via Appia at Beneventum.
*SEE MAP ANNEX V, **SEE MAP ANNEX VI

ANNEX IV
ANNEX V
ANNEX VI