'Railways Mesopotamia and L of C [Lines of Communications] Policy, Vol. II' [‎123r] (245/274)

SECRET.
From
To
G-.O.C. Baghdad,
V' 1 ar Office.
Despatched 3.40 p.m. 7,1.18.
Received 3.35 p.m. 8,1.18.
Addressed War Office - repeated India.
X.5739. Jan.7th, Wi
In my predecessor’s
he recommended that
6 ford van compan
Ol
th reference to your 48996 Dec.30th.
telegram X.3786 dated Sept. 24th last
two of the mule columns, or
ies, be utilized as reserve
in forward magazines and to
ort on bad roads in wet weather, and that
mules should be retained in reserve to
condemnations thus effecting a reduction
and economy in shipping. I strongly
the equivalent
park to build
take the place
up reserve supplies
of liechanical Transp
500 carts with their
replace wastage and
of demands on India
endorse my predecessor’s recommendations owing to the'following
factors.
1st. Our liabilities as regards distance over which supplies
of stores and. ammunition have to be transported have been
considerably extended and the lack of any reserve of transport
has compelled me to authorise the pooling of all second line
transport in the corps conducting the operations in order to
enable the troops in the forward lines to be supplied thus
limiting the depots force available.
Secondly the necessity for keeping the Kerman Shah road open
has demanded the occupation of Sceri Shirin and the establishment
of pools between these towns to protect convoys of supplies
going forward to both British and Russian Troops. The distance
from my previous advance post at Xhanikin to Xermanshah is
125 miles.
Thirdly the development of local resources entails the collection
at central depots in the Euphrates valley and elsewhere of large
quantities of grain and 1 odder for ’which transport by road must
be provided in cases where no railway facilities exist.
Fourthly the recent rains have caused several serious washouts
in my railways which were laid at great speed to supplement
shipping and to facilitate our original forward offensive policy.
Rivers in the forward area have been flooded and bridges washed
a,;ay and my existing transport is now strained to the utmost.
I trust the reduction of animal transport will be held in
abeyance until the end of May for the above reasons when the
matter could receive further consideration with the subsidence of
the flooe of waters.
G.2. Copies to
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