05-29-2009, 03:35 PM
Brakie Wrote:In 1916 the US Army sent a convoy from Washington DC to the West Coast. It took them 62 days to make the trip. The military long argued that moving men and material was all but impossible without a decent road system.
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I recall reading about that convoy and there was no real roads since most was nothing more the the old wagon routes.Terrible conditions for the troops driving those old trucks that seen mechanical break downs and lots of flat tires every day..
Oddly by the end of WWII that was a mote concern since they could use transports and fly men and air drop supplies to any area...
It was still a big concern, as the need to transport millions of men and millions of tons of war material to the East and West coasts during the war amply demonstrated. Beyond that, ships were the method of transport for the bulk of the troops and material sent to the European and Pacific theaters of war. Aircraft faced a three thousand mile journey just to reach Europe, and they could not carry even a fraction of the needed materials.
Eiesenhower's wartime experiences, particularly his knowledge of the immense value of the German autobahn system, had much to do with his decision to create America's interstate highway system.