Article 6:
The Horse and Tank Trade, Page 1
By Deborah Hedstrom-Page

Horses and soldiers used to go together like light sabers and Jedi knights. For hundreds of years, famous American fighters rode into battle on top of thundering hooves and behind flying manes. From George Washington in the Revolution to General Persing in World War I, military men depended on the cavalry and horse-drawn artillery.

But today's generals, soldiers, and equipment ride in jeeps, trucks and cars. So when did they switch? When did they trade four hooves for four wheels?

The swap began in World War I, only 25 years after Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler put together the first couple of gas-powered vehicles. Their inventions triggered lots of interest and by the start of World War I in 1914, greatly improved cars, trucks and even newly invented tanks were used in the fighting. Every officers agreed these were important additions to the Army, but for the next 25 years, many argued that they could never replace the horse.

"Battles cannot always be fought on roads and many times hilly land or bad weather make it so motorized units can't move at all," one officer in charge of a horse remount station said. "More than once I've seen motor vehicles bogged down in mud while horse units trot passed them."

Others who agreed with the remount officer liked to quote an old field artillery song, "Over hill, over dale, we have hit the dusty trail as our caissons (wagons pulled by horses that hauled artillery shells) go rolling along."

At first, few people could argue well against the military horsemen. Automobiles sputtered, coughed, and fizzled more than they ran. Easily popped tires, hard starters, and grinding transmissions added to the car's lousy reputation. As a matter of fact, in early car races, the winner usually was the one who made it across the finished line -- not the fastest one. And though people had begun to buy cars, few trusted them as their only means of transportation.

Besides lack of dependability, military horsemen also aruged that the few number of roads made the autos useless in battle. Most travelers used railroads and steamboats, so few interstate roads existed and those that did weren't paved. That meant that bad weather turned them into muddy tracks only horses could plow through.

But these arguments did not last. As each year passed, inventors worked on the automobile's problems. They made better and more powerful engines. They took care of flats with new types of tires and steel rims. And they kept the improvements coming -- electric starters, 4-wheel drive, headlights.