Re: Strategic Reserve.

[Janos Ero <erojr@spammail.cern.ch>]

"Roger L. Traviss" wrote:
> 
> Roy Wilke wrote:
> 
> > I never laid claim to being professionally involved in railways, and was speaking
> > hypothetically.
> >
> > However, "strategic" doesn't necessarily mean railways (and the 20th century proved
> > that railways are a front-line liability to an army - they are too easy for the
> > other side to disable/destroy).
> 
> Mmmmm.  In both North America and in the U.K., the railways were a vital part of the
> Allied victory.  Railways are very difficult to disable or destroy for long periods of
> time.  Even after the worst bombing raid, a junction or marshalling yard could be back
> in service in a couple of days.  Bulldoze the holes flat and relay track over the top.
> May not be up to "standard" but it will do.

Unfortunately not as easy. The Allied Forces bombarded mainly
the entry switch groups of the large stations (according reports
US bombers more successfully, British ones less). The bent
switches are very time consuming to repair. Usually they
were replaced by a simple track, but thus makes the
junction or yard useless.

Janos Ero