. Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography . e front, great numbers of theseaerial cables were used to aid the roads in supplying troops onthat important height. Between teleferica stations tramwaysdrawn by mules sometimes traversed the high mountain valleys,and, where snow fields and glaciers lay along the spectacularbattle ground, dog sleds (Fig. 126) formed the line of communi-cations, either across the surface or through tunnels severalmiles long in the ice, according to the degree of exposure toenemy fire. Assuredly this is the terrain par
. Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography . e front, great numbers of theseaerial cables were used to aid the roads in supplying troops onthat important height. Between teleferica stations tramwaysdrawn by mules sometimes traversed the high mountain valleys,and, where snow fields and glaciers lay along the spectacularbattle ground, dog sleds (Fig. 126) formed the line of communi-cations, either across the surface or through tunnels severalmiles long in the ice, according to the degree of exposure toenemy fire. Assuredly this is the terrain par excellence of moun-tain warfare. Nor would the story of the adaptation of methods of warfareto this mountainous country be complete, even had we coveredfully the question of communication lines. Big guns withspecially devised wheels which facilitated the ascent of very steepslopes; sandbag breastworks or stone walls replacing trencheswhere impossible to excavate the latter in the solid rock; whiteuniforms for portions of the front on snow fields (Fig. 127); 490 BATTLEFIELD OF THE TRENTINO. Alpine troops on skis carrying ice axes and alpenstocks asessential parts of their equipment; electric motor lorries withtrolleys driven up the steepest road by power derived from local GENERAL ASPECT 491 mountain torrents—these are but a few of the responses whichthe contestants on one side or the other made to the specialphysical conditions which confronted them on the Alpine fixing corps had to contend with vast stretches of countryaffording no suitable landing place and with the treacherous aircurrents peculiarly frequent above such rugged terrains. Thesupplying of water to the troops engaged on high mountainridges and plateaus of fissured limestone presented a series ofcomplex problems which became acute whenever an advancewas attempted. These problems were solved by the constructionof great aqueducts and pumping plants, by the laying of miles ofpipe lines leading to the stat
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectworldwar19141918
