Impact of Transportation History in Modern Logistics

Impact of Transportation History in Modern Logistics
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Impact of Transportation History in Modern Logistics
Introduction
The combination of the local supply for food, forage alongside self-containment as pertains to goods and services in ancient history provided the basis for logistics operations under the control of forces of moderate sizes. Some of the familiar operations entail Alexander the Great's campaign from Macedonia to the Indus and Hannibal's campaign in Italy. Further, the larger armies of the ancient days, such as the Persian invaders from Greece in 480 BCE, were always supplied by depots alongside magazines within the battlefield (Lynn, 2019). Interestingly, the Roman legion used all the three supply methods interchangeably in a marvelously flexible system. The legion's strength to march fast and far was attributable to superb roads and an efficient supply chain that was superbly organized. The supply chain included engineers, shops for mobile repair, armorers, and artificers alongside the technicians. In their case, the requisition for supplies was obtained from authorities, and storage made I fortified deports. In this case, the various forms of labor and animals were registered as required. Depending on the existing conditions, the legions always carried in its train and, at times, on the backs of soldiers' supplies that could last for 30 days (Rutner et al., 2012).
The Mongol cavalry armies of the 13th century were identified as the most efficient logistic system ever to exist. This is since the process was characterized by austerity, discipline, adequate planning alongside the organization. While approaching their moves, the Mongol armies could split themselves into several corps capable of widely spreading over the region. Such division was accompanied by trains of baggage carts, pack animals as well as herds of cattle. The various routes alongside campsites were carefully selected to allow for accessibility to food for both animals and men (Lynn, 2019).
Great armies of the early centuries had to keep on the move to avoid starvation. The movement enabled them to support themselves without bases, especially within fertile countries. However, there was improvement within the logistic organization, reducing the size of trains and guns. The thirty years of war (1618-1648) led to the introduction of strategy as a key element of logistics (Lynn, 2019). In this case, the armies exploited water transportation economies with operations taking place along rich food-producing regions. Afterward, the European nature of warfare adopted a more sluggish and formal means that included limited objectives alongside elaborate logistics that sacrificed range and mobility. The enhanced strategic value that characterized the conquest of cities in the 18th century brought about two logistic innovations. First, the strategically located magazine with a pre-stocked depot supported an army that was operating a siege. Secondly, the smaller version of the rolling magazine carried a few days of supply for the marching army. The process was also characterized by secure communication lines that enable easy deployment of armies for protection purposes. However, the transport system was always overburd...