Table of Contents

Preface 1

Introduction 3

Part 1 Early Military Use of Railroads 9

The Concept of Military Railroads 9

Crimean War (1853-1856) 11

Franco-Austrian War (1859) 13

American Civil War (1861-1865) 16

Austro-Prussian War (1866) 26

Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) 27

Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) 33

Narrow-Gauge Railroads 34

Boer Wars (1880-1881 and 1899-1902) 36

Spanish-American War (1898) 47

Colonial Railroads 47

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) 55

Part 2 Railroads in World War I 61

Historical background 61

France 69

Great Britain 72

United States 78

Russia 82

Germany 83

Austria 89

Part 3 Railroads in the Period 1918-1939 92

Generalities 92

Russia 94

Finland 104

Estonia 105

Poland 106

Germany 111

France 111

Great Britain 113

Italy 113

Spain 114

China 116

Japan 117

Part 4 Railroads in World War II: Axis Powers 120

Generalities 120

Germany 122

Italy 152

Japan 155

Croatia 158

Part 5 Railroads in World War II: Allies 159

Generalities 159

Great Britain 160

Australia 165

United States 165

France 170

Soviet Union 173

Slovakia 181

Part 6 Post-1945 Military Use of Railroads 183

Generalities 183

The Netherlands 184

Poland 187

France 188

Cuba 192

Soviet Union 193

Great Britain 195

United States 195

Yugoslavia 198

Conclusion 199

Bibliography 201

Filmography 202

Index 203