Lines of Communication

land, water, and air routes that are prepared and equipped with the necessary means to provide all forms of military transportation in time of peace or war. Lines of communication include railroad lines, roads, the navigable portions of the internal waterways, ocean and air routes, way stations, ports, landings, airports, and areas for loading, unloading, and transferring troops and matériel. Health inspection stations, disinfection stations, medical aid posts, and water supply facilities are established along lines of communication for the medical and material needs of troops being transported.

Lines of communication have always played an important role in warfare. As the personnel complement and equipment of armed forces grew and the scale of military operations broadened, the importance of lines of communication and the volume of military traffic increased sharply. For example, during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45, military traffic over the railroads of the USSR exceeded 443,000 trains (approximately 20 million cars), of which more than 55 percent was strategic traffic and approximately 45 percent was supply traffic. More than 4 million men, 4,500 tanks, and 10,000 guns and mortars were transported on internal waterways. Approximately 3 million men and more than 300,000 tons of military cargo were transported along air routes, and 625 million tons of freight were carried by transport vehicles.

Military transportation departments cooperate with transportation enterprises on problems concerning the preparation and use of lines of communication in the interests of the armed forces during peace and war.