Ammunition train
Encyclopedia
The ammunition train was an element of armies in 19th and 20th century warfare. They were responsible for transporting the artillery
and infantry
ammunition
of each division from the ammunition refilling point to the area of engagement. The train itself may have been a literal train
, but in most cases was not, the 'train' being the military term
. Depending on the era, its conveyance would be horse-drawn wagon or motor vehicles, and it was assigned the necessary personnel and equipment to fulfill these roles.
Their traditional capacity has been largely superseded in modern combat. In the first 200 years of existence of the United States Military, each combat division was supposed to have an ammunition train assigned to its field artillery brigade, though this was not always the case.
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
of each division from the ammunition refilling point to the area of engagement. The train itself may have been a literal train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
, but in most cases was not, the 'train' being the military term
Train (military)
In military contexts a train can refer to logistic elements of a force or organisation. In this context the term train usually does not mean a railway train.Historically and for land forces, this usually referred to troops that are endowed with horses...
. Depending on the era, its conveyance would be horse-drawn wagon or motor vehicles, and it was assigned the necessary personnel and equipment to fulfill these roles.
Their traditional capacity has been largely superseded in modern combat. In the first 200 years of existence of the United States Military, each combat division was supposed to have an ammunition train assigned to its field artillery brigade, though this was not always the case.