Editing Battle of the Somme (section)

===Transport===
Until 1916, transport arrangements for the BEF were based on an assumption that the war of movement would soon resume and make it pointless to build [[infrastructure]], since it would be left behind. The British relied on motor transport from [[railheads]] which was insufficient where large masses of men and guns were concentrated. When the Fourth Army advance resumed in August, the wisdom of not building light railways which would be left behind was argued by some, in favour of building standard gauge lines. Experience of crossing the beaten zone showed that such lines or metalled roads could not be built quickly enough to sustain an advance, and that pausing while communications caught up allowed the defenders to recover. On the Somme the daily carry during attacks on a {{cvt|12|mi|km}} front was {{cvt|20000|LT|t}} and a few wood roads and rail lines were inadequate for the number of lorries and roads<!--?-->. A comprehensive system of transport was needed, which required a much greater diversion of personnel and equipment than had been expected.{{sfn|Henniker|2009|p=161}}