It is said that the German General Staff visited the Barnum and Bailey
circus with a view to learning how it was organized. Is this true and
can you provide details and an authoritative source of information?

I don't have an authoritative source, but, the story is that the
ability of circus to move a huge operation with tremendous efficiency,
especially by train, attracted the attention of the German military in
1900. The United States military also turned to Ringling to learn how
to move more efficiently.

- Hammer

Bill666 --

Like Hammer, I recall reading this account somewhere.  I might suggest
browsing Alfred Chandler's book on the management revolution brought
about by the railroads, "The Visible Hand," Harvard University Press,
1977.  Chandler's work won a Pulitzer for its research (and
conclusions on organizations).  But it's highly readable, with lots of
great stories.  Why it's not on my bookshelf is a mystery . . .

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Bill666,

I've looked and looked, but I'm not finding a truly authoritative
source. I do have some circumstantial evidence, however! I used to
tour with a circus, and this story was very much a part of the common
lore. It is mentioned by these sites:

Scholar Island
http://www.scholarisland.org/circus.htm
"Indeed, when Barnum & Bailey was touring Europe in 1899, Kaiser
Wilhelm II of Germany ordered the imperial General staff to study the
logistics of the circus and apply them to the movement of the German
Army. Unfortunately they did it only too well."

Big Apple Circus
http://www.bigapplecircus.org/CircusSmarts/StudyGuide/BAC_StudyGuide.pdf
"In America, some circuses traveled by train and some by truck, but to
stay competitive they all had to learn to travel efficiently. In fact,
circus operations became so efficient that Kaiser Wilhelm's German
army and the United States mili-tary both studied their methods in an
attempt to improve their own logistical operations."

Popular American Entertainments: Circus, Carnival and Freak show
http://www.angelfire.com/pq/philologos/CircusFreak.html
"Circuses have two very major logistical problems. One is transport
and set up. Through the use of rail and the evident planning required
to get the main tent down, packed and moving off the site in an hour,
Barnum and Bailey had managed that problem well enough that the German
army was deeply impressed"

Ringling EZine Issue #174 in the Trivia sidebar
http://www.ringling.com/weekly/EZine174.htm"What country's army
officers studied the efficient loading and unloading techniques of
Barnum & Bailey's train? (Germany, in 1900)"
Perhaps if you contact Ringling Brothers circus, they would enjoy
bragging about it?

- Hammer