When we remember the Second World War from the perspective of the 1950s, the names of the "great captains". The logistics history of the Army in World War II has been covered in its entirety at the Center for US Military History.
INTRODUCTION
Her responsibilities were twofold: operational in the inner zone, technical worldwide. It attempts to indicate the more important logistical lessons of the recent war and suggests some of their future applications.
CHART 1. LOGISTIC ACTIVITIES
Chapter 1
PREPARATIONS PRIOR TO PEARL HARBOR
Chapter 2
STATE OF READINESS, DECEMBER 1941
LOGISTIC SITUATION, DECEMBER 1941
If all the critical items were combined, S infantry and 2 armored divisions could have been fully equipped for battle. 1941 monthly rate of synthetic rubber production as a percentage of the subsequent peak monthly rate, May 1945 (percent).
Chapter 3
THE ARMY SERVICE FORCES
CHART 4. THE WORK OF THE ARMY SERVICE FORCES
CHART 5. ASF ACTIVITIES TO END OF HOSTILITIES, WORLD
Chapter 4
- S. ARMY SUPPLY LINES
The Army Service Forces also became involved in loading the Wcstern Task Force. The Army Service Forces maintained HUSKY through automatic shipments of supplies from the United States throughout the course of the operation.
Chapter 5
SUPPLY
CHART 8. ASF PROCUREMENT DELIVERIES
Aside from the need for secrecy, the military forces faced many problems with this program. The War Production Board retained control of machine tool production and distribution, and the Army Service Forces worked closely with the Board to establish priorities. In the summer of 1942, the War Production Board became concerned that industry was failing to make full use of machine tools, and the Army Service Forces began a campaign to promote the efficient use of machine tools.
Both the War Production Board and the Army Service Forces tried, but without significant success. The Army Service Forces and the War Production Board worked out methods whereby other interested agencies were immediately informed of cuts so that they could make changes in the allocation of materials and manpower. While most military items were exempt from the Office of Price Administration's price caps, the Army Service Forces committed to strict price controls.
CHART 9. ASF INDEX OF CONTRACT PRICE CHANGES
For example, the many different rules and regulations of the different Technical Services were standardized in the interest of greater efficiency. In terms of total dollar value, tills made up 25 percent of all Army Service Forces contract obligations. The storage task of the Army Service Forces was to ensure that adequate quantities of all types of supplies and equipment were readily available when needed at key points in the supply pipeline.
The initial equipping of units and individuals and the replenishment of supplies and equipment were the two main phases of supply distribution in the Zone of the Interior. In addition, weapons were sometimes withdrawn from units in the Inland Zone to replace shipments lost at sea, expended in combat. Before the end of the war, the system worked successfully throughout the Zone of the Interior.
ZONE OF INTERIOR
JI~~=; DIR''''''
CHART 12
OVERSEA THEATER·
CHART 13. ASF LEND-LEASE SHIPMENTS
When the United States entered the war, there were relatively small amounts of materiel in the hands of the army. The Army Service Forces developed standard operating procedures for maintenance shops for use in the Zone of the Interior. No items of repair were disposed of unless such action was in the best interest of the Government.
The standards were higher when fixing serviceability for overseas use than for domestic use. At the end of the war, more effort was spent on the development of self-propelled artillery. Research and development in chemical agents expanded rapidly after the start of the war.
Chapter 6
SERVICES
CHART 14. TYPES OF MILITARY PERSONNEL PROCESSING CENTERS
The Chief of Chaplains established a quota system based on the religious census of the United States. The hospital system in Inland's ZOlle was changed several times during the war. By the end of the war, there were eight Disciplinary Barracks and five Rehabilitation Centers operating in the United States.
The highway continued to serve as a supply route for the airfields for the rest of the war. This work was carried out by the War Department and carried out under the supervision of the Chief of Engineers. The operation of utilities and the maintenance of the army's physical facilities required more attention as the war progressed.
CHART 17. THE ARMY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, WORLD WAR II
At the beginning of the war, the communication system was designed to meet the needs of an army of 1.6 million people, opel' being located mainly within the continental borders of St. Teams from these sector headquarters were dispatched to any part of the world where airway signal construction work was needed. At the recommendation of the Army Service Forces, the War Department issued guidelines designed to eliminate the spoken word from messages and to prevent the use of radio communications when airmail would serve just as well.
The Army Service Forces established a Transportation Corps in 10+2 to handle the huge task of moving men and supplies immediately within the United States and to overseas theaters. Transportation played a crucial role during the war, influencing virtually every phase of the Army's activities in the Zone of the Interior and in overseas arenas. The successful execution of the mission can be largely attributed to the consolidation of tmnsport functions within a single Service.
CHART 18. MERCHANT SHIP TONNAGE AVAILABLE FOR UNITED NATIONS SHIPPING
In practice, the Combined Shipping Adjustment Board only functioned when either the British or the American forces needed the help of the other. In the calendar year 1944, for example, the United States made available to the British deadweight tons of cargo shipping, or about 20 percent of the total. The British, in turn, transported about one-fourth of the American troops sent overseas in that year.
It was extremely important to ensure that the ships made available to the army were used to the fullest extent possible. In February 1943, 88 ships were waiting to be unloaded in Noumea, New Caledonia and Espiritu Santo in the South Pacific. With the cooperation of the Association of American Railroads, the Transportation Corps started early.
CHART 20. ARMY CARGO SHIPPED OVERSEAS
The Office of the Chief of Transport directed ali army passenger movements of groups of 40 01' more persons. There they came under the jurisdiction of the port commander for the processing of unci cargo. Usually, about 66 percent of the passengers were sent to Atlantic destinations, and the other one-third to the Pacific.
There was considerable confusion in this operation, mainly because it was the first operation and because of the inexperience of the personnel involved in the enterprise. Army Service Forces prepared movement orders; the port commander was given greater responsibility for the loading operation; the division was assembled in the new staging area that had been built near the port; and the cargo was more carefully identified. It was necessary for the Transport Corps to supervise combat loading, due to the lack of training and experience of troop commanders at such a high level.
CHART 21. EMBARKATIONS FOR OVERSEAS
The responsibilities of such officers were clearly defined; were an important part of the leadership organization of the Army Service Forces. There was no central office for the control of this work at the time of the reorganization of the Army in 1942. The Publications Division became the central publishing agency of the Army Service Forces and in addition served the entire Army in many phases of printing.
This service was provided to all Army Ground Forces units and was available to all Air Force units. Photography, which was the responsibility of the Chief Signal Officer, was used as an important tool during the war. Due to the large number of requests for training films, a special committee representing the Vvar Department, the Army, and the Army Service Forces was formed to prioritize film production and ensure that only necessary training films would be made.
Post I \'Ianagemenl and Housekeeping
Iii 04
The commander of such an installation was responsible to the commander of the service for all joint services and to the commander of each technical service in matters changing that service. This arrangement had the advantage of recognizing a single joint supervisory organization for the wide range of service duties at any major military post and preventing overlapping of these services in each chief of a technical service's office. The Army Air Forces directly operated all services at airfields and other posts under its jurisdiction.
The Air Surgeon supervised medical service at airfields; the Surgeon General supervised medical activities at all other military posts. The Air Quartermaster oversaw quarter supply activities at airfields; the Quartermaster General was the top supervisory authority for all other installations. Thus the supervisory hierarchy within the Armed Forces was duplicated in the Zone of the Interior.
Chapter 7
LOGISTICS IN THEATERS OF OPERATIONS
CHART 24. ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCES AND EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
The organizational changes can be illustrated by a comparison of the post-D-Day European Theater of Operations with the Southwest Pacific Theater. As Commander of US Forces in Europe, Commander SUDreme had under his command the United States Marine Forces in France, the Sixth Army Group, the Twelfth Army Group, the United States Strategic Air Forces, the First Air Force, and the Communication. For a time the General Commander of the Communications Area was also the Deputy Commander General of the Theater.
The scope of authority of the commanders of the departments of communication zones and units of the special staff was not clearly demarcated. United States military forces in the Far East were served by a separate American staff, except for the commanding general and chief of staff. Here, too, there was confusion between the functions of the supply services and those of the United States Forces personnel.
G CHAPLAIN GPA PROVOST MARSHAL
Chapter 8
MANAGEMENT
CHART 26
CHART 27
FINANCE VENDOR OFFICER
CHART 28. EXAMPLES OF ANNUAL SAVINGS FROM PROCEDURAL SIMPLIFICATIONS
