United States Army in World War II
European Theater of Operations

Logistical Support of the Armies
Volume II: September 1944--May 1945

by
Roland G. Ruppenthal

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1959


UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II
Kent Roberts Greenfield, General Editor

Advisory Committee
(As of 30 May 1958)
 
Elmer Ellis
University of Missouri

 

Brig. Gen. John B. Sullivan
U.S. Continental Army Command

 

Samuel Flagg Bemis
Yale University

 

Brig. Gen. Edgar C. Doleman
Army War College

 

Gordon A. Craig
Princeton University

 

Brig. Gen. Frederick R. Zierath
Command and General Staff College

 

Oron J. Hale
University of Virginia

 

Brig. Gen. Kenneth F. Zitzman
Industrial College of the Armed Forces

 

W. Stull Holt
University of Washington

 

Col. Vincent J. Esposito
United States Military Academy

 

T. Harry Williams
Louisiana State University

 

Office of the Chief of Military History
Maj. Gen. Richard W. Stephens, Chief

Chief Historian Kent Roberts Greenfield
Chief, Histories Division Col. Seneca W. Foote
Chief, Editorial and Publication Division Lt. Col. E. E. Steck
Editor in Chief Joseph R. Friedman
Chief, Cartographic Branch Elliot Dunay
Chief, Photographic Branch Margaret E. Tackley


. . . to Those Who Served


CONTENTS

Chapter     Page
Foreword vii
Preface

ix
  THE TYRANNY OF LOGISTICS
SEPTEMBER 1944–FEBRUARY 1945
 
 
I.  LOGISTIC LIMITATIONS AS THE ARBITER OF TACTICAL PLANNING 3
  (1)  The Pursuit's Effect on Logistic Plans 3
  (2)  Competing Tactical Plans 8
  (3)  The September Decisions 11
  (4)  Prospects at the End of September 17
II.  TACTICAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 22
  (1)  Tactical Operations 22
  (2)  Organization and Command 26
III.  THE PORT DISCHARGE AND SHIPPING PROBLEMS 46
  (1)  The Port Problem as Affected by the Pursuit 46
  (2)  The Beaches and Minor Ports of Normandy 53
  (3)  The Role of Cherbourg 62
  (4)  The Brittany Area 89
IV.  THE PORT DISCHARGE AND SHIPPING PROBLEMS (CONTINUED) 96
  (1)  The Seine Ports--Le Havre and Rouen 96
  (2)  Antwerp and the Other Northern Ports 104
  (3)  Southern France 116
  (4)  The Shipping Tie-up 124
V.  TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENTS 134
  (1)  Motor Transport: The Color Routes 134
  (2)  The Railways 148
  (3)  Air Transport 161
  (4)  Inland Waterways 165
VI.  FORWARD MOVEMENTS 169
  (1)  The Tonnage Allocations System 169
  (2)  The Ardennes Counteroffensive and Its Effect on Movements 181
VII.  SUPPLYING THE ARMIES: RATIONS, POL, AND COAL 188
  (1)  Rations 188
  (2)  POL 193
  (3)  Coal 209
VIII.  SUPPLYING THE ARMIES: EQUIPMENT 215
  (1)  Class II and IV Shortages in General 215
  (2)  The Case of the Winter Uniform 218
  (3)  Weapons and Vehicles 235
IX.  SUPPLYING THE ARMIES: AMMUNITION 247
  (1)  The October Crisis 247
  (2)  Contention With the War Department 257
  (3)  The November Offensive and the Bull Mission 263
  (4)  Ammunition Supply in December and January 269
X.  THE TROOP BUILD-UP, AUGUST 1944–MARCH 1945 276
  (1)  The Flow of Divisions 276
  (2)  Service and Supporting Troops 289
XI.  THE MANPOWER PROBLEM, AUGUST 1944–FEBRUARY 1945 304
  (1)  Rumblings of a Replacement Problem 304
  (2)  The Storm Breaks, November–December 1944 316
  (3)  The Theater Acts, January–February 1945 326
  (4)  The Replacement System in Operation 334
XII.  THE LOGISTIC STRUCTURE UNDER SCRUTINY 348
  (1)  The Communications Zone and the Field Commands 348
  (2)  Expediting Supply Deliveries 351
  (3)  Supply Planning Procedures 352
  (4)  The Depot System and Records Keeping 355
  (5)  Expedients 359
 
THE LAST OFFENSIVE
FEBRUARY–MAY 1945
 
 
XIII.  TACTICAL, LOGISTICAL, AND ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE LAST OFFENSIVE 367
  (1)  Tactical Developments, 8 February–8 May 1945 367
  (2)  Logistic Factors in Planning the Last Offensive 372
  (3)  Command and Organization, February–August 1945 378
XIV.  MOVEMENTS AND DISTRIBUTION: PORT DISCHARGE AND CLEARANCE 390
  (1)  Planning and Controlling Movements 390
  (2)  Discharge and Clearance 393
  (3)  Shipping 398
  (4)  BOLERO in Reverse 402
XV.  MOVEMENTS AND DISTRIBUTION: TRANSPORTATION AND FORWARD DELIVERIES 405
  (1)  The Railways 405
  (2)  Motor Transport–XYZ 415
  (3)  Inland Waterways 424
  (4)  Air Transport 424
  (5)  Forward Deliveries 427
XVI.  SUPPLY IN THE LAST MONTHS 433
  (1)  Rations, POL, and Coal 433
  (2)  Ammunition 441
  (3)  Equipment 452
XVII.  END OF THE REPLACEMENT PROBLEM 459
  (1)  The Turning Point 459
  (2)  Withdrawals Are Stopped 461
  (3)  Results of the Retraining Program 467
XVIII.  LOCAL PROCUREMENT ON THE CONTINENT, JUNE 1944-AUGUST 1945 470
  (1)  Purpose and Policy 470
  (2)  The Use of Nonmilitary Labor 475
  (3)  Local Procurement of Supplies 486
XIX.  RETROSPECT 503
 
  GLOSSARY 513
  CODE NAMES 517
  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 518
  INDEX 523

 
TABLES
 
No.   Page
1.  Beach Discharges, 1 July-17 November 1944 57
2.  Discharge Performance of Normandy's Minor Ports 62
3.  Discharge Performance of the Brittany Ports 95
4.  Tonnages Discharged at Continental Ports, June 1944-April 1945 124
5.  Artillery Ammunition Expenditures, 15-21 October 1944 256
6.  12th Army Group Artillery Ammunition Expenditures, 6 June-22 October 1944, Compared With Day of Supply Rates 267
7.  OVERLORD Divisional Build-up, D plus 90 to D plus 210 281
8.  Divisional Build-up in the European Theater, 1942-1945 282
9.  Theater Strength by Major Component, May 1944-April 1945 288
10.  Battle and Nonbattle Casualties, June 1944-May 1945 317
11.  Combat Zone Maintenance Factors, June-October 1944 430
12.  Combat Zone Consumption Experience, 23 March-25 April 1945 432
13.  Ammunition Day of Supply by Type: Selected Planned Rates, September 1944-April 1945, and Actual Expenditures, June 1944-February 1945 446
14.  Civilians Employed in the Communications Zone in Selected Weeks, 1944-45 477

 
MAPS
 
1.  Tactical Progress, 12 September 1944-9 February 1945 23
2.  ET0 Boundaries 30
3.  COMZ Boundaries, November 1944-January 1945 39
4.  The Port of Cherbourg 64
5.  Highway Express Routes, September 1944-February 1945 136
6.  Tactical Developments, 8 February-8 May 1945 368
7.  COMZ Boundaries, April 1945 381
8.  Movement Program, March 1945 391
9.  Railways in Use by U.S. Forces East of Paris 411
10.  XYZ Truck Routes, 25 March-8 May 1945 420
11.  The POL Pipeline Systems 436
 

ILLUSTRATIONS
 
    Page
  Maj. Gen. Arthur R. Wilson 40
  Brig. Gen. John P. Ratay 41
  Maj. Gen. Thomas B. Larkin 43
  Troops Debarking Onto a Causeway 54
  Bulldozer Stuck in the Thick Mud 56
  The Port of Cherbourg 65
  Destruction at Cherbourg
     Gare Maritime
     
Quai de Normandie
     
Wrecked hangars
     
Bassin Charles X
68-69
  Marginal Wharf Construction 72
  Laying Railway Tracks 73
  Seatrain Unloading a Gondola 76
  LST’s Discharging Cargo on the Beach 91
  Crane Lifting a Lock Gate 93
  Dukws Transferring Cargo 101
  Quay at Rouen Loaded With Incoming Supplies 103
  Ships Discharging Cargo for Clearance by Rail 112
  Remains of Decanting Site 116
  Searching for Casualties in Wreckage 117
  General Destruction at Marseille 120
  Close-up of Damaged Dock Facilities 121
  Trucks Loaded With Supplies 135
  Red Ball Express Trucks 138
  Truck-Tractor and Semitrailer Stuck in Thick Mud 142
  Loaded 10-Ton Semitrailers 144
  Truck Tractors, 5-Ton, Hauling 10-Ton Semitrailers 145
  Four 750-Gallon Skid Tanks 147
  American Locomotive Lowered by Crane 152
  Maj. Gen. Frank S. Ross 157
  Convoy of Trucks Carrying Essential Supplies 159
  C–47’s Airdropping Supplies by Parachute 164
  Barge Convoy on Albert Canal 167
  Supply Trucks Passing Through Bastogne 185
  Portion of the Major Pipeline 196
  Camouflaged Pumping Station 197
  POL Storage Tanks 200
  Thousands of Jerricans 202
  Sign Appealing for the Return of Jerricans 206
  U.S. First Army’s POL Reserves 208
  General Dwight D. Eisenhower 220
  Serving a Hot Meal to Cold Infantrymen 224
  Parsons Jacket 1941 227
  Infantryman Wearing a Field Jacket M1943 231
  Medium Tanks 240
  Street Fighting in Aachen 255
  "And me a Clerk-Typist!" 329
  Officer Candidate Class, Fontainebleau 332
  Orientation Lecture for Enlisted Men 339
  Infantry Replacements Checking Equipment 341
  Lt. Gen. Brehon B. Somervell 355
  Ludendorff Railway Bridge 369
  Stacks of War Matériel in Open Storage 397
  Toot Sweet Express Ready To Leave Cherbourg 406
  Bridge Across the Rhine at Wesel 408
  Single-Track Railroad Bridge at Mainz 409
  Truck-Tractor and 40-Ton Tank Transporters 417
  Highway Bridge Over the Meuse River 423
  C–47 Transport Planes Bringing in POL 439
  Pershing Tanks M26 455
  M24 Light Tanks 457
  French Civilians Employed by U.S. Forces 480
  Italian Service Unit Men Loading Cases of Rations 483
  German Prisoners of War Filling 50-Gallon Oil Drums 487
  Renault Plant 490
  Belgian Workers in a Rubber Plant 491
  Soldiers Equipping Medium Tank Tracks 493
  First Division Troops Wearing Winter Camouflage Garments 495

The illustrations are from the files of the Department of Defense except for the cartoon by Sgt. Dick Wingert, page 329, courtesy of The Stars and Stripes.


Transcribed and formatted by Jerry Holden for the HyperWar Foundation