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Foreword
This is the fourth and concluding volume of a series w
ences of the Army's Quartermaster organization in Worl
volumes of this group describe the problems and achiev
master Corps in the zone of interior and the third, still in
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The Author
Alvin P. Stauffer holds a Doctor of Philosophy degversity. For seven years he taught history at Simmons Cjoined the staff of the U.S. National Park Service inproduced many studies of historic sites administered by
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Preface
The object of this volume is to increase the body o
easily available about Quartermaster support of the forc
in the Pacific. Anyone who writes on military supply ve
territory, especially in dealing with Quartermaster supp
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tempted to think that distribution activities were usually
performance, he will be in error. Quite the contrary, Qin general satisfactory, bu t since the tasks connected withplishment normally had few lessons to teach, the writer h
such routine operations in as much detail as he did com
could not be completed either readily or quickly. Only t
edge of the bothersome supply problems that are likely to
of combat activities can future perplexities be anticipa
in time to cope with probable difficulties.The writer performed virtually all the research fo r th
the records of overseas commands, pertinent sections ofloan from the Records Administration Center, AGO, St.
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larly Mr. David Jaffé, the editor, and Mr. Allen R. Clark a
the copy editors, who painstakingly prepared the manuscMaj. James F. Holly, who provided maps to guide the rea
to Maj. Arthur T. Lawry and Mr. Henry U. Milne, w
corners for the pictures with which to illustrate this volum
McDonald and Mrs. Anne Mewha, who typed the final co
Washington, D. C.14 February 1955
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Chapter
VII. STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION, AND PACKINQuartermaster Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distribution Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Packaging a n d Packing . . . . . . . . . . .
VIII. CLASS I, II, III ,AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEM
Class I Losses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supply of Subsistence in Advance Areas . . . . . .Class I I a n d IV Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . .
Class I I I Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I X . MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES . . . . . .
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Illustrations
Troop Formation on Bataan . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quartermaster Corps Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Surrender to the Japanese . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Storage Facilities i n Australia . . . . . . . . . . . .
Salvage a n d Reclamation Activities . . . . . . . . . .
Quartermaster Truck Company Motor Pool . . . . . .
Section o f t h e Quartermaster Salvage Depot . . . . . .
Clothing a n d Equipage Building . . . . . . . . . . .
Cannery Operations i n Australia . . . . . . . . . . .
Storage o f Meat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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CHAPTER I
The Philippines—TheOperations
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2 THE QUA
the Philippines thus called for only the pro-
tection of the small area about Manila Bay
and Subic Bay.
By then, as a result of growing interna-
tional tensions, the United States was con-
fronted with the danger of an early Japanese
attack in the Far East. But since American
Army strength in that area was rapidly in-
creasing, it was possible for the first time
to envision a strong defense of the Philip-
and equipment
the remote arc
mained. In f
strike.2
Quartermastin
Working und
of Chief Q
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THE P H I L I P P I N E S — T H E O P E N I N G OPERATIONS
made elaborate plans for the future defense
of the islands as an independen t state, but
its implementation of these plans had pro-
ceeded slowly and in early 1941 the regular
military establishment included only a few
thousand troops. There were somewhat
more than 100,000 reservists, but as a whole
they had received only inadequate training.
Creation of a t ruly modern army would
have put an almost unbearable strain on
poses, but that
action on this
Harbor.4
All this meanUSAFFE had th e United Stat
wealth forces.obtain suppliesthe hastily asse
Chief Quarter
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4 THE QUA
supply deficiencies, created in July by the
increase from 31,000 to 50,000 men, in the
basis of defense reserve stocks for U.S. Armytroops and Philippine Scouts. It also sent
in orders for the supplies required by the
rise in the authorized strength of the Regu-
lar Army and the Philippine Scouts from18,000 to 22,000 troops. Among the food
items requisitioned were dehydrated vege-
tables and boneless beef, both of which, re-
serves were les
Filipino forces
few Quarterma
could buy locallstocks.
9
In the sprin
start of acceler
OCQM had in
the Philippines
ticularly useful
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
serves. It stored approximately 300,000 gal-
lons of gasoline in 55-gallon drums, 100,000
C rations, an d 1,145 tons of canned salmon.
Fort McKinley and Fort Stotsenburg each
had about 200,000 C rations and 300,000
gallons of gasoline. In addition, Fort Mc-
Kinley had sizable stocks of canned meatand fish.
11The defense reserves, as a whole,
lacked rice, the principal food of the Fil-
ipinos; canned fruits and vegetables; and
the Regular A
of war gave it
quate stocks fo
use.13
Accordin
master Depot
supplying the
the result thatalmost depleted
In the few mPearl Harbor,
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6 THE QUA
August 1941, it, like the ORANGE Plan, as -signed the U.S. forces only the limited mis-
sion of holding the land areas around Ma-
nila and Subic Bays. MacAr thu r quickly
pointed out that it gave no recognition to
the wider view of defense implicit in the
current mobilization of the CommonwealthArmy and in the recent creation of anAmerican high command for the Far East.
He strongly urged that the plan be revised
provided for th
regidor for 7,0
fenses of Manil
summer MacA
the OCQM his
of WPO-3. Dr
having determidecided not toplies on Bataanbeaches." This
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE O P E N I N G OPERATIONS
As a result, when M Day arrived for thePhilippines on 8 December, the Corps in-
stead of beginning the movement of sup-
plies to the peninsula as the discarded plan
had directed, accelerated shipments to the
advance depots and to the railheads and
motorheads of the fighting forces.18 Stocks
originally designed largely for the defense of
Bataan were now scattered over much of
central and southern Luzon. For some days
army, or commaster units w
as such into
of 1942,and
lized when hosset up at Man
fo r th e instrucvision quarterm
supplies, but th
for all division
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8 THE QUA
master General of his needs, bu t that officer
had no jurisdiction over this problem and
could do nothing to help him.Drake had
also asked Philippine Department headquar-
ters to make qualified civilians residing inthe archipelago commissioned officers, but
that headquarters likewise lacked authority
to grant his request. When the Japanese in-
vaded Luzon, Drake was consequentlyobliged to rely on civilian volunteers and im-
beaches. No fi
Manila Depot
trainloads ofestimated to h
depots at Tarla
Shipments of ra
comprised a fiv15 December a
been accumulaadvance install
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
Rail tank cars from Manila supplied the
centers, which in turn supplied some thirty
issue points set up along the main traffic
arteries out of Manila. Tank trucks, drums,
and cans were all used in these operations.22
In Manila, the largest commercial stor-
age center in the Philippines, the Quarter-master Depot exploited local supply sources
to the maximum. It stressed particularly the
procurement of subsistence, fo r from the be-
if he took the
far-reaching im
curement of r
small military
ity, both the Q
advance depot
could from locthey discovered
moved from th
been purchased
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10 THE QUA
Alva E. McConnell, Commanding Officerof the Philippine Quartermaster Depot, be-
gan the movement of small quantities of
food, gasoline, and oil to Bataan some days
before th e order for a general withdrawal
was issued on 23 December.25
An equally important preparatory meas-ure was the dispatch of a Quartermaster
officer, Col. Otto Harwood, to the penin-
sula with the mission of dispersing and
over 1,000 tons
Cebu City, stru
land and sank
Quartermaster
with more than
catastrophe, th
ca n forces duriippines, left theent upon the Q
it could procure
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
rendered much more difficult by inability
to move a large quant i ty of supplies by
land. In central Luzon there was almost
everywhere confusion created by defeat—
abandoned railways, highjacked trucks, de-stroyed bridges, and roads congested by
hundreds of vehicles and thousands of flee-ing civilians and disorganized troops.
Bataan itself was a mountainous region
served only by primit ive roads. For the
gram, Headqu
ment, disappro
arrangements h
monwealth Go
curement of
Constabulary a
that agency toThis system pfailure, for on the Constabula
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12 THE QUA
Transport Service vehicles carryin g suppliesfrom Manila to motorheads in the combat
zone. Unable to halt this practice, Head-
quarters, USAFFE, finally sanctioned it by
authorizing division commanders to requi-
sition vehicles to meet their immediate
needs. Removal of Quartermaster stocks toBataan therefore depended mainly upon the
willingness of combat officers to load their
trucks with food, gasoline, and clothing.31
hoards of thosehis advice.
33
The Manila
ships and wareof last-minute
master stocks. U
General MacAQuartermaster
ily useful items
ers in the harb
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
At Manila occasional bombings and air
raid warnings hampered stowing operations.
Many stevedores fled at the first sign ofhostile airplanes over the port area, and
some never returned. Radio appeals fo r vol-
unteers were made, and about 200 Ameri-
cans and Europeans responded. Most ofthem were unused to manual labor, but they
worked by the side of faithful Filipinos
through the last three nights of December
The petroleumunluckily for thSi-Kiang was b
flour had been
The Japanes
2 January end
from the capitareached the pechiefly those snight from som
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14 THE QUA
prescribed for both troops and civilians.40
At best they provided less than 2,000 calories
as compared with the nearly 4,000 calories
needed by combat troops. A few fortunate
units could supplement this scanty diet with
the food taken along during the withdrawal
and never turned in at ration dumps, butsuch supplies were limited and lasted only
a short time.41
As increasing difficulty was
experienced in maintaining even a 2,000-
several times.43
weeks of opera
about 30,000 p
less than the am
Fresh meat
the slaughter of
before the inva
been used as
farmers.44
Cava
and pigs and c
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
was a plentiful supply, especially of large
pythons, whose eggs are considered a deli-
cacy by some Filipinos.45
Before the war lucrative fishing had been
carried on in Manila Bay, which teemed
with aquatic life, and the QMC naturally
tried to tap this rich source of food. It es-tablished a fishery at Lamao, the center of
the industry, and sent local fishermen out on
nightly expeditions. Daily catches finally
issue of salt modays.
47
The v alue ofin prolonging
overestimated.
wide variety of
siderable additiof meat and ric
The QMC
clothing than o
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
motor fuel oil were on hand at the beginningof January. Although these supplies did not
include large stocks of the most appropri-
ate gasolines and lubricants, they could be
made to last several months with strict econ-omy and careful substitution. Accordingly,
when mid-January reports revealed usage ofgasoline at the alarming rate of 14,000 gal-lons a day, an amount sufficient to deplete
stocks within a month, or almost two months
Units and labo
provised. Hasti
increased their
more or less r5,000 Filipinodrivers were ad
the two truck ctermaster Reg
Truck Compa
twenty-four p
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18 THE QU
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
pluses of most of the meats, fruits, and vege-
tables familiar to American soldiers and
wh ich served as a receiving point for supplies
coming from th e United States; from th eNetherlands Indies, producers of coffee andother tropical products; from Mindanao
and the Visayan Islands in the central Phil-ippines, still almost entirely in American
possession, where rice, sugar, tobacco, ba-
nanas, and mangoes were available; or even
for they emitte
reveal their pre
fast interisland
Col. Manuel A
Quezon as liaiArthur, helped
the Philippinecitizens. All tog
each with a catons, were secu
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20 THE QUA
these ports Cebu City was the most impor-tant. The Quartermaster depot at that place
since the start of hostilities had been pro-
curing supplies in the Visayan Islands and
Mindanao for shipment north to Corregi-dor. Established in November 1941, this
installation had originally been scheduled toreceive from the Manila Depot all the stocksrequired to feed an d clothe the troops inthe central and southern provinces, troops
out by the Gov
Drake, the Lega
a cargo of foo
agents at Capiz
port in norther
delivered its loa
other successfulLegaspi, enteri
Mindoro for c
time, was sight
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
southern Philippines. Unless American airand naval support was available to convoy
ships attempting to pierce the apparentlyimpenetrable screen of Japanese naval ves-
sels, fu r ther blockade-running was almost
certainly hopeless. To attempt it would
probably sacrifice gallant crews in a futilegesture.
Recognizing the realities of the situation,
Maj. Gen. Richard K. Sutherland, Mac-
to the Philipp
were not menti
supplies in Aus
of them was nein the Netherl
U.S. forces had
pable of quicklvoyage to Luzsuch as they la
"Most of the s
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22 THE QUA
Cebu and that they be sent in 1,000-ton lots
to facilitate handling. He made a detailed
breakdown of the required ration in pounds
for each component so that th e specific
needs of the Luzon forces would be known.Having received no reply by the end of
January, Drake sent a personal letter byspecial cou rier to Lt. Gen.George H. Brett,
Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces
in Australia (USAFIA), emphasizing the
shipment of 3
supply fo r 50,0
tities of ammumade roughly irations to one
The task th
dable one. Thcapable of carr
voyage of 2,50
the few which
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
and headed for Batavia, Java, to pick up a
cargo of ammunition from Army stocks
there.65
Rations for both ships were ob-tained from stocks that th e Australian Gov-
ernment, in accordance with previous ar-rangements, had sent to Brisbane and
Fremantle, the two ports chosen for use byblockade-runners.
Eventually, about ten or twelve vessels,
mostly old and rather decrepit Filipino or
Netherlands In
In the NetheRobenson, a cmanded somenorthern Aust
blockade-runniordered to Java
uary, the day
message stress
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24 THE QUA
dent Polk, a medium-sized American
freighter, arrived at Soerabaja with a full
load of these supplies, and after several daysof discussion Robenson obtained permission
to use them. About this t ime a courierbrought him the report that Drake had pre-
pared for Brett on the plight of theBataan Force. Robenson found it "pretty
shocking."70
Early in February, Rear Adm. William A.
landing in force
the Dutch at
freighters, one enson designat
Chinese crew,Only by offeri
financial inducto obtain a crewFebruary, the d
menced, with
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
the use of ordina ry commercial packing con-
tainers incapable of withs tanding rough
handling and numerous transfers. But for
a few days Austral ian canned meat did give
the troops on Bataan a little more than their
usual meager fare.
The Japanese invasion of the NetherlandsIndies and the accompanying increase of
hostile air and naval strength in that area
served to make blockade-running from
oped. In accor
quest the destroof rations, 369other ordnancesupplies, and 6
happily for the
there was not eplans, fo r withfell. In any evedubious becaus
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26 THE QUA
The question naturally arises whether
food shipments from Australia had been
worth the risks involved. About 1,100 tons
of balanced rations in poor condition did
reach Bataan after transshipment from
Mindanao, but in all probability the Luzon
Force would have received an equal amountof food from th e central and southern
Philippines had these supplies from Aus-
tralia been unavailable. One advantage of
As the situa
actually develo
problem of food
of more ships to
Australia but i
after the end o
Mindanao andAs long as this
not be run,it m
tons of ration
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
was available in any form. On 22 March the
ration had fallen to 17 ounces, or only about
a third of the 46.2 ounces provided in a full
ration, and it was recommended that the
issue be further reduced to 12.67 ounces.79
The Philippine ration underwent a simi-
lar reduction. Daily issues of rice, whichserved the purpose of flour in the American
ration, gradually dwindled from 10 ounces
at the start of rationing to 3 ounces in mid-
tually impenetr
pack trails wertion. From ear
fense line couarduous processof densely over
like the ribs ofMariveles Mo
the front.81
Limitations o
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28 THE QUA
inescapable, for the meat had to be trans-
ported in unrefrigerated open trucks on
hauls that lasted ten or twelve hours during
the heat of the tropical day. The long trip,
moreover, afforded highjackers many op-
portunities for plunder.83
By late March, with the blockade com-pletely shutting off all outside shipments, the
subsistence stocks on Corregidor offered the
only real hope of an increase in the Bataan
no transportatio
and practically
together with
tively abundan
evitable that th
actually receive
masters on Bahungry defende
A compariso
Corregidor an
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
demonstrated to the defenders of the penin-
sula by incidents like that of 18 March,
when military police halted a truck laden
with rations for a few Harbor Defenses anti-
aircraft batteries, which drew their supplies
direct from Corregidor, and discovered that
it contained ham, bacon, sausage, raisins,canned peas, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and
peaches, none of which were available to
the other troops defending Bataan, as well
cer, but since t
tute a balanced
to retain their s
eral Drake ca
tion and sugge
for th e marin
supplies.89
As the food
deteriorated du
sideration was
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30 THE QUA
pains that swell and go away again." Break-
fast restored a normal feeling for an hour
or so, but lassitude then followed.91
Be-
tween mid-February and mid-March a tre-
mendous increase occurred in the number
of soldiers rendered ineffective because of
malaria, malnutrition, and dysentery.The commander of the I Corps attributed
these alarming developments to the steady
reduction in the quantity and quality of ra-
tempt must be
up at Cebu and
to Corregidor.
plan, motor sh
islands since lat
come blockade
venture would of planes was pto send aircra
wright also pla
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32 THE QUA
"The capitulation of Luzon Force," itssurgeon declared, "represents in many re-
spects a defeat due to disease and starvation
rather than to military conditions." Physical
deterioration, he continued, had progressed
so far that it "became a determining factor
in tactical operations." Even if the Jap-anese had not launched their final attack,
surrender in all probability could have been
postponed only a few days. So bad had
shortage of gas
it increasinglyvolving motor
night of 8 April
last twenty days
dumps. In prep
following mornstroyed except
the Americans
lize to transpor
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THE PHILIPPINES—THE OPENING OPERATIONS
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34 THE QUA
detailed to the QMC, "the Filipinos wereuncomplaining, but as the American soldiers
grew hungrier the more vocal they became.
Looking for someone to blame and not
knowing where to place th e blame they
picked on the QMC."According to Colonel
Alexander, "this bitterness continued on intoprison camp and no doubt many survivors
believed they were starved on Bataan be-
cause of the failure of the QMC to perform
stocks among al
Higher authorito the shortage
prohibition, in
of the procurempine Governm
quired by Filiplapse of the dwithin two wee
drawal to the
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CHAPTER II
Problems in Hawaii, A
and New Zeala
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII , AUSTRALIA, AND NEW Z
entrance of Honolulu Harbor, and the
Quartermaster warehouses at Schofield
Barracks, the Army's largest garrison post,
20 miles northwest of Honolulu.2
But lackof funds and higher priorities given to
building activities more directly related to
combat operations prevented the executionof these plans, and no substantial additions
had been made to Quartermaster installa-
tions by the time hostilities began. Even the
disabled in Pea
in force on H
gether likely. AArmy was tobastion capableattack. With th
tained by the Midway early
anese assault im
tive in the follo
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38 THE QUA
supply fo r 139,000 men. Comparable in -creases in other overseas areas forced theW ar Department late in January 1942 to
promulgate a modified system of supply for
al l theaters of operations. Food, gasoline,
and oil would be shipped automatically
without requisition by the ports of embarka-tion; clothing, equipage, and general sup-
plies would, as in the past, be shipped only
on requisition, but the requisitioning agency
meantime opengood deal of th
Despite the ha
from drenchin
paved streets ooccasionally ut
the end of Juneat the Hawaiia
000 to 500,000
and open stora
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW Z
parable Quartermaster establishments else-where in the Pacific.
8
The Hawaiian Depot at first sent items
requisitioned by field units to a few posts
that distributed them to the proper units.
Since these posts were concentrated about
Honolulu, there was danger that a largepart of the supplies directly earmarked fo rfield organizations might be destroyed in air
raids. Further complicating the distribution
There were apoints. They d
points in that
could be issued
tion system b
usually consist
combat rationgasoline.
10
As troop str
the late spring
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40 THE QUA
most important matter handled by the
ODQM during the first six months of thewar. For decades the Territory had pursueda specialized tropical economy that re-
stricted agricultural production almost en-
tirely to sugar and pineapples, the commod-
ities with highest cash returns. Temperate-zone products, the chief elements in the diet
of the European and American segment of
population; rice, the staple food of the
The develop
ture was handi
the turn of theperate-zone fru
declining. Farm
profit commens
expended, for cties required c
smaller harvest
large-scale, ind
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW Z
manding generals of the Hawaiian Depart-
ment had therefore increasingly stressed the
development of an emergency food program
for application in a military crisis involving
Hawaii.
When the Department Service Command
Section was established at Headquarters,
Hawaiian Department (HHD), in August
1935, with the responsibility of planning for
civil mobilization in time of war, it was
own, relying a
amount availaAs relations
1940 an d 1941
cused increasinand storage spa
land and the la
come from the
Queen Pineap
encouraged pla
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42 THE QUA
been firmly implanted in the public mind.20
General Short gave strong support to the
Territorial Committee on Food Storage,
which was trying to create a central reserve
for the civilian population.21
In the spring of
1941 this committee asked th e Office fo r
Emergency Management in Washington tobuy two million dollars' worth of rice, flour,
canned milk, fats, and oil,the essential com-
modities imported in the largest volume, but
ers, who raised
avoid monetary
The Office of
Despite extenreserves on thelittle larger tha
at all. Limited
bles had been
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44 THE QUA
plentiful and scarce. To eliminate these os-
cillations, Colonel White set up shipping
priorities, but shortages and surpluses con-
tinued to prevail. Actually, Oahu sufferedless from such fluctuations than did the out-
lying islands that relied on very infrequentsailings from Honolulu for the bulk of their
fresh food. Apart from the recurrent short-
ages of fruit and vegetables, forces pushing
prices upward were strongest on Oahu.
vegetables, curr
Colonel White
as retail ceiling
modities. To soretailers' deman
sale charges.36
Price regulafair, was a mere
of dealing with
to increase the
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW Z
eral factors. One, as already pointed out,
was the absence of a large cold-storage build-
in g program. Another was the higher pri-ority given to the stockage and withdrawal
of Army supplies. A third, and the most im -portant of all, was the steady growth of mil-
itary cold-storage requirements as the num-
ber of troops in the archipelago and other
mid-Pacific islands multiplied. The shortage
of perishables in Hawaii would have been
the stock of a f
ceeded a six-m
distributed thr
placed by purc
six-month sup
storage.42
After fear of to wane in thecame more and
function was p
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46 THE QUA
Price Control Section. When this action was
followed in March 1943 by the transfer ofcontrol over foods, feeds, and agricultural
seeds to the Director of Civilian Defense, the
role of the Hawaiian Department Quar-
termaster in civilian food supply was termi-
nated.45
The OFC never attained the importance
it would have had if Hawaii had been block-
aded by sea, but it nonetheless performed an
can bases at Wstrategically lo
Rabaul in New
islands in the so
could serve as b
acquisitions and
advances.
To halt the s
anese the Alliesline from the U
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW Z
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48 THE QUA
quarters and the South Pacific Area
through a subordinate. Both Admiral
Nimitz and General MacArthur were re-
sponsible to the Joint Chiefs of Staff inWashington.
46
Similar defensive and offensive missions
were assignedto the
SouthwestPacific Areaand the Pacific Ocean Areas. Both com-
mands were to hold those islands that were
essential to sea and air communication with
the same fashiofor overseas the
At the outse
solved before A
ities could be
distribution wa
inadequate railshortage of co
moreover, was
manufactured
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50 THE QUA
Apart from the absence of a single coun-
try-wide gauge, the railway system had other
weaknesses. Grading was poor; there were
not enough sidings, yards, workshops, or
water supply points; and signaling was done
mostly by hand. Rolling stock was designed
to carry loads far below the American
standard. Boxcars carried only from about
8 to 15 tons. Australian trains hauled onlyabout 500 tons, as compared with the 4,000
approach militlines, capable oran north to B
be devoted exctation for more
without crippli
rich region upo
depended for co
and food.55
Motor road
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW ZE
and usually more than five years old.Mostof these trucks, moreover, had power on only
one axle, making it impossible to use them
in rough country where American two- and
three-axle-drive trucks could move easily.
Throughout 1942,however, the U.S. forces
were obliged to depend to a considerable ex-
tent on locally produced vehicles.58
During this period the Corps had prac-
tically no means of storing motor vehicles
plagued all tecchanical equipm
Because of thhighway transp
to water transpo
Only at the verystill unsafe, did
by land.60 Geneports, despite
formed the ma
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PROBLEMS IN HAWAII, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW Z
portion of old and physically unfit menamong port laborers and from the high rate
of absenteeism, which averaged as much as18 percent at Townsville. Since double and
triple rates of pay were given for week-end
work, some longshoremen put in an ap-
pearance only on Saturdays and Sundays.
So common did this practice become that
the Commonwealth, with the concurrence
of the U.S. Army, finally stopped all week-
at change-of-gscarcer. From
problem of fut
ing military sto
in 1943 an ex
undertaken to
quirements, antemporary stru
operations wer
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56 THE QUA
developed for consumption during a partic-
ular phase of combat.1
The provision of clothing for the Army
meant supply not only of the regular service
uniform of coat, jacket, trousers, shirt, neck-
tie, cap, and shoes, but also of variations of
these garments intended to meet the special
conditions of climate and terrain encoun-
tered in the Pacific. It meant, too, supply of
scores of other articles, such as head nets,
points for issuesupply units.
4
Quartermast
four classes. C
were consumed
daily rate. Foo
cipal supplies i
overseas langua
applied to ratio
ing, equipment
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
The QMC stored and distributed as wellas procured supplies. When supplies
reached their destination, whether it was a
modern base in Australia or a forlorn dis-
tributing point in a New Guinea jungle
with vines and trees for cover and damp soil
for flooring, quartermasters stored them
and, when the stocks were wanted elsewhere,
arranged for their distribution. Storage and
distribution, like procurement, demanded a
In overseastivities were ca
theater comm
Service Forces
terior was respo
bat forces, it sther than the
side the Unite
mander planne
manner he con
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58 THE QUA
ply operations than th e OQMG could findelsewhere. While all this exchange of tech-nical information helped that office furnish
more serviceable supplies and better trained
units, it did not give the OQMG any con-
trol over the operations of the Corps in the
Pacific. Each area continued to have a
Quartermaster organization independent of
the Corps in the United States.
these functionsFifth Air Force
ported by USA
their troops t
brought to dis
mands establis
administer Qua
ployed Quarte
out the supplyCorps.
7
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62 THE QUA
Officer. Before its transfer the division en -tered into agreements with local automobile
firms for the assembly of imported Ameri-
can trucks at cost-plus-fixed-fee of 5 percent.
The division made comparable contracts for
th e repair and maintenance of these ve-
hicles, but on the basis of a flat fee per
man per hour for work actually performed. 19
More important in the development of
th e OCQM was the Supply Division, which
mined theaterquantities to bUnited States.
uisitions for sup
to the San Fra
and forwarded
the Purchasing
OCQM.20 The
th e agencies t
stockage of Qu
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
specified quantities of needed items. Untilthese arrangements were made late in
March 1942, most of the supplies for the
U.S. Army were obtained locally through
formal contracts with producers or by pur-
chases on the open market. As contract
demands gradually became the ordinary
means of local procurement, these twomethods of buying fell into disuse and thesections handling them ultimately disap-
Of all the Authe Food Councthe Corps mosttask of increasi
the agricultura
Another agencythe Allied Sup
several Austral
U.S. representa
stimulating the
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
sponsible for the entire U.S. Army food pro-gram in the Southwest Pacific.
39
The Food Production Division did not
remain long in the OCQM. On 27 Febru-
ary 1943 it s staff and funct ions were taken
over by the newly created Subsistence De-
pot, headed by Colonel Hester. This instal-
lation, located at Sydney, operated underthe direct supervision of the Chief Quarter-
master and served as the central buying,
others were setand training fu
grown so muc
tance that they
properly by sm
terested prima
ments, shoes,
used items in neing in larger an
and more Qua
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70 THE QU
tivities was the growing belief in the desira-bility of consolidating these activities so as
to help eliminate the confusion and the
duplication of effort inherent in imperfect
co-ordination of USASOS purchasingunits.
44
The transfer of Headquarters, USASOS,
to Brisbane in August 1943started the proc-ess of consolidating procurement operations.
That event at once raised the question of
General Depodistribution dir
was wanted, w
it was wanted.
nical services o
ment as it depr
tions traditiona
their oppositio
abolished, even
ment actually
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
the OCQM when it was moved to Hol-landia. For these reasons the sections han-
dling these activities remained in Australia
until April 1945, when the removal ofHeadquarters, USASOS, to Manila made
available both Filipino clerks and repair
shops an d made possible the return of the
sections to the OCQM. At the same timeQuartermaster distribution functions were
again turned over to that office. Since Aus-
troops landed master office wthese functions
Each task fo
requisitions on
not furnished
of co-ordinatin
they were sentneeds or the st
the fact that t
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74 THE QUA
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
manded more fundamental action. By July1942 there were about 60,000 Army ground
and air troops in the South Pacific, and sub-
stantial reinforcements were on their way.
The Americal Division was then in New
Caledonia, the 37th Division was in the
Fijis, and smaller forces were in New Zea-
land, Efate, Espiritu Santo, Tongatabu,Bora Bora, Wallis, Upolo, and Tutuila. An
Army territorial command was obviously
and for some wment of USAF
mea in late Jul
staff was immeexclusion of al
event it was t
logistical exper
tively. The majected staff wa
and arrived in
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
whether for use at sea or on land. Only inthe Samoan Islands and Funafuti Island
was the Army excluded from an y responsi-
bility for food.65
The broad functions given to Quarter-
master agencies for provisioning Navy andM arine Corps as well as Army units sharply
increased the dimensions of the Quarter-master subsistence program. Though Army
troop strength alone was usually smaller
with estimates oarea basis, and
the amount of
On receipt of
master, SOS,
quantity of sup
from the Unite
The Southnot only from N
States but also f
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78 THE QUA
sitioning and holding rations specifically forthe neighboring command. It recommended
that Southwest Pacific requirements be
filled before any shipments were made else-
where and that no stocks be earmarked forother areas. In a conference between the two
areas in late 1943 these recommendations
were substantially accepted.70
Quartermaster procurement for all three
armed services in the South Pacific was not
most chronic sand soft drinks
in post exchangthe ship's serviNavy, soldiers
fied with the A
This disparit
tity of articles fices engendere
among the m
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
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80 THE QUA
rather than for offensive activities of itsown, Quartermaster problems were less
complex than those of the southern com-
mands. No extensive organization was re-quired fo r distribution operations or local
procurement as few indigenous items were
obtained and there were no sizable bases
outside Hawaii.The Quartermaster Section functioned
much like similar sections elsewhere, ad-
supply. On Fanwhere the Arm
provided Class
After large-s
gan with the a
termaster respo
increased, for it
such operationstions to Navy
vision these ele
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MISSION AND ORGANIZATION IN THE PACIFIC
The Office of theQuartermaster, HUS-AFPOA, headed by Brig. Gen. George E.
Hartman, inherited the planning, policy-
making, an d supervisory responsibilities of
the Office of the Quartermaster, Central
Pacific Area. It determined area and base
stock levels as well as unit and supply re-
quirements for combat organizations, super-vised the building up of stockpiles by the
base commands, and planned the logistical
territory tasks stral Pacific Bas
mand operated
sion of the Qu
It participated
th e tactical forcPacific and sup
130,000 troops Angaur, and U
Meanwhile
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CHAPTER IV
Pacific Bases
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84 THE QU
technical service depots handling the sup-plies of a single service. Functionally, they
might be in-transit depots, receiving and
classifying inbound and outbound ship-
ments; issue depots, storing stocks for units
within the base area; or reserve depots, serv-
ing as sources of replacement supply for is-
sue depots, other bases, and operational
forces.
(Perth), Westtion 7 (Sydney
Until late 1invasion was th
ing the locationIt forced the
which in turn
the continuednal bases, evensome of them
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86 THE QUA
resources were to be pooled in the commoninterests of all services and all military unitsoperating within the base area.
7But base
commanders had no power to determine just
where, within their territorial jurisdiction,
supplies reserved for other bases or for
operational forces in other base areas would
be stored or how they would be distributed.These operations were controlled by distri-
bution instructions from the OCQM which,
be held and wbe delivered to
In complian
Headquarters,
serve depots w
and Melbourne
mander, maint
reserve installalayed setting u
situation cause
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94 THE QUA
quantities set from time to time by Head-quarters, SOS SPA.
30The General Depot
also furnished a substantial part of the sup-
plies an d equipment fo r combat operations
and for the rehabilitation of combat units.
Next to the base in New Caledonia, the
one in Guadalcanal was the largest in the
South Pacific. After the victorious termi-nation of the protracted campaign fo r
anas and thewere assigned
Pacific Area ba
and too remote
shoulder the wthese offensives
Saipan, Guam
anas in the subases mounted
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PACIFIC BASES
port for operations to the north and north-
west.33
The Fijis constituted a sizable supply
base only in the first year of the war. Be-
cause of their strategical location on the air
and shipping routes between the United
States and Australia, American troops were
sent there shortly after Pearl Harbor. Sincethe islands were too remote from the sceneof fighting to become a transshipment point,
of ocean. It w ational areas; it
of thousands o
phibious warfa
space for opera
Honolulu, wa
These unfavor
terially hampethe command
rather than an
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96 THE QUA
render it ranked not far behind Hawaii inthe volume of Quartermaster tonnage. Itstored a sizable proportion of the supplies
fo r the Okinawa operation, and, after be-
coming the headquarters of the Western Pa-
cific Base Command in April 1945, it main-
tained much of the reserve stockage built up
for the OLYMPIC operation.
37
In the yearfollowing the seizure of Guam, airstrips werebuilt there; Apra Harbor was developed for
master suppliesBay, fo r manyca l operations i
from San Franc
to bases in the
or more miles bissue. In terms
San Franciscorequired as muA trip from Ne
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PACIFIC BASES
moved forward over a pre-existing network
of railroads, navigable rivers, and highways.
Thus supply in Europe "was like a single
rubber hose growing larger in diameter as
the immensity of operations increased." But
in th e Pacific each major advance was an
amphibious assault on a primitive shore and
each fresh landing "a completely new sup-ply operation." Pacific supply was "like a
Logistical acti
across France
almost entirely
bat troops, but
cific were only
this purpose. M
building up th
phibious landi
were handled
European The
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CHAPTER V
Local Procuremen
the Pacific
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LOCAL PROCUREMENT IN THE PACIFIC
quired supplies during 1942, "distress" or
"refugee" cargoes also provided a not unim-
portant share. These cargoes, originally
consigned to the Philippines, the Nether-
lands Indies, Malaya, and other Asiatic
areas, had, because of the Japanese occupa-
tion of these regions, been diverted to Aus-
tralia and seized by the CommonwealthGovernment. Some 195,000 tons of prod-
ucts of various sorts were obtained in this
and means of
new task easilyThe regular
ically used by A
ing days of thcriticism from
en t that one osidered in mak
Australian sub
would be whe
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102 THE QUA
Quartermaster General of the AustralianArmy. This method of procurement would
relieve the Chief Quartermaster of the ne-
cessity of acting through his Australiancounterpart, himself an interested party, in
presenting American claims for higher pri-
orities, larger allocations, and increased pro-
duction.
12
The provision of food through Australian
Army channels had never been more than
storage and distfunctions carrietermasters, mos
ishables, continthrough Comm
cies. Another slocally procure
the reverse lendthe United Sta
supplies and ma
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LOCAL PROCUREMENT IN THE PACIFIC
the encouragement of a large agricultural
production. As early as February and March
1942 Quartermaster officers had surveyedthe producing potentialities of Australian
farms and concluded that except for green
coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and a few minor
items, sufficient food could be obtained from
Australian farms to meet the needs of 500,-
000 troops.14
But it soon became apparent
that, though Australia could produce vir-
units made thean almost impo
ning plants wefruit, corned be
they produced
tional markets
ployed faulty p
tion was confifruits, such as r
To meet Quarte
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104 THE QU
strikingly demonstrated the potential use-
fulness of the specialists.17
When the Subsistence Depot began op-
erations in February 1943, these specialistswere put in charge of the branches set up to
handle production problems. The most im-
portant branches were those in the Food
Production Division, whose functions in-
cluded collaboration with Australian official
bodies, technical advice to farmers, canners,
growing of "mo
development o
depended. In t
Branch gave in
the Commonw
mittee order th
best American
of hybridized s
tralian conditio
intervened wit
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LOCAL PROCUREMENT IN THE PACIFIC
vesting, and the use of fertilizers and in-secticides were not neglected. Since the de-partments of agriculture in the Australianstates had the closest contacts with farmers,the program aimed chiefly at the indoctri-nation of the key men in these agencies, butit also reached individual farmers throughlectures, radio broadcasts, motion pictures,leaflets, and, above all, through field dem-onstrations carried out by American tech-
vegetables, in tof considerablepeas, string beaof these populaconspicuous; mtion apparentlywives and otheincreased avaiwhole was a hment brought
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108 THE QU
growths, more heat had to be applied to
them in order to kill all harmful matter.
The canning methods in use were further
defective in that they did not insure the re-
tention of vitamins an d minerals indis-
pensable to good health. Preservation ofthese essential substances depended upon an
adequate supply of fresh vegetables of
proper maturity, prompt canning after har-
vesting, and exclusion of oxygen during the
prominent food
set up a highl
carried out its
as laboratories
found unfi t fo
properly seame
the unit was d
of any serious
its creation.34
In the mea
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110 THE QUA
Nevertheless ever larger quantities of
canned vegetables became available. Of the
increased production the American services
alone took 56,000,000 pounds, five and a
half times the total amount turned out in
the last prewar year. Even this substantial
quantity did not quite match American re-
quirements, but the most serious shortcom-
in g was not that the amount furnished to
th e U.S.Army often fell below th e amount
cabbages, and
truly acceptabl
other hand, fav
matoes and co
much smaller p
called for.39
Asbefore supplies
States the veget
remained unba
The operatio
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LOCAL PROCUREMENT IN THE PACIFIC
to the United Kingdom, making it impos-
sible to dispose of surpluses. Prices slumped,and producers cut their stocks. American
entrance into the war completely altered
this situation, compelling the Common-
wealth to stimulate meat production inorder to fill heavy American demands. Be-
cause of the scarcity of pork, ham, an d
bacon and their popularity with American
soldiers, the production of these meats was
structed freezer
near TownsvillThe desirab
space on boar
hands of units n
not merely of c
less beef, a pro
Army for the e
cold-storage n
commodity, un
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116 THE QUA
stocks. As the number of American troops
in forward areas steadily grew throughout1944, the acquisition of more freezer ship-
ping space, rather than an inadequate sup-
ply of beef, became th e primary problem.
In June lack of such space forced the stor-
age in Australia of about 30,000,000 pounds
of carcass beef.56
Next to beef, pork products constituted
the largest group of meats supplied to the
the turkeys se
Christmas dinnity of poultry of
improved, and
from only 240
two years to ab
Flour, Sugar, a
Flour was p
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118 THE QUA
ridding herds of tubercular animals slow,
the QMC agreed to accept milk from ap-proved pasteurization plants even if it came
from uninspected cattle. Even then it was
hard to secure an adequate supply. Not until
September 1942 did Townsville become the
first base section to obtain satisfactory de-
liveries, and not until some months later did
similar deliveries become available in the
Melbourne and Brisbane areas.65
representing m
t ion–was obta
Market Center
of Perishables
Like milk a
fresh fruits and
cured, not thro
as were nonper
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120 THE QUA
sible the creation of sizable reserve stock-
ages.69
At times lack of refrigeration afloat and
ashore made it impracticable to take all the
fresh fruits an d vegetables offered commer-
cially. In the first quarter of 1945, General
Hester estimated, these deficiencies pre-vented the procurement of 35,000,000
pounds of potatoes, 12,000,000 pounds ofother vegetables, and 12,000,000 pounds of
more than 47
ping space was sistence than ingroup of suppl
Quartermaster.
the highest sign
food bought waor 28.5 percen
$759,369,137 f
Australia pro
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122 THE QUA
tools, but this means of relief soon dried up.
General supplies, obviously, had to comefrom the industrial plants of Sydney andMelbourne and from the United States.
76
Late in March the OCQM Purchasing
and Contracting Officer presented his first
contract demand, one for nurses' clothing,
to the Australian Government. Among other
items needed at that time were 480,000pairs of shoes, 740,000 pairs of woolen
purchase of ov
tractors.78
Yet there w
of which shoemost pressing.
manufactur ingcame in full size
whereas Americ
in half sizes an
to turn out Am
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124 THE QUA
which could be worn either inside th e trou-
sers as a shirt or outside as a sweater andwhich could be made with comparatively
little trouble.84
Blanket production involved only minor
difficulties, and more than 1,000,000 were
procured at a cost of only about $2.50 each,
a price much below that in the United
States. Longer and narrower than Ameri-can-made blankets, they nonetheless were
brooms and bru
strapping; andprinted forms.the U.S. armedsupplies, the Co
dry and dry cl
troops statione
curement was
frequent delaysveloped state o
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LOCAL PROCUREMENT IN THE PACIFIC
clothing repair needs of American troops in
Australia itself.89
The statistics of reverse lend-lease pro-
curement in Australia demonstrate the im-
portance of Quartermaster general supplies
in this program. By 30 June 1945 nearly
392,000 measurement tons of these items
had been obtained. While this was only 23
percent of the subsistence tonnage, it ex-ceeded the tonnage of all supplies acquired
Procure
Procuremen
trial products
out under cond
tralia, but with
New Zealand h
ian requiremen
its clothing, e
plies industries
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128 THE QUA
V-J Day, when easier shipping conditions
made possible the movement of candy fromthe West Coast. Since troops preferred the
mainland product, local procurement was
materially reduced until stabilized at 864,-
000 nickel bars a month.105
In the South Pacific Area, New Cale-donia was the chief source of subsistence
outside New Zealand. With only 60,000 in-habitants, most of whom were engaged in
combs, mirrors,
calicoes were eapples, coconu
limited resource
left them little
own wants, an dsignificance as a
The recovery
and 1945 once
possession of te
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LOCAL PROCUREMENT IN THE PACIFIC
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them to the limit permitted by their agricul-
tural capacity an d internal necessities. Bywise abandonment of traditional methods ofbuying perishables and by bold substitution
of the market center system in the midst ofwar, the QMC in the Southwest Pacificcontributed heavily to satisfactory procure-
ment operations.
Though home sources provided the bulkof Quartermaster items issued in the Pacific,
nished more Qu
of that theaterDuring the enti
nearly 30 perce
the Southwest Ptem that achiedespite all the
dealing with
American requmeet vastly inc
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CHAPTER VI
Supply From the Unit
Despite the fact that the South Pacific west of Hollan
SUPPLY FROM THE UNITED STATES
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overseas area adequate stocks, the War De-
partment determined for each theater theamount of reserve stores it needed to replace
supplies that units brought overseas with
them and to maintain a margin of safety.
These reserves, varying from theater to
theater with their diverse requirements,
were expressed in terms of "days of supply,"
one day's supply being the amount neededto fill th e replacement demands of a theater
tine replaceme
In the Soutreserves consisboth together
the "maximum
cific Area's gr
Coast enabled
than the South
ing reserve wasmaximum rese
136
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THE QUA
times special circumstances required the es-
tablishment of levels higher than those nor-mally authorized. The seasonal character of
the canning industry and the impossibility of
delivering canned foods at a uniform rate
throughout the year, for example, made it
necessary to permit stockage of more than
formally authorized amounts of these foods
at peak production periods.7
During 1944 tw o factors—the vastly in-
The War De
formally redefia reserve specif
forces. Stockage
it declared, env
quate supplies
operations to
Under this defi
could no longerany unforeseen
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138 THE QUA
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ing agency. Unfortunately, bases seldom
had sufficient qualified technicians to fur-nish this fundamental information. In the
Southwest Pacific such personnel were lack-ing not only in new advance bases but to a
considerable extent even in older and better
organized bases. Writing to Quartermaster
General Gregory in mid-1943, Colonel
Cordiner said that "Property officers toooften place their weakest men on stock
to do more th
to combat, shipIn practice t
voked many di
the Pacific are
The War Dep
going overseasby the replace
panied them aseas reserves l
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that date to the end of the year. Scarcely
had it taken this action when it lowered thebasis to 110,000 men for requisitions on the
zone of interior but, somewhat paradoxi-
cally, retained the 150,000-man basis for
procurement operations in Australia and for
determining theater supply levels. Since
these levels were based on a larger number
of troops than were used for requisitions onthe zone of interior, Quartermaster stocks
pened, the zon
areas used diffeand filling of r
process.21
Troop stren
jected, was onl
tion of requirem
element was a
These factorspressed in fract
140 THE QUA
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for the compilation of experience tables. If
these tables were to be accurate, a sharp dis-tinction had to be drawn between replace-
ment and initial issues, but such a distinction
was often impossible since initial issues fre-
quently came from the same stocks as did
replacement issues and supply installations
seldom distinguished between the two types
in their stock records. Yet if the War De-partment was to work out its supply plans
Pacific requisiti
not only its owits subports—L
Port Rupert (B
Orleans—and
which stocked
Pacific on its c
In the Overs
at San Francisbarkation, the
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or some other western installation usually
served as the primary supply source. ForNew Orleans the sources were southern or
middle western depots. The Quartermaster
Branch instructed the supplying installation
to forward the item to the port that it des-
ignated as shipper; it also indicated the
date by which the item had to arrive in
order to meet sailing schedules. If the pri-mary source could not furnish th e required
ordinating ove
such purely loctermaster stockshipment, com
lowing up orde
to see that spromptly as pos
ag e space, port
moving items,ing supply, base
142 THE QUA
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Railroad and storage deficiencies were also
in part responsible. During 1942 most Quar-termaster stocks for shipment through San
Francisco were held in the Utah General
Depot at Ogden, nearly 1,000 miles to the
east. Because of the distance between thetw o installations and the fact that shipmentsto and from three other depots at Ogden
congested th e thin railway network leadingto the West Coast, Quartermaster supplies
stocks at suppor
meeting prescrito match dem
the slowness of
uisitions that t
assignment to
supply points. T
age, twenty-tw
tions; it sometia single item
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pot, and the other depots increasingly be-
came feeders for the port of embarkation.
33
These changes, while they made fo r moreefficient use of existing resources, left un-
touched several factors that delayed the fill-
ing of orders. Even after Quartermaster
supplies arrived in port, thus theoretically
completing a requisition, they, along with
many other military items, were often heldup by the need for special loadings for im-
Roland C. Batc
then in the Soutit took "from
Quartermaster
found that as a
stocks had be
the South Pacif
were slightly f
thirty to sixtysister area.
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146 THE QUA
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conflicting information from Washington.43
A War Department radiogram of 28 Aprildeclared that automatic shipments of cloth-
ing, equipage, and general supplies were
being made on the basis of 78,000 men in
Australia and 17,000 men in New Cale-
donia. Finally, on 12 June, more than four
months after the original directive had been
issued, the War Department radioed thatthese supplies were being furnished only on
procurement,
ments to reflecBy June th
more Australia
matic systemclass of supply.
then needed in
were coffee, tea
and a few othethe B ration.
47
SUPPLY FROM THE UNITED STATES
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but several badly needed shipments did not
arrive until July.
49
Not until the followingmonth did requisitioning wholly supplant
the automatic system.50
Shipment of Organizational
Equipment and Supplies
The movement of organizational itemsconstituted a special form of automatic
stowed in orde
ing capacity.primary aim, it
and items of t
were unavoida
matters worse,
times had to mcoming freight
into the holds oThese practi
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shortages occasionally appeared. These
would not have been particularly trouble-some if units had returned the tents and cots
when their own equipment finally arrived,
but they seldom made such returns.58
Late delivery of other types of organiza-
tional equipment also inconvenienced units.
Shortages of mess equipment, for example,
impaired the ability of units to feed them-selves properly, but it did not make as deep
sion of most te
invasion supplyment could no
Throughout
Guinea were s
age or with te
have been dis
spring the arri
smaller organquantities of cl
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The three newly arrived units had been des-
ignated for early participation in the Philip-pine operations, but inability to carry out
their assigned task obliged them to stay in
New Guinea for several months.63
Another
newly arrived bakery company proceeded
to Leyte, but lack of standard ovens forced
the employment of a discarded w ood-burn-
ing type in use of which it had no training.
64
Truck, like bakery, companies sometimes
base functions
the time rear inthe important
to the troops fig
Meanwhile,
partment took
problem of oequipment. It
tinuance of thesignment of r
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miralties operation illustrated how costly in
both time an d labor this method of supportcould be. Supplies fo r that offensive wereloaded in San Francisco, discharged and re-loaded at Brisbane and again at Oro Bay.
Part of the cargo even underwent this waste-
ful procedure a third time at Finschhafen.
There were two major reasons for all this
rehandling. For one thing, since regularcargoes from the United States and Aus-
erational forces
ply" was develardize at least
ment items neafter th e small
on their first la
This system wasCoast ports, ra
bases, for shipmwithout rehand
152 THE QU
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to ascertain readily from published lists an d
stowage plans "what was on each vessel andwhere it was loaded." This advantage, as-
serted Lt. Col. Fred W. Greene, whose ac-
tivities in the Southwest Pacific were con-
cerned largely with block movements, "is
one which, notwithstanding repeated efforts,
was not attained throughout the war by any
other method of supply, and is of the utmost
nage handledpercent.
71
By then blo
portant in the
master items t
"the backbone
operations." T
ported troops
nary sources oQMC carried
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petroleum cargo consisted principally of oils,
greases, kerosene, and range fuel. At first
motor and diesel fuel oil were included, but
as considerable amounts of these items were
shipped with the initial assault troops and
dispensed in bulk by shore installations, they
were eventually eliminated.
Sixth Army experience early revealed a
need for larger quantities of some items
mediately a wh
most essential s
The standard
lar operation c
rangement knoloading." This
virtue of distri
was sunk, all su
not lost. For thiwere utilized
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which, if properly distributed among the
various sortsof
resupply ships, would givealmost any desired loading.
77
The Pacific Ocean Areas also developeda large number of blocks, but they did not
employ a standard block vessel under that
name. They did obtain, however, the equiv-
alent of this vessel by carrying on identically
loaded freighters all classes of supply exceptpetroleum products, which were handled by
entirely of B ra
000 were carrie
90,000 rations o
rations, and 36
combat rations
mands of 6,00
block, made upounce rations,
Okinawan dietmade destitute
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Okinawan campaign it was planned to ob-
tain greaterflexibility of
shipping move-
ments by assembling the vessels at regulat-
ing stations on Ulithi in the Carolines and
at Eniwetok in the Marshalls and calling
them forward as supplies were needed on
shore. Because provision of normal field
rations was expected to be difficult during
the first few weeks of the operation, twiceas many combat as B rations were to be
speedy discharg
transportation
The proper
rations, was p
problem conne
The QMC wa
easy accessibili
charge accordi
priorities. But ta mere matter o
156 THE QUA
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erational areas remained, however, largely
unsolved.83
In the Leyte operation standard block
ships arrived with heavy deck cargoes and
with miscellaneous equipment placed in the
holds on top of Quartermaster supplies.
This method of stowage, it was estimated,
held up the discharge of rations by as
much as five days.
84
Worse still, some of theships arrived without the expected packaged
In addition
ingspecific
kind
problems were
block ships. Th
not obtainable
base stocks, theof stocks in Pa
Inclusion in th
in block shipsitems obtainabl
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Maj. Gen. James L. Frink, Commanding
General, USASOS, maintained that thisplan would cause delay and unnecessary re-
handling in getting food to consuming
troops.88
Accordingly, it was never put into
effect. Partial loading in New Guinea was
itself feasible only so long as that island was
the center of combat activity in the South-
west Pacific. As operations shifted to thePhilippines, where there were at first no fully
moved northw
more marked.9
Finally, bloc
vantage of inc
already heavilPort of Embar
to handle alter
nents by the ord
blocks as thedepots. Resupp
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excesses existing at advance installations,
and mealsbecame unbalanced.
"Protestsfrom long suffering troops," declared Colo-
nel Longino, "brought replies that the bases
had been supposed to do thus and so." But
there was "little or no improvement," he
continued, "until we began to receive bal-
ance loaded resupply ships from the U.S.
If credit can be given to any one individualfor that, he should certainly have a DSM."
93
that despite th
the movement
Coast the Armytorily supported
delays met in co
handling autom
shipments, and
complishments
those of the Cican War, and W
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about 16 percent of the 2,802,877 tons ofArmy cargo—a marked decline in the Quar-
termaster proportion, probably caused by
increased reliance upon Australian produc-
tion. In the following months, as troop
strength soared and local procurement fell
in importance, Quartermaster cargo
reached much higher levels. In 1944 it
amounted to 1,863,654 tons and in 1945 to
the end of June to 1,354,658 tons, represent-
often held in
important con
speedily or sloand equipmen
Pacific areas.
curement beca
it furnished fro
the end of Jun
urement tons ocompared with
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162 THE QUA
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based upon a framework of coconut or bam-
boo poles and cross bracings, with a gabled
roof and with the sides and top covered with
nipa strips. They had no floors and at best
furnished imperfect shelter fo r food andclothing.
4
When imported milled lumber became
available, it was utilized instead of thatch
and rude local poles to construct sturdier
warehouses. The food warehouses, the best
storage of canutilized chiefly
items.6
Since even prude shacks couthan a fractionproper protecti
open became a
Yet as late as
stocks at Port M
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deterioration of supplies. Food containers
in boxes, improperly piled solidly together,
sweated and rusted, disintegrating canned
meats and vegetables by releasing acids;these acids ate into the tin, seeped out, and
contaminated other cans. Damage from this
cause was appreciably increased when tar-paulins were thrown over the stacks in sucha way as to cover the sides and prevent the
piles from drying out. Another hindrance to
temperatures, wage. Subsistenc
rated twice as f
four times as fareason it was soshipments of ra
limited to the
with the tactic
The disastrodoor storage on
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fairly well warehoused except at the Hol-
landia base, which had been set up only in
the previous June.11 Here, five months after
General Gregory's visit, 75 percent of theration stocks, mostly canned subsistence, still
remained in open storage. They all had,
however, tarpaulin protection, which, in a
similar stage of development at the earlierNew Guinea bases, had been provided fo ronly about half the stocks. Of the rations
Later, they wor in warehouse
about 85 feet
employed. To
ness, floors wer
ings. Ramps ocoming supplie
tallied in, conn
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250,000 cubic feet, to be furnished by units
with a capacity of 220 cubic feet or less; of
distribution centers at 1,000,000 cubic feet,
to be provided mostly by 660-cubic-footunits; and of ports at 2,000,000 cubic feet,
to be supplied by units with a capacity ofmore than 660 cubic feet. Actually, at
this time military organizations had less
than 50,000 cubic feet, or only a fifth of
their estimated requirements; distribution
larger refrigerat
mands for 863
filled. South P177 small refrifrigerators had
Department pr700 units of 26½
be allocated fro
to fill uncom
meant that dem
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168 THE QUA
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furnished and so wasted manpower. In mid-
1944 the Southwest Pacific Area therefore
began to procure in Australia larger port-
able warehouses having a capacity of 4,300
cubic feet, but not many of these new units
had been delivered before hostilities ended.20
The American-built, 10-ton refrigeratedsemitrailer with a capacity of 600 cubic feet,
enough to store a day's supply of meat for
one division, was employed but rarely. De-
The platoon as
broken up into s
to task forces.
siderable value
operations befo
available. Unfo
not be made a
Despite the
kinds became l
in structure as
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not exist in the forward areas. Standard
solid-rubber-tired fork-lift trucks, the most
serviceable equipment at zone of interior
depots, required fo r efficient operation roads
an d floors with concrete or wood surfaces.
But as Quartermaster storage areas in the
Pacific were seldom so surfaced, these trucks
could not be used extensively. Pneumatic-
tired fork-lifts, which operated fairly well
in soft areas, were, indeed, the only type
lets are availaequipment are
coral. . .24
Once South
reached the Ph
rapidly improv
were procurab
better shipping
materials and
obtained from
170 THE QUA
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ucts, clothing, an d general supplies varied
from place to place, but the trend was
strongly toward replenishment on the basis
of requisitions prepared by the bases them-
selves.26
Whether inventories or requisitions fur-
nished the impetus for distribution, approx-
imately correct stock records were essential
to satisfactory supply. Yet, owing to the
lack of qualified technicians this condition
the beginning ssupplies to al
Guinea, chieflyFebruary 1943
of bases at Milnport of troops i
between the Br
tions. While Br
with all its Q
filled the comp
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virtue of requiring vessels to call at only
one port and of thus facilitating prompt and
solid loading. The alternative method of
making movements from whatever Austral-
ian bases had the largest stocks of needed
items was rejected, for it required that sup-
plies be picked up at several ports, with loss
of valuable shipping time.32
The method actually adopted likewise
proved wasteful. Food, for example, was
responsible fo r c
of its own suppl
ple, received r
ures from the N
directives to b
tralia instructin
to ship, and whe
only until the b
newly establish
dertook the tas
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and even if booked, could not always be
placed on board the available ships. For that
reason alone the maintenance of adequate
stocks at advance bases was occasionally
very difficult. Quartermaster shipping sec-
tions nevertheless tried to place as many of
their supplies as possible on the scheduled
vessels.36
When enough ships were not on hand for
the transportation of all supplies awaiting
early 1943 scdischarge filled
conditions exis
Santo, and the
and even later d
bat. The nava
congestion at b
about time. In
example, vesse
sembled at To
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control center, and when ships bearing
Quartermaster items were finally called for-
ward, twenty sailed within three weeks.41
Refrigeration Afloat
Just as lack of refrigerated space ashore
hampered Quartermaster supply on land,
so did the shortage of refrigeration afloat
th e equator of
plying perishab
combat forces.The Centra
shortage less kresulted princi
imity of Honol
tor that allowe
amounts of per
Francisco. The
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176 THE QUA
visions from Port Moresby and Oro Bay tion in order to
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to Finschhafen and Hollandia, neither of
which then had sufficient shore refrigerationto receive large movements direct from
Australia. But while the ADSOS fleet
proved useful, it never became large enough
fo r truly effective operations.53
For general
t ransportat ion of perishables tw o additional
leave ships and a number of smaller vessels
were acquired late in the year ; yet the
of fresh provis
shipments indeperishables tha
master items.53
Southwest Paci
periods of severplement to ina
but also as an
lishing and repl
STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION, AND PACKING PR
cially book these movements with th e Fifth inaccessible by
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Air Force, which handled the transship-
ments at Port Moresby, the supplies wereleft in open storage until all formally booked
cargoes had been cared for. On 6 August
1943 an observer at that base found 54,000
pounds of Quartermaster supplies awaiting
shipment; some of this accumulation had
been there since 12 July. When the supplies
were finally started on their way to Dobo-
supplied about
packs containiMany weeks w
deliver these it
but one plane
as twenty outp
only a few hou
Packa
178 THE QUA
in the paper, fiber, and cloth containers of such an extent
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retail trade and packed in fiber cartons,
usually without overpacking. Corrugatedfiber containers, which were used mostlyfo r packing canned goods, were strong
enough to insure safe delivery in the zoneof interior, where there were few handlingsand plenty of covered storage space, mate-
rials-handling equipment, and trained em-
ployees, but they lacked th e strength to
displacement to
quired. It wasquantities of l
coming more s
that, in any ev
pots had suffic
wooden boxes
compelled the
strapping for
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180 THE QUA
suffered heavy damage in being loaded and Throughout
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discharged by sling nets. This damage was
particularly heavy if cargo vessels were dis-charged as swiftly as possible in order toreduce turnabout time. Containers werethen tossed five or six feet from trucks into
a net spread on the ground, often landing
on corners or edges. When the net was lifted
or dropped, it crushed and then pushed the
boxes in all directions. Diagonal pressures
Pacific quarterm
the outer pack"completely wo
between Hawa
spring of 1942
fiber cartons in
soon as a heavyhumid Fijis the
houses.69 On th
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182 THE QUA
moisture on arrival at advance points. Sim- Frequently, can
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ilarly packaged flour and rice frequently
became moldy and full of weevils. Thoughfiber cans furnished more protection, they
did not provide safeguards against exces-
sive humidity for the salt, sugar, baking
soda, and corn starch they usually held.
Nor were they structurally strong enough to
withstand hard usage and were therefore
often dented and pierced.73
certainty as to
Packing andever caused, o
Veterinary per
hours to the se
spoiled food.
completed, mo
the repacking o
shipment to ad
STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION, A N D PACKING PR
Both cartons, it was claimed, surpassed proof solid fiber
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nailed wooden boxes in resisting rough
usage. Dropped 50 times in a testing drumto simulate rough handling in a ship's hold,
then immersed in water for twenty-four
hours, and finally again tumbled in the drum
unti l they broke, two all-kraft containers sus-
tained 315 and 526 falls and a sisal-kraft
container 569 falls before they failed. The
weatherproof solid fiber container survived
of 1943 were V
volume, and evcommensurate
QMC, indeed,
boxes it wouldnot been curta
tur ing difficult
had to be used
was preferable
184 THE QUA
saving qualities, ease of handl ing, and , above peas—a multiw
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all, resistance to hard usage, more and more
won them acceptance.79
During 1943 the OQMG developed theconception of "amphibious packing" to in-
dicate packing that could be easily carried
and that could w ithstand exceedingly rough
usage and about ninety days of exposure to
the elements. In practice the term implied
a relatively low poundage and the employ-
asphalt moistu
products hadosnaburg, that
furn i shed only
dling hazards,
containers wou
tory, but the g
prohibited the
spring of 1942,
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186 THE QUA
ticularly the year in which the pack was ligent labor."90
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made.87
Embossing of cans for citrus com-
modities created a fresh problem, for theembossing die occasionally fractured the
container and permitted acid liquid to
spread over and rust th e can.A more seri-
ous faul t was the repeated failure of con-
tracting plants to indicate th e name of theproduct and the date of packing, omissions
that rendered identification of contents and
dicate clearly
wrong item orright item werings—and thes
Pacific quarter
jected in parti
inch lettering
and to its appe
one end of the
STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION, AND PACKING PRO
Packing of Clothing, Equipage, The zone of
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and General Supplies
The provision of packing protection for
clothing, equipage, and general supplies wasa simpler matter than in the case of food,
for they were all much less liable to deteri-
oration. In packing these supplies, bales,
wooden boxes and crates, plywood cases,
and wood-cleated fiberboard containers, all
solved the prob
clothing and eqcustomarily pla
boxes or wood-
carried loads too
and often fell a
hours for recoo
packing of gene
tory, but exper
188 THE QUA
ject to this mishap. So were those which held dry cereals and
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helmets, for these articles, because of their
irregular shape, could not be fitted snuglyinto a case and were so heavy they gradually
broke down their containers. If cartons
holding soap became wet, they disintegratedbecause the soap dissolved and weakenedth e interior of the boxes. In the Philippines
in 1944 and 1945 rain damaged socks, uni-
forms, stationery, and paper, if they
vegetables, freq
Since packagerigidly standard
containers snugtainty often prepackages in a c
Outer packs
than inner co
more unwieldy
STORAGE, TRANSPORTATION, AND PACKING PR
of wire, nails, and straps for bracing wooden Some tentati
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boxes. USASOS and SOS SPA therefore
imported these indispensable materials fromthe United States but never received all they
wanted. From home sources, too, came
"shooks," that is, sets of box parts, ready to
be assembled, and small quantities of V-board.
100The Southwest Pacific Area tried
to interest Australian manufacturers in the
production of V-containers; its efforts, how-
with regard to
chapter. Few ready solution;
able condition
areas a large
quite insolubleskilled labor fo
ties at island
totally absent,
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CHAPTER VIII
Class I, II, III , a
192 THE QUA
were running at the rate of 2 percent every2
Though los
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month. In the South Pacific, too, losses
accumulated at a prodigious rate. In thefirst eight months of 1943 the VeterinaryService condemned about 3,500,000 pounds
of evaporated milk and enormous quantities
of canned fruits and vegetables.3
Only
Hawaii escaped wholesale condemnations
of stored food.
Heavy subsistence losses resulted not only
creased somew
mained high.Department es
such food mov
the United Sta
17 percent of t
Pacific could n
twelve months
April in
CLASS I, II, I I I ,AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
than were given in the estimates.8
In March ties in that pa
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1944 condemnations at Port Moresby,
where storage conditions were compara-tively good, amounted to 2,143,000 pounds,
or 16 percent of all the food examined. Yet
wholesale condemnations had been made at
this base only nine months before. All but
10,000 pounds of the 541,000 pounds of
canned corned beef and all but 8,000 of the
pounds canned beets
Frink pointed
New Guinea noscarce in the Swhole as becau
the proper plac
at the proper tim
commodities as
eral more than
194 THE QU
able arrangements could be made to pro- but had only 1
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vision these points. All bases on the island
encountered great difficulties in maintain-in g enough stocks for troops in training, at
rest camps, and in operational zones. These
installations even found it hard to supply
soldiers at the bases themselves.
After August 1943 th e movement of car-
goes from the West Coast direct to New
a to equi-
1,300 tons but
Lae and FinscDeclining Port
that had enoug
requirements .
bread issues in
other bases dep
by air. Sugar
nee
CLASS I, II, I I I , AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEM S
essential in view of the variety they gave to15
short, was almo
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the menu.
Nonperishables were not much better bal-anced at other bases, and there were notable
examples of maldistribution as between
bases. In early February Oro Bay had on
hand a 71-day supply of lard and butter but
only a 15-day supply of salt. It had a 180-
day supply of f rui t juices whereas Lae had
more deplorab
vegetables, andany fresh fruit.
tables, and it he
Milne Bay and
2-day supply o
bases had non
larger but still
196 THE QU
products were on hand.20
Though such low these items the
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stock levels occurred but rarely, food was
seldom obtainable in the variety needed forsatisfying meals.
Unbalanced stockages were reflected in
subsistence issues at bases, but to a slighter
extent than at the supply points of the com-
bat forces dispersed along the north shore
and on the outlying islands. This disparity,
dis-
sequently, troo
ger but only frwhich they we
When bases
provisions in ex
pacity, they w
plus quickly in
ing. For this re
CLASS I, II, III , AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
that they had come in.24
Even air organiza-
tions, if actively supporting combat opera-
flights resulted
tions, but Lt. G
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tions, were no t much better provisioned thanground organizations. Early in August, fo r
instance, Maj. Gen.St. Clair Streett, com-
manding the Thirteenth Air Force at Noem-
foor Island, reported that his troops had
received no perishables by sea for two
months and only sporadic shipments by
mander of theat least fourtee
sure an ample
ward elements
planes be run r
number to Bia
Island, Noemf
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CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
Naval units occasionally had so much fresh
food they bartered their surplus stores with
Meanwhile
Cavalry decline
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Army organizations. Such marked contrastsbetween the subsistence of the two servicesaroused bitter criticism and angry discon-
tent among hungry soldiers. To some ex-
tent similar reactions, varying in intensity
with the quality of Army rations, were en-
countered among troops nearly everywhere33
ganization, stilweeks after haerations there,
previous sixty dat only three me
Innis P. Swift,
asserted, "is si
200 THE QUA
ber, Thirteenth Air Force groups at Sansa-
por received only 1½ pounds per man of41 pounds, and
stocks of butte
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perishables, nearly all fresh meats, whereasgroups on Guadalcanal in October received
115 pounds per man,of which about 27
pounds were fresh meats, 69 pounds werefresh vegetables, and 9 pounds were butter.
Throughout their stay at Sansapor, Thir-
teenth Air Force groups received only small
mained low.
41
. Class
The distribuin g and equipageral supplies, th
CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
Chiefly because of procurement difficul-
ties in the United States, there were chronic
short-lived, loca
pendable" item
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scarcities of some items of jungle clothingand equipment, which had been specially
developed to meet the extraordinary re-
quirements of tropical warfare. For that rea-
son the issue of these supplies was confined
to units assigned or attached to the Sixth
Army and to a few designated organizations
use, such as naticides, were o
sixty-five expe
from the Oro
Force in Novem
on hand in the
one were not o
202 THE QUA
ation to the unusually heavy demands made
by the Fifth Air Force on the base's limited
return of cloth
pearance of sca
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resources.
46
Even after the return to the Philippines,
stocks of Class II and IV items, unlike those
of other Quartermaster classes in the South-
west Pacific, remained inadequate. This sit-
uation was usually ascribed to the unex-
pectedly heavy requirements of Filipino ci-
Though theitems was not f
the Pacific, th
sprang from thtered with suc
tective clothin
terioration" af
CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
garments impregnated after that date ar-
rived in the Pacific. The apparel handled
most conspicuouprotective cloth
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by the QMC was therefore particularlysusceptible to deterioration. The storage
problem was worsened as a result of thefact that m a n y garments issued to indi-
vidual troops on their departure from the
United States or later in the Pacific areas
were turned in to the bases. This addi-
warehouses, bubetter than ope
no ventilation e
Even after p
longer issued to
parel continued
for issue if che
204 THE QUA
Tentage and Tarpaulins staging and re
maintained at e
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Several factors combined to make tentage
chronically scarce. In addition to the sizable
inroads made on base stocks by issues of
tents to organizations coming from the
United States without those supposed to ac-
company them,54
tents lost through the wear
and tear of combat operations had to be re-
coming to the iunits during th
At these camp
not, had to re
commodate an
Encampments
on leave or on t
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206 THE QUA
"even under the best storage conditions" all
types of canvas swiftly deteriorated.62
Australian Armeral were not a
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Clothing, Towels,Blankets, and Footwear
In unventilated storage places cotton
clothing an d towels, like canvas supplies,
became moldy and developed an unpleasant
odor, but extensive deterioration was almost
its ally. Moldsgrow on the cot
work of shoe
failure of the se
Australian missdeterioration s
waxed linen st
CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
to organizations requisitioning supplies.Units, indeed, were directed to base requisi-
of unrequisitioand footwear
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tions not on published schedules but on thesizes their actual experience showed to beneeded. Sometimes, however, tariffs neces-sarily served as the standard of distribution.They were so employed in the early days ofthe Pacific areas before supply officers hadgained knowledge of the sizes normally in
ance with estloss of weight regions and theas a result of prshoes might invof requirementfor small trous
208 THE QUA
the South Pacific Area, and in the divisionspassing through Hawaii revealed that no-
on the experienrequested that
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where did stocks of clothing and footwearaccurately reflect actual needs. In Hawaii
local conditions intensified the shortage ofsmall sizes, fo r native inductees were pre-
dominantly Japanese, Filipinos, Hawaiians,
and mixed breeds, who were all of slight
physique and required small sizes in much
of future shipmington asked thbarkation to maadjustments in new schedule.lem was not solated as new t
CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
formed a major segment of the Quarter-
master mission until January 1944, whenstallations. A si
Pacific areas.77
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theseduties were
shifted to the OrdnanceDepartment. The Corps, however, con-
tinued to obtain parts in the United States
and distribute them to theaters of opera-
tions.74
The importance of materials-han-
dling equipment, at times called "the
keystone of the entire supply structure," can75
Centralizedtage of facilitatthousands of m
few depots, but
solved. There
placement par
had not develo
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CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
adequate for parts with high turnover."82
In mid-1944 maintenance stocks began to
introduced ano
USASOS poss
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arrive in slightly larger quantities. Never-theless the Sixth Army reported in Septem-
ber that many units still had no field range
parts and were encountering trouble in pre-
paring meals.83
Shortages in this field in-
deed continued to plague troops until the
very end of hostilities.
their parts andthem properly.
plexities shore
able in adequ
scarcer.84
Poor packin
sion of parts, b
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214 THE QUA
U.S. A r m y reduced to a minimum the num-
ber of petroleum items it employed.92
they reached
sumer.94
The ne
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Whereas in Australia, with its excellent
commercial facilities, the storage and han-
dling of petroleum supplies by the Common-
wealth Arm y offered few difficulties, so that
the pooling of petroleum products was ap-
plied there during the entire war period, in
New Guinea U.S. forces from the beginning
ited areas aroubut a telling ar
all New Guinea
that supply th
gave U.S. for
the reserves it
availability of
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GLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
occasional scarcities of coastal tankers forservice between the northern bases; the
but 2,068,900
cent of that in
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shortage of drums; inadequate drum-filling
plants; an d insufficiency of cargo space for55-gallon drums from Australia.
The unsatisfactory means of bulk distri-
bution outside the populated regions of theSouthwest Pacific forced sea-going tankersto discharge most of their cargoes at large
90 0 barrels we900 to aviation
oil, and 253,25
Even this re
always be utilizthe water was
could not app
218 THE QUA
the war bulk deliveries at most outlying
points had to be made by oil barge.103
pended drum-fi
gency, accordin
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The shortage of bulk storage and pipe-
lines everywhere in the Southwest Pacific
forced the transportation and storage of
most petroleum products in containers,
which occupied about 75 percent more
space than did an equal quantity of fuels
carried by tankers. In October 1943
ter, originatediing ports and
both at Advancville," where th
In order to sav
more even distr
ture exigencies
CLASS I, II, I I I , AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEM S
quence man y old containers were in unsatis-
factory condition. At Lae early in 1945
As petroleumnumber of ava
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Quartermaster inspectors found that most
of th e 21,000 drums held enough sediment,
water , and other injurious substances to pre-
clude issue to combat units.108
Because of these circumstances drums at
times became so hard to obtain that pre-
scribed replacement levels could not be
adequate, alsospace was allo
But the full be
velopments cou
the lack of dr
ficiency indeed
ous handicap
220 THE QUA
ing on the San Francisco Port of Embarka-
tion was plainly advisable, but the policy of
bulk transporta
there were no lo
tank cars, such
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exhausting local resources before tapping
those of the zone of interior led to postpone-
ment of this action until the close of 1943,
when 250,000 drums were ordered.113
Of the two principal types of 55-gallon
drums—14-gauge, galvanized heavy drumsand light ungalvanized drums—the heavy
bring gasoline
was placed in
into 5-gallon c
Service troops
afforded the mtransporting fu
CLASS I, II, III, AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
order from the United States the machine
tools needed to increase Australian can pro-
by as much as
the I Corps als
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duction—a decision based upon the already
established preference fo r drums and thevital need of conserving local tin resources
for the canning of food.116
The problem of handlin g bulky 55-gallon
drums was solved in various ways. If winchesand fork-lift trucks were available, they were
from
or motor-drive
which a nozzle
an excessive anline. Filling th
from cans took
about thirty
222 THE QU
where depended upon products shipped inby the U.S. Navy for the use of all armed
services. At the island bases the QMC per-
pacity remaine
canal base cou
a day and Gre
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formed much the same functions as it did in
New Guinea, receiving the products from
tankers or supply depots and issuing the m to
consumers. The most notable difference was
the responsibility of the Corps fo r supply-ing not only Army troops but also shore-
South Pacific Amand and for m
experienced aIn the Centr
ply situation w
area to the so
CLASS I, II, III,AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
became an activity of tremendous signifi-
cance, and these companies usually operated
as depot agencies rather than as carriers
could gasoline
ployed in their
ity of long-dista
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and distributors.123
The 834th Quartermas-
ter Gasoline Supply Company, stationed atHollandia from December 1944 to the endof hostilities, reported that its actual opera-
tions differed so widely from those fo r which
it had been prepared that much of its train-
ing proved valueless. It stored as many as
all campaigns
as operators of
tw o were norroutine distribustocks. The uni
ing points and
al l other kinds
224
laboratory tests could resolve the doubts
raised by these possibilities.
At bases petroleum products laboratories
THE QUA
Pacific quarter
method of pre
self was not ful
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inspected samples of all shipments brought
in by tanker, checked the accuracy of mark-
ings on incoming containers, and periodi-
cally examined stored items for signs of
deterioration and departures from soundstorage practices. The laboratories evenexamined containers at filling stations. Cap-
articles could
portions more
needs is doubtf
national originnearly all the
country-widemirror ex
CLASS I, II, III , AND IV SUPPLY PROBLEMS
fighting Japan; in the extraordinary physi-
cal conditions under which the Pacific war
was waged; and in the tendency, inevitable
recognized as v
of a tactical o
difficulty. A n
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when tactical operations were carried out
on a "shoestring," to cut the number of
service troops and facilities to a minimum.
General circumstances, much more than the
shortcomings of any military element, ex-
plain most of the supply shortages.
It is a noteworthy fact that the items
the comparativ
furnished petrhigher echelon
priorities and to neglect clothtimes even foo
to smooth the
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CHAPTER IX
Morale-Building Se
Besides procuring, storing, and distrib- ery, laundry, ba
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
units employing heavy trailer-carried ma-chines could seldom function with maxi-
mum efficiency even when they were lo -
a readily porta
company to betions. Each sec
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cated not far from th e battle area. The prac-
tice of keeping that area as free as possible
of noncombat elements naturally forbadethe operation of service units there. If ac-
tivities pertinent to a service had to be con-
ducted in the battle zone, they were dele-gated to infantrymen who were assigned
operated indep
flexibility, so
other service u
standing featur
Disadvantaginvolved in thThey were hard
228 THE QUA
employment of the British unit wouldshorten such costly interruptions. This unit
was a heavy, self-contained, machine-oper-
though they lacment, used fiel
limited quantiti
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ated bakery, with three 2-deck ovens, capa-
ble of a maximum output of 30,000 pounds
a day. It required no crating for shipment,
was moved easily by trailer, and was loaded
and discharged quickly. Its operation took
fewer men and less gasoline than did that of
the M1942 oven.5
Though it could be
product. Adva
of the Fifth Air
bread flown in
ery companies
lem of providinleviated, but it
the prescribed
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
or more of this indispensable ingredient
spoiled.11
Still another hindrance to full production
cut and haul i
other duties. De
so poor as to
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was the absence of an abundant supply ofpure water. Many streams were contam-
inated, and there was no piped water, suchas forces operating in thickly populated
countries found almost everywhere. Cans
were at first virtually the only water-carry-
ing equipment authorized by the War De-
passable, hospi
diers were each
fresh bread daiounces. Elsewh
landings, opera
sionally less favery bread was i
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MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
pered with Japanese shot and three days be-
cause they had no flour. At that time 56,000
troops, or more than three times rated ca-
ingredients. On
eastern New G
coconut milk i
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pacity, were being supplied.15 Almost
equally remarkable records were achieved
at rear bases. In July 1944, for instance,
baking was being done at Finschhafen for
94,000 soldiers by a unit supposed to supply
only 40,000.16
Overtime work did not in itself provide an
was not enoug
base, they used
10 0 pounds of
wheat cereal. U
of the 41st Div
biscuits suitabl
in New Guinea
232 THE QUA
mentation and by the addition of air andwater.
19In the end it was determined to
make no basic change in the system of sup-
Once a tact
alerted fo r com
like bakery ser
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plying bread in the field. The best solution
to the problem of inadequate issues seemedto be more and better baking equipment—
equipment that would be made available
more promptly than it had been in World
War II.
six to eight wepared for and
new installatio
some days afte
delivered, but
landed if trails
shore. They we
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234 THE QUA
vided a reasonably satisfactory means of
self-service, but in zones of active fighting
they could not be widely utilized. A few
sight as Austra
supply the mi
washers hastil
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organizations employed unit funds to buyhousehold washing machines in the United
States, and some ingenious soldiers evenimprovised washers out of oil drums by rig-
ging jeep motors to revolve them. But most
troops simply used soap and a scrub brush.24
Troops stationed at bases below the equa-
United States ahospital platoo
Large "fixeding fo r 5,000 t
of twenty-five
rarely set up at
bases were loo
M O R A L E - B U I L D I N G SERVICES
wartime Hawaiian average for comparable
work. Because of this discrepancy there was
a heavy labor turnov er, which caused a con-
highest propor
ance, 65 perclowest, 20 per
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stant shortage of experienced operatives.
"Special assignments," such as assistance in
outf i t t ing entire divisions, fu r t h e r delayed
laundering for individuals. Usually, soldiers'
wash was not returned fo r about two weeks.
Most troops preferred commercial firms,
which charged more than Quartermaster
pointed out as
relatively sligh
this base did n
method of indi
six to eight m
a single bundl
load; when the
236 THE QUA
morale by clean apparel, he urged the in-
creased utilization of fixed laundries as a
remedy.34
During the following summer an
an average of 1
full service w
40,000 men, a
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installation of this type, able to care fo r15,000 men,was completed at Saipan, but
the poor water supply prevented its opera-
tion.35
At this t ime several other isolated
bases had authorized fixed laundries, but the
higher priorities given to more urgent proj-
number in the
few were comb
Progress tow
t rymen was ne
war drew to a
wrote that at O
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
than did the expedients actually employed
in th e field. Certainly, the f requent utiliza-
tion of household washers implied that sim-
freshly sterilize
in g laundries.40
Between the
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ilar machines, better fitted to field condi-tions, might have been at least a partial
solution.
Bath, Sterilization,
and Fumigation Operations
isted for an amilitary steriliz
until the hectbrought the pr
lice was such
termaster steril
created. Equip
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MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
a collapsible fumigation chamber trans-
ported on a comparatively small t ruck in-
stead of a bulky sterilization chamber trans-
ity among soldunits without
submitted to t
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ported on a heavy trailer-van. The fumiga-tion chamber was intended, primarily, for
employment in combat areas. In rear areas
a specially developed rubber bag, about
twenty-five by sixty inches, was used for de-
lousing. The clothes of six to eight soldiers,together with an ampul of methyl bromide,
arrived, an d twash themselv
tary, carry wa
or even bathe
ally, enterprisishowers, basedlon drum. Such
240 THE QU
the Medical Corps found many streams con-
taminated, the company depended upon a
single well dug by the Engineers in a rear
was divided in
the prescribedfurnished bath
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area. Even then there was water enough foronly half the bath equipment. Never was
the company able to operate all its showersat one time. Its activities, moreover, wereconfined to the area immediately about th ewell. This situation emphasized the need
for the inclusion of a water purifier in the
visions and forice troops, and
when the sectthe end of Jun
men a day. A
were available,
advantage of th
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
Salvage and Reclamation
Quartermaster salvage and reclamation
signed to corps
split into sectio
as an independ
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operations in the Pacific constituted a help-ful means of replenishing stocks of supplies
and equipment, particularly in advance
areas. Footwear, clothing, and tents werethe chief Quartermaster items handled by
salvage and reclamation units; foodstuffs
were handled, if at all,by the Veterinary
pots were sizabalone had the
for major repa
by specially tra
Pacific were uCollecting com
erating equipm
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MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
nered on the battlefield and transported to
assembly points. When fighting ceased, col-
lecting troops entered the combat area and
ages of specialA notable exam
absence of ma
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with the assistance of labor troops conductedthe first careful search for supplies lost or dis-
carded in the heat of battle. As salvage ac-cumulated at the assembly points, collecting
teams separated it into the main general
classes of supply and removed it to salvage
dumps. Here, aided by troops from other
chines neededtions of scrap m
mer of 1942 twere badly req uplants in the Un
The South Pmanpower, pla
244 THE QU
tated the inauguration of these new activ-
ities. One collecting company was assigned
to the Guadalcanal base, and notwithstand-
Guinea to tran
After the Aust
items, addition
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ing that it had few trucks and scarcely anyequipment for obtaining scrap metals, it
"gave the island a clean sweep from one end
to the other," and assembled a huge mass
of materials from th e former battlefield.57
The only advantage the Southwest Pa-
cific had over its neighbor was that a ma-
pair work coupostponed for
needed articlesbases to distribin place of th
total issues of
percent.59
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
both the South Pacific and the Southwest
Pacific steadily rose as experienced techni-
cians and appropriate equipment finally ar-
Despite the
minor repair jo
tion was avail
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rived, but even then available resources didnot match the magnitude of the task. The
problem of how to maintain m i n i m u m sal-
vage services with limited means remained a
constant source of trouble. At the end of
April 1944 there were in the whole South-
west Pacific only four repair companies and
Guinea by mid
shops were ofte
troop concentr
gether with oth
made it imprac
wearers any a
246 THE QUA
movement, often under circumstances that
hastened deterioration.68
In August 1944 Base F at Finschhafen,
4 percent of u
articles in need
been turned in70
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which had just recently become the site ofanother major repair installation, reported
that it operated under conditions similar to
those at Milne Bay. At that time it was re-ceiving a monthly average of 500,000
pounds of Quartermaster supplies and
equipment. "A great portion of this ma-
repairs.Before late 1
rect support ofworse than did being, as in G
performed funcomposed of
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
attached a squad to each of the divisionQuartermaster companies. These squads
employed Filipino helpers and set up as-
mediately valu
Quartermaster
1,353 haversac
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sembly stations on the routes followed bythe trucks that carried salvage back from the
battlefield. The platoon also sent out road-
side teams to scour bivouacs, dumps, and
trails. Supplies that could not be put to im-
mediate use went to a base salvage dump.72
Procedures like those on Leyte were fol-
cases of field ratities of shoes,
helmets, entre
cans and drum
ter articles weautomatic rifles
15,000 rounds
248 THE QUA
ard repair services in combat areas. They
particularly lamented the poor means pro-
vided for the renewal of shoes, perhaps
mated that rec
thir ty-four mo
of enough artic
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the item of apparel that could least easily bedispensed with. Task forces could not carry
with them sufficient stocks of footwear. Nor
could they provide for the shipment of ade-
quate replacement stocks during the opera-
tion. Repair shops, which might have
alleviated the inevitable shortages, were not
occupied by 7it fur the r recko
which otherwis
new supplies.
as of 30 Septem
of clothing and
tively, 6,880,0
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250 THE QUA
Even its proper application in Australia
was made difficult by the inadequate mor-
tuary standards of commercial undertakers
rather than a c
combat zone in
tively small are
tablish tempora
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and by the inability of local manufacturersto supply satisfactory caskets. These prob-
lems were in one sense a blessing, for theyobliged USAFIA to create a small provi-
sional organization composed of thirty-
seven men, most of whom had been
morticians in civilian life. This group was
have been in a stant troop mForce the gr
"braved th e dasquad of men
that they woul
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252 THE QUA
On both islands the widest departure
from prescribed practices was found in thedisposal of enemy dead. The small mortuary
details, barely able to care for American
Pacific. An enand one platoon
to each divisi
panied assault
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bodies, could not give Japanese bodies the
same attention they gave their own. Strict
adherence to the Geneva Convention pre-
scribing equal treatment of the dead,
whether friend or foe, was impossible.
phases of the at
take made at L
abundance of
however, that
the best advan
report of the 41
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
A provisional graves registration unit had
to be hastily created on the island itself.Search for technically fitted m en unearthed
a field artillery corporal who had been a
burial points,
trucks still necon the battlegr
The opening
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mortician and he was promptly put in
charge of the cemetery that had been set
up by the Marine Corps. With the help of
six enlisted men and a crew of native la-
borers, he corrected the haphazard plot lay-
out in accordance with standard specifica-
Central Pacific
berts found tha
pared to hand
tw o sister areasunits trained fo
tachment of 16
254 THE QUA
of the dead, now the menace of disease toa victorious force determined the sort ofgraves registration program which should
be addressed to this situation."
103
the opportune
constituted grathe Central Pa
possible the att
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With quick recovery of the dead thus
imperative, careful plans were made before
the Gilberts assault to achieve this objec-tive. Combat troops and the 105th Infan-try Band would move remains from th efront to a nearby trail, where labor or re-
trained men tothis developmeican combat d
moved to island
But once again
mains arose. A
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
the dead to collecting points. In a pro-
tracted battle the number of vehicles wouldprobably have been ample, but the rapid
advances and heavy casualties put too much
approximate n
erected.110
At this time
ering human r
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strain on the slender transportation re-
sources allotted to mortuary units.108
The evacuation system broke down en-
tirely on 7 July when a reckless enemy at-tack left 406 Americans and thousands ofJapanese dead within a single square mile
the Central Paater of operati
ence upon in
bodies of those
poor results. U
June 1944, att
256 THE QUA
The campaign for the recovery of thePhilippines introduced new strategic and
tactical factors that profoundly modified
graves registration procedures. Lengthy
which, for convision collectiothrust through
had to be tran
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campaigns of maneuver now replaced the
battles of position which had characterized
most of the previous Pacific operations.
On Leyte the combat zone was limited, not
by the area of a tiny atoll, but by that of a
comparatively large island and the battle
miles for buria
teries. Accord
were limited to
responsibility frear-echelon o
ice Command,
MORALE-BUILDING SERVICES
were to be assisted as much as possible byfield salvage units.
117
The 96th Division plan for evacuating
remains on Okinawa is noteworthy, for it
action that perward early cocorps or army p
ment of this sor
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provided graves registration technicians inzones of action. In all tactical units of thisdivision a "burial and graves registration
officer" was to be appointed. In battalionsand higher echelons he would be helped bya "burial and graves registration section."
able time and lthe final judgheadquarters.tions on Okinranted a largeroccurred." U
258 THE QUA
either in permanent overseas military ceme-teries or in sites selected by the family in
the United States. These tasks might have
been less formidable had graves registration
inflexible trai
laundry, repair,
few instances in
improvised mo
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units been trained before Pearl Harbor and
shipped promptly to overseas areas and had
the prewar doctrine that made combat
troops responsible for recovery of their ow ndead been modified to permit the use of tech-
nicians in areas of actual combat. Certainly,
tional use, th
gratifying, but
simply went wilessness with wsalvageable ma
battle areas ma
CHAPTER X
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Logistical Support of
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LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
to be more fully equipped and trained inorder to carry out combat duties efficiently.
As far as possible in the limited time avail-
able, these requisites were provided. When,
and grease, thetanks, trucks, dlanding craft, a
daily demand,
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as often happened, regularly established andtrained units were unavailable, provisional
units were organized to the extent permittedby the total allotment of troops. If such units
could not be formed, task forces were of ne-
cessity deprived of some services.
class of supplyconstant revisioand geographi
ing accuracy o
Developm
262 THE QUA
submitted requisitions for 750 cooking out-
fits, each sufficiently large to provide ho tfood for 20 men. To furnish troops with a
convenient means of washing their mess
ing phase of thpines. In gettin
the division, th
the general d
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gear, the Corps of Engineers in Oahu manu-
factured 300 hot water heaters. From sal-
vaged cots, tents, and tarpaulins the Hawai-
ian Quartermaster Depot fabricated 2,000
grenade carriers, each capable of holding
four missiles. Finally, it bought locally 7,000
USAFICPA. I
began determinments in Aprilordinated this needs, the divlished a special
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
in tactical plans necessitated minor revisions
of supply lists, but in early August, when
Yap was finally announced as the opera-
tional objective, clothing and equipmentlists were ready for publication. Shipping
Unitized loads
in the Central P
of containers s
wooden floorinto permit the
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shortages obliged the task force to limittrucks to half th e number authorized in
tables of equipment. Once this decision hadbeen made, th e office of the division quar-
termaster easily calculated gasoline and
t ruck. Such loa
scores of contaship's gear, c
other mechanic
moving, and sta
264 THE QUA
their value was materially diminished.14
Nonetheless they were widely utilized byCentral Pacific forces from the Gilberts to
Okinawa. In the Southwest Pacific theyfound no favor until 1944 and then were
Petroleum pr
other items pac
uniform size an
master suppliesThey were stra
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employed but slightly. Palletization, ac-
cording to the quartermaster of the Central
Pacific Area, "should be limited to highlyemergency supplies associated with the as-
sault operation." Loss of shipping space, he
gular, flat-toppstacking and ef
cal equipment.
letize clothing
termaster loads
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266 THE QUA
withstanding that the 7th Quartermaster
Company was still busily supporting com-
bat activities, part of its members were di-
verted from this task to help man hugeQuartermaster dumps being established on
determined how
units carried ou
Division Quarte
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Leyte to supply the division in the new of-
fensive. More than 7,000 tons of materials
had been assembled by the beginning ofMarch 1945. On the 4th, shipments to
"loading out" points started, and by the
These units
which the QMC
tical organizati
portant suppor
master compan
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
items from divisional units, arranged for the
time and place of deliveries, and in close
collaboration with G-4 allocated trucks
among divisional activities. Normally, G-4
controlled all vehicles used for tactical
pany. The diffi
to a division fo
to help the Q
form these add
the problem. W
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purposes.22
The tasks actually performed by a di-
visional Quartermaster company in the Pa-
cific varied markedly from those prescribed
when this type of unit was established, pri-
indeed often wgeneral shortag
forced their qument to base in
ational forces b
268 THE QUA
by a unit when the mileage thereon exceeds25,000 miles as the combat performance there-after normally expected must be reduced byhalf. The present fifty-one 2½ ton cargo
trucks authorized a Division Quartermastershould be increased to ninety-nine, providing
they lacked th
"originate in a t
Quartermaster
sion ... are opheadquarters ad
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six truck platoons of sixteen vehicles each,with provisions for army or corps replacementof a portion thereof, during combat at least,by DUKW's, Amtracks, 1½ ton cargo or¾ on vehicles as the terrain may demand.
27
must be applica
Unable to o
regular allotme
divisional Qua
to carry out the
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
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270 THE QUA
Beaches 1 and 2. On D plus 1 a Quarter-
master detachment of one officer and sev-enteen enlisted men went to Pim, a village
just south of White Beach 4 and at theterminus of the road running inland. This
for two or three
hillsides, whereplies and equip
head was wide
ment moved th
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unit was to receive supplies shipped in small
boats from the other beaches and issue themto the 186th Infantry fighting its way toward
the main objectives, the three Japanese air-fields along the shores of Lake Sentani.
much better lotwo miles from
arrival of moremitted the assi
thirty-seven e
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
and from time to time stretches of this vital
supply link had to be closed fo r repairs.
Transportation difficulties indeed delayedfor some days the removal of the dumpsfrom Pim to the Lake Sentani region, where
the 186th Infandays mainly onseized Japanese
stock steadily ddown to 300
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they could have more easily supplied tacti-
cal elements. Finally, the I Corps intensifiedthe transportation woes of the Quartermas-
ter detachment by taking over the captured
vehicles, leaving it again short of vital
troops, large q
rived in Humb
Except for aing and genera
and IV items a
272 THE QU
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LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
sels with a capacity of 50 to 500 tons and
shipped to the intermediate bases at Pon-
gani or Oro Bay, respectively, about 35 and
15 miles below Buna. Here supplies were
again transshipped, this time to still smaller
was large in a
lems somewha
smaller islands
those usually s
operated deep
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vessels, usually fishing trawlers, carrying
only 10 to 30 tons. These boats then sailedfor one of the receiving points set up atcoastal villages close to the combat zone.
42
As these boats sneaked up the coast, high
jungle. Areas u
ways located a
effect, islands.
reliance upon
Milne Bay for
274 THE QUA
Use of Landing Craft
in Assault Supply
Ordinarily, tactical successes permitted
landing craft to beach and start unloading
cer, who order
tions or to pick
of eight LST
fashion with a
to be in deman
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their cargoes within a few hours after the
assault waves went ashore. But even such
swift discharge of supplies and equipmentdid not always insure the availability of
items needed by combat troops. The better
the latter task,
beach designat
erations of this system of initia
store" system.4
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
cendiary bombs. One fell in the 7th Quar-
termaster Company motor pool, a second
near the office of the division quartermas-
ter, and a third in an ammunition dump,
which "exploded continually for 9 hours and
immobile stocksued in comba
tion to the cor
requisitions as
port of tactical
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intermittently after that until about 1430
on the 26th." An OQMG observer, who
stood only about 200 feet from the ammuni-
tion dump, reported that he "jumped into
a Jap foxhole which was deeper than my
operation the
lowed a basic
I and III dist
of advancing t
point was no lo
276 THE QUA
town of Abuyog a dozen miles directly south,
and struck across the waistline of Leyte to
Baybay on the west coast, most of the di-
vision was concentrated in that region. Rear
dumps were maintained at Dulag and inter-
ply line travers
Landing craft fcoast to Abuy
ferred to trucksous roads to Ba
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mediate installations at Abuyog; meanwhile
large stocks were built up at Class I and
III dumps on the west coast in preparation
fo r a powerful movement northward against
the stronghold of Ormoc, where the Jap-
ferred to DUKW
mechanized) a
cated at variou
north to Ormo
Throughout
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
company were therefore concentrated on
this run.53
AirTransportation
During the f
Salamaua regioin the summerof good quality
ods of bundlin
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From the very beginning of combat op-
erations in 1942, air transportation had been
used as an emergency supplement to othermethods of moving supplies during combat
operations. Since this practice was new to
packages to the
needed substantainous and hea
ing to Col. Arch
mander of the 1
278 THE QUA
pilots found it hard to locate these areas.
In densely wooded terrain supplies fell more
frequently in towering trees, 100 to 150 feethigh, than they did on the indicated tar-
gets, making "discovery of the parachutes57
and handling it
tral Pacific Are
up similar orga
Air supply eq
cedures, though
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hard and their recovery harder." Re-
trieval of cargoes was further complicated
by lack of troops for protracted searches
and by heavy losses incurred in detaching
packs from parachutes caught in tall trees.
less steadily imp
Cargo parachut
tainable in larg
tion of droppin
by aerial phot
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
over-all proportion of recoveries amountedto about 87 percent, a figure that indicated
a notable advance in retrieval techniques.
Supplies were not only dropped but were
also landed in substantial quantities on air-62
pounds, not mments of 510,0
Supply Operat
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strips.
Although the emergency food reserve set
up on Leyte for the Luzon campaign went
untapped, a similar ten-day reserve for 5,000
men served as a main source of replenish-
After the ret
ditions governi
combat operat
better than in
units had beco
280 THE QUA
moved quickly in order to keep pace withcombat divisions swiftly pursuing retreating
Japanese. In the twenty-two days after
the landing at Lingayen Gulf the Class I
and III dumps of the 6th Division were
During the p
Division throu
northern Luzopushed its dum
sionally "as far
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pushed ahead three t imes; the last shift
moved them forward about sixty miles from
their first location. In the next eighteen days
four moves, covering about 100 miles, were
carried out. The fourth shift required a
fifteen or twen
four hours."67
quate supply, hof divisional d
front but their
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
indeed arrived with less than twenty cargovehicles. Far-flung supply lines forced the
employment of all available trucks for pro-
tracted periods without needed repairs and
maintenance, a practice that in the long run
ties, which werabout 1,000 natof them Igorot
gion. Teams, c
men, each bea
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seriously reduced the number of usablevehicles. In mid-February the demand for
more conveyances became so insistent that
combat units loaned some of theirs to BaseM so that it could carry out its logistical
specially designand for some d
backs ammunitsupplies for thsuch tortuous p
282 THE QU
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284 THE QUA
the establishment of efficient supporting op-
erations. Frequent interruptions in the un-
loading of rations fur ther unbalanced food
stores. Such stoppages were caused mostlyby the higher priority assigned to ammuni-
and forward su
to support bot
in the north a
south. Because
structing bulk
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tion, which was consumed in prodigious
quantities. The discharge of a single ship
with a cargo consisting mostly of rations
occasionally took days. The subsistence sup-
ply on shore became so limited for a time
block shipmen
well as the ini
in by newly arrof packaged i
came in 55-ga
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
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286 THE QU
plaint that "Them bastards in the back
areas get all the good stuff."
Class II and IV Problems
Extremely restricted issues of Class II
farther" behin
manding gene
clared that th
pered both c
operational re
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items—and even more of Class IV items—
generally characterized operational supply.
This situation was caused partly by the ship-
replacement fa
most markedly
BAR (Brown
zine belt, issue
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
bags by unit, and in an unsegregated statethey were dumped on the beaches.
86
During the New Georgia operation, the
after action report of the 43d Division de-
clared, so many bags were discharged not
long after the assault waves had landed that
to the units at tbags that werbeen "pilfered
ripped open pa
and removed sc
always cease w
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the beaches became badly congested and the
handling of other supplies was slowed. In
practically all campaigns substantial losses
of luggage occurred on the beaches because
the appropriate
enemy of necedumps where
ferage. Lackin
288 THE QUA
operational period were also placed in the
squad bags. By doing away with the use ofinterchangeable pouches and individual
duffel bags, the number of bags needed by a
division of 20,000 men was reduced to
3,000, a quantity that obviously could be
according to pr
livery of clothilays, together w
shortages in so
tents. These sccare of the ill
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handled and guarded more easily than
could 20,000. Yet even this compromise did
not correct all faults of the older system.92
Pilferage and unexplained losses, though on
establishment oinstallations all
ation.94
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT OF COMBAT OPERATION
less prodigality of combat troops themselves,
pilferage assumed the proportions of a de-vouring wolf pack in the wake of which ran
the spectre of insufficiency at the front. It
seems incredible that commanders, usually so
watchful against waste of food in mess kits,were not more concerned about the far more
Biak operation,
after the Hollan
inflicted on fiv
sixty-three casu
Quartermaster
more telling tes
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serious losses elsewhere. This applies to Class
II supplies as well. Austerity at the f ront couldbe accounted for partially, at least, by over-
stocked foot lockers of personnel at everystopping point along the pipe line of supply.
96
casionally befel
At times the
tack forced un
fenses for their
290 THE QUA
head by a case of beans and another who
was killed in a rush to a chow line."9
Emergency digressions into tactical tasks
may have made the Corps seem a bit less"safe" than tradition pictured it, but only
terials and servneeded to meet
supply and maorities, mud,
general lack orailroads, and
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by satisfactory performance of the logistical
responsibilities that ordinarily took up all its
time and energy could the Corps truly fulfill
its mission. The effective manner in which
available in e
lands, the Corp
After the fall oican advance
CHAPTER XI
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Supplies and Equipm
292 THE QUA
the main coloring agent.3
In the United
States the OQMG, aware of the problems
presented by bleached supplies and equip-
ment in an age of air warfare, began to
procure olive-drab rather than white under-wear, socks, handkerchiefs, an d towels. Pro-
easily portable
utilization of c
it was claimed,
through the m
stantly infil tratloaded oppone
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duction bottlenecks for some months re -
tarded the delivery of these new materials,
but as 1943 progressed, larger and larger
shipments of the colored items arrived in
by unsuitable flaged garmentequipment tha
out disclosing t
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
heeled and soled. Both this shoe and the
proposed jungle boot, it was believed, would
render leggings unnecessary. Leggings at
best were unsatisfactory, for, being laced,
they required eyeholes and so permitted the
entrance of insects. Tightly rolled puttees,
or animal-drasigned fo r jung
MacArthur's
ington at a ti
just starting witems with the
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smeared with soap or tobacco juice, were
thought to afford better protection.
Finally, GHQ informed the Chief Quar-
Kearny, a for
worked fo r year
and since the
designing and
294 THE QUA
British, and Australian practice of wearing
only shorts and open-necked, short-sleeved
shirts. Though Australian officers insisted
that this custom kept their men cooler and
more comfortable, the idea of adopting itfo r American use was abandoned when re-
locally procure
camouflaging m
Since enemypicking off so
clothing and ins
ons, camouflag
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ports were received that 30 percent of the
Australian troops in New Guinea were suf-
fering from malaria or from body scratches
and infections that could have been pre-
work suits but
and other can
sonal equipme
pearance whic
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
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SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
void of swamp and similar terrain, or where
any sort of load" was "carried in the
pack."18
But since it allowed water to run
out as rapidly as it entered and dried quickly,
the boot had substantial value u n d e r condi-tions where troops' feet were nearly always
tain, for few
United States
went mainly to
A tropical
cleated soles anveloped by the
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wet. Soldiers discharging landing craft ly -
ing in the surf, Engineer troops working in
water for hours while they constructed
bridges, and men operating in swampy areas
well received
Those who wor
cism—the extre
the cleats facil
298 THE QUA
lections of abandoned web equipment.
Once soldiers, in violation of sanitary regu-
lations, had cast them aside, they had no
adequate protection against mud, whether
they were marching, fighting, or workingin wet dumps. To provide a substitute, the
Light though i
to be carried ea
it proved impra
Front-line sold
ported, did "nobecause of pos
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OQMG developed a combat shoe whose
distinctive feature was a cuff and buckletop that gave it a height of ten inches as
compared with the six inches of the service
hostile infiltratiline" wanted "
shrapnel." In c
pointed out, it
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
ited their life, according to Dill, to about
forty-five days.27
The poncho, a rectangular, blanketlike
cloak made from raincoat material with an
opening in its center for the wearer's head,provided some of the services that the jun-
value that he
procure enoug
supply all soldinstructions we
and by the closwas being issu
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gle hammock had been developed to sup-
ply but seldom did. Normally regarded as
a makeshift substitute for a raincoat, it was
actually a garment that served many varied
all troops emba
Southwest Paci
Front-line f
mainly as a ten
300 THE QUA
Somervell and Colonel Dill was not fully
shared by corps troops, division service
troops, artillerymen, and base supply troops,
all of whom operated in rear areas under
comparatively favorable conditions. Unlikeinfantrymen, they did not live for days in
cured in Austr
ments from the
designed to gu
head, was mea
sleeping and ethere was no
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close contact with the enemy and the
ground. Their work consisted mainly of
driving trucks, working in supply dumps,
and handling ammunition at artillery posi-
away from theit. Soldiers, atte
net, felt suffoc
Worst of all, it
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
through thick vegetation. Not until the
Philippines were reached and fighting took
place more and more in the open country
was it much criticized. Soldiers found little
need for the machete under these circum-stances and began to discard it, claiming it
to hold a sold
ing, and rations
opening sack fogear, and othe
itself was notbags, which co
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was so long when suspended from their belts
that it hit their legs and caught on brush.
Some units in consequence issued only one
machete to a squad.34
veloped. One w
drical in shape,
twelve inches i
two ounces, w
302 THE QUA
towels, and perhaps a few personal
possessions.
The jungle pack itself, contrary to the
originators' broad conception of its employ-
ment, was utilized only for the few essentialarticles needed in a combat zone. In the
The lower part
the equipmen
waterproof clo
called the comb
actually neededthe end of the O
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Southwest Pacific, troops normally carried
in their packs only a poncho, one or two
pairs of socks, a pair of trousers, handker-
chiefs, tw o waterproof food bags, one flota-
and-combat pquantities, and
praised it.40
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
trails to the troops actively engaging the
enemy. But if there was much shelling, this
could not be done.41
Because of all these difficulties special
operational rations that could be carriedby combat troops themselves were exten-
Overseas ar
tions on the bas
and portability
value character
somewhat fromdiffering calori
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sively employed. These rations, individually
boxed or canned, contained long-lasting
foods that troops would be able, if circum-
stances dictated, to consume unheated. But
tents. Palatabi
highly desirable
of bad taste wa
all. Since ratio
304 THE QUA
the stew units, and potatoes in both the
hash and the stew units. Only tw o other
vegetables were used—carrots for the stewand onions for the hash. There was even
less variety in the B units, which all con-tained the same kind of cracker, hard
tion to give all
the rice ration w
Buna-Sananan
sisted of C bisc
haps mixed, if hable, with coo
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candy, and soluble coffee in the same quan-
tities. The cracker, called the "C Square
Biscuit," was of a special noncommercial
type, reinforced with vitamins and calories
ration; and sup
again mixed, i
If the rice rati
ited stocks wer
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
distasteful in appearance that soldiers re-
peatedly threw the whole mass of food away.
With age the onions, carrots, and meats ac-
quired new and less acceptable flavors and,
according to some consumers, came to lookand taste like "dog food." Most troops found
mating that cu
While some oth
parable to it in
content, they d
cient bulk andcraving food.
hand, if entirel
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the soluble coffee unpalatable. Had utensils
been available fo r heating th e hash andstew, these components would have been
vastly improved, bu t front-line troops sel-
with a normal
allayed the sen
an empty or p
306 THE QUA
cooked rice could obtain it by the simple
expedient of using canned heat to prepare
it in their canteen cups.51
The concentrated richness of D rations,
the third major element of the rice ration,temporarily assuaged hunger, often beforea whole cake was eaten. Some men, partic-
Papuan force.times unobtai
largely on C ra
only food avail
after the initiaKilmartin, a st
Division, terme
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ularly if they ate rapidly, could no t consume
much of a cake without being nauseated.
The chocolate, moreover, made troops
He claimed th
many to get into
components w
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
hydrate the dry components, the developersof the ration, assuming that drinking waterwould at all times be available for this pur-pose in ample quantities, anticipated no
need to carry any along.56
Each ration fur-nished about 3,500 calories a day—all that
card them. Thethat the weighpounds by remofrom their pack
waterproof foodtions this methable than the o
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would normally be required—and a morevaried selection of food than did the Cration. Besides substantial amounts of seed-less raisins and dried peaches and prunes,
more items to bEven more o
of the jungle r
308 THE QUA
erous an issue. The defects of the packaging
were plainly manifest during the final phases
of the Buna offensive, when isolated troops
"in slit trenches" could be fed only "by hav-
ing rations tossed to them by soldiers whocrawled forward to within throwing range."
"A man might end up with a whole can of
The problem
bat rations wa
the K ration, w
breakfast, dinn
packaged compwere put up in
six inches long
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peanuts for a meal or a can of powdered
milk."58
Such disheartening results were in-
evitable as long as the components were all
inches deep. Th
these cartons m
to carry than t
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
tion was looked upon as one that would be
utilized only during th e first day or two of
an offensive. Its composition in 1942 and1943 also lent a certain justification to the
description of picnic lunch. Though itcontained more than 3,000 calories in scien-tifically approved proportions of fats, carbo-
reported that t
sooner than the
jungle ration.62
that K rations,
packaged withteriorated faste
tions. After a y
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hydrates, and proteins, these constituentswere in a highly concentrated form that fur-
nished little bulk. After eating them, most
erally were in b
The exact p
troops used the
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SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
hydrated meats and vegetables and avoidedthe daily repetition of the same fare that hadbeen the curse of the old C's. Another fa-
vorable feature, which the 10-in-l ration
shared with the new C's, was the inclusionof accessory kits.
66
Sixth Army organizations, after they had
days of the Newply officers par
which they coul
exceeding 200
lack of regular to prepare it f
contemplated b
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tested the 10-in-l ration in forward areas fo r
periods of more than 45 days, pronounced it
well suited either for unit messing or as an
were less pleasimerous small
groups demand
312 THE QUA
cially prodigal, for they were too small toconsume the entire contents of cans, whichheld enough subsistence for ten men for one
day. Since they ordinarily required food
for only one or two meals, the percentageof loss was at times very high, particularly
if they left partly used containers behind
which troops re
modified form.the whole not u
S-4 noted tha
troops refused tMeanwhile
master, Centra
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when they moved to a new location—unfor-tunately, a common practice.
Though the 10-in-l was the most popu-
a ration specifi
the opening p
tions. It took
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
ing sequence: assault rations (used only by
Pacific Ocean Areas organizations), K ra-
tions, C rations, 10-in-l rations, and B
rations. Pacific Ocean Areas troops on Leyte
had about a 20-day supply of 10-in-lrations, 7 days of C, 3 days of K, and 2 dayseach of D and assault rations. By A plus 4,
Othe
Combat, lonairmen as well
cial rations. Becal or strategictense, had little
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many troops were eating 10-in-1's, but this
proved premature, for they then had practi-
cally no cooking equipment and could not
of the food set
they needed spe
were also requi
314 THE QUA
In the Southwest Pacific in November 1942
extra issues included fresh fruit juices or
powders, coffee, evaporated or powdered
milk, oatmeal or prepared cereal, sugar,
and pickles. Fresh eggs and meat, thoughdesirable, were not included because theycould be secured only in very limited
occasionally mi
ing supplemen
them not merel
their men. Foo
might actuallythe result that
needed the ex
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amounts. As food stocks rose and Air Forces
needs were more fully recognized, the list
of added issues was expanded to embrace
benefit. In Feb
pointed out th
practice cause
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
ashore by medical units, provided both fluid
and soft foods. It contained bouillon cubes,oatmeal, canned fruits and juices, dehy-
drated soups and eggs, canned boned
chicken, evaporated milk, beverages, sugar,and salt. These components, requiring only
water and heating equipment for their prep-
kind, it requisimaster stocks; i
food in the
worked unsati
means of superequisitions, a
from commer
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aration, were packed in small cans and as-
sembled in large units, which contained 200
rations weighing altogether about 900
amount of pe
Army segments
lic. In mid-194
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SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
In 1945 the necessity of feeding large
numbers of liberated Filipinos put heavypressure on rice stocks throughout the Pa-
cific and brought about a lowering of the
daily issue in the Solomons from on e poundto three fourths of a pound. The ensuing
discontent speedily forced the restoration of
fruits, 8 ouncecanned fish, 1egg, and small
lard, tea, curry
of these compotions were free
tion, or its roug
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the earlier allowance. No program employ-
ing native labor, a board of officers investi-
gating this situation maintained, could suc-
in feeding Jap
Oriental labore
other Asians, n
318 THE QU
This ration had been introduced on the
American return to the Philippines to meet
the requirements of the CommonwealthArmy, which was then reconstituted from
the guerrilla units that had carried onharassing operations against the occupying
Japanese forces. The new ration had a dual
whose low wag
ing additional f
superiority of
now more m
weakened civilin Manila repo
were suffering
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objective. One purpose was the elevation of
Filipino morale by the provision of most of
the nonperishables found in U.S. field ra -
that the conseq
culminated in
nations. Monet
SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT USE
wealth Army ration. As a result of their dis-
satisfaction, they were finally given about
half the amount of fresh meat issued to their
American comrades.97
The liberation of the Philippines broughtwith it still another food problem—that of
supplying an Occidental ration to several
did not have
them on a relief
Better plann
confusion thatrepatriates in t
ning might als
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thousand American and European civilians
who had been interned when the Japanese
occupied the islands. As the advancing U.S.
deficiencies fo
equipment thr
items furnished
320 THE QUA
fighting. Even at the end of July OQMG
preparations fo r experimental production of
jungle items were just getting underway.
The hastily assembled equipment rushed to
th e South Pacific and the Southwest Pacificin th e following year to help support jungle
troops usually represented, not the products
fered from thewhich did not a
relatively late
tics peculiar to
affect the servifew instances th
standard items
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of careful testing, bu t rather of quick de-velopment of relatively untried items based
on imperfect understanding of the tactical
theaters posed
combat troops.
ample of such
CHAPTER XII
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Problems of Vict
322 THE QUA
BLACKLIST operation, as the occupation
of Japan and Korea was called. Since the
number of troops outside the occupied coun-
tries would steadily decline an d stocks built
up at the older bases to provide for a largernumber of men would then far exceed de-mands, this program envisioned the maxi-
on Luzon, othe
points were to b
1946; for the serve as a war
most stocks wManila.4
The chief Q
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mum employment of stores already in the
Pacific; only articles otherwise unobtainable
would be requisitioned from U.S. sources.
closing of bases
needed supplie
tion to the nu
PROBLEMS OF VICTORY
ingly withdrew most of its requisitions on
Australia and New Zealand for food, cloth-
ing, and general supplies. It retained in forceonly a few contracts completion of which
was necessary in order to provide cold-weather apparel for men going to Japan and
Korea. The Corps also withdrew requisi-
property as surplying governm
shortage of wa
States, surplus
turned there wASF headquarfrom this gen
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tions on the continental United States fo ritems already available in adequate quanti-ties and canceled the sailing of many block
badly needed b
and burlap ba
Quartermaster
324 THE QUA
responsibility for this task, at first turned
over surplus supplies to the Commonwealth
Disposals Commission for sale in small lots
to merchants and manufacturers. This pro-
cedure, one G-4 officer complained, was so
slow that it would keep Americans in Aus-
tralia fo r years. Increasingly, therefore, th e
docks for dispos
dation Commis
buyers were wilfor they could o
at other bases wtransporting the
in much larg
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property was sold in bulk lots to the Com-
monwealth or to agencies of India, China,
and the Netherlands Indies.11
method of dispoquarters, U.S. A
accordingly ord
PROBLEMS OF VICTORY
Closing-out operations at Guadalcanal,
though no t unrepresentative of those found
at the more remote rear bases, did not
wholly typify such operations in the Pacific.
The proportion of abandoned or destroyedproperty in particular reached higher levels
than at any but the most isolated installa-
governments b
about to be so
Commonwealth
ment were the
method of sale.a large part of
pines and on O
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tions. Moreover, few if any bases outside the
Solomons and New Hebrides were as se-verely handicapped in the sale of surplus
this property at
materially aided
Aside from
326 THE QUA
preparing for the future in a world living
under the dark shadow of an apparently in-
terminable cold war relentlessly waged in
all quarters of the globe. The necessity ofpreparing for a future clouded by incalcula-
ble hazards confronted the QMC, like all
other components of the Army, with a com-
so hastily sold
and would certin its depots. Th
ficient troops no
repel the invathe North Kor
able strength,
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plex problem of preparedness such as theservice had never before faced in peacetime.
The uncertainties surrounding future Com-
three months t
38th parallel.
In spite of
Bibliographical N
Records and studies about Quartermaster of all, some Q
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Corps activities in the war against Japan
fall into three general classes—U.S. Army
apparently des
ground that th
328 THE QU
were brought to the Office of The Quarter-
master General (OQMG) in Washingtonto prepare their reports from memory and
from notes they had made dur ing their cap-
tivity. These accounts eventually became
Annex XIII of Gen.Jonathan M. Wain-
wright's voluminous Report of Operations
a total of sevenination of the ofor shipment o
Washington ab
t inent materia
were photostat
to have exact c
production wa
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of USAFFE and USFIP in the Philippine
Islands, 1941-1942. This annex, entitled
Report of Operations, Quartermaster
inches for the s
and handling.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
which both contain many documents origi-
nally part of the files of former base sections
in these territorial areas. The records of theU.S. Army Forces, Pacific ( A F P A C ) , con-
tain information on supply matters that re-
quired collaboration with Australian agen-
cies or co-ordination between G-4 and
th e Office of the Chief Quartermaster,
tivities in the
year after Pearl
The Arm y Rtorical Records
ords Branch, A
tains historical
tions that opera
action reports
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USASOS.
The best source of documents for the
Sixth, Eighth, tactical corps,
330 THE QUA
Southwest Pacific an d Pacific Ocean Areas
files in the Technical Records Section, De-
partmental Records Branch, AGO, at Alex-andria, Va. Most of the observers' reports
are filed under 319.25.
Papers in this and other bodies of over-seas documents wherever located were ordi-narily arranged in accordance with the War
signs, patterns,
letting of contrtransactions ca
buying supplie
pensable to a s
of inspecting, m
before shipmen
the handling, s
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Department decimal file system. Bulletins,circulars, manuals, and other general direc-
from one point
rials relating to
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Quartermaster activities are not even men-
tioned. Pertinent magazine articles are con-
fined in the main to The Quartermaster
Review and the Quartermaster Training
Service Journal.
Among the published books utilized in
studying events associated with the fall ofthe Philippines were Gen. Jonathan M.
ber-December
"Help for the
mopolitan, CX
1945), an artic
nished by Col.
detailed accou
outfit blockade
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Wainwright, General Wainwright's Story,
edited by Robert Considine (New York,
Indies for the r
Published so
332 THE Q U A
Quartermaster operations in the Southwest
Pacific, it gives considerable information not
easily accessible elsewhere. For the South
Pacific there is no general study of Quarter-
master activities quite as rewarding as are
those for the Middle and Southwest Pacific.
But the manuscript History of the United
States Army F
During World
August 1944G-2 Historica
Forces in the S
South Pacific
some useful da
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List of Abbreviat
AA F Arm y Air Forces
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ABC OM Australian Base Com mand
ABSE C Au stralian Base Section
334 THE QUART
Br BranchBS Base Section
Btry Battery
Bull Bulletin
C and E Clothing and equipage
CE Corps of EngineersCG Commanding General
CINCPAC Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacif
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CTNCPOA Commander in Chief, Pacific Oc
CINCSWPA Commander in Chief, Southwes
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
DUKW Amphibian, 2/2-ton, 6x6 t ruck,ship to shore
Ech Echelon
EM Enlisted man
Engr Engineer
Equip Equipment
ETO European Theater of Operation
ExO Executive Officer
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FA Field artillery
FEAF Far East Air Force
336 THE QUART
Interv Interview
IR S Intraoffice Reference Sheet, Offic
General
JAG Judge Advocate General
JC S Joint Chiefs of StaffJPB Joint Purchasing Board
Lab Laboratory
LCM Landing craft , mechanized
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LCT Landing craft, tank
Ldry Laundry
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
OPD Operations Division, W ar Depar
Opn Operation
OQMG Office of The Quartermaster Gen
ORB Organization Records Branch,
Center , AGO, St. Louis, Misso
Ord Ordnance
OSRD Office of Scientific Research and
OSW Office of the Secretary of War
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P& C Purchasing and Contracting
Pac Pacific
338 THE QUART
S-4 Supply section of regimental or
S&D Storage and Distribution
Salv Salvage
SB Supply bulletinSEASFD Seattle Army Service Forces Dep
Sec Section
Stf StaffSFPOE San Francisco Port of Embarkati
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SG Surgeon General
Shpmt Shipment
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Trk Truck
Trp Troop
TWX Teletype message
USAFFE U.S. Army Forces, Far East
USAFIA U.S. Army Forces in Australia
USAFICPA U.S. Army Forces in Central PaciUSAFINC U.S. Army Forces in New Caled
USAFISPA U.S. Army Forces in South Pacifi
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USAFMIDPAC U.S. Army Forces, Middle PacificUSAFPOA U.S. Army Forces, Pacific Ocean
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UNITED STATES ARMY IN WOR
The following vo lumes have been publ i shed or
The War DepartmentChief of Staff: Prewar Plans and Preparations
Washington Command Post: The Operations Division
Strategic Planning for Coalition Warfare: 1941-1942
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Strategic Planning for Coalition Warfare: 1943-1944
Global Logistics an d Strategy: 1940-1943
342 THE QUART
The Supreme Command
Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume I
Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume II
The Middle East Theater
The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia
The China-Burma-India TheaterStilwell's Mission to China
Stilwell's Command Problems
Time Runs Out in CBI
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The Technical ServicesThe Chemical Warfare Service: Organizing for War
Index
Abuyog, 275, 27 6Administrative Division, OCQM, USASOS, 61, 63,
66
Admiral t ies Operation
disadvantage of support of , f rom island bases,
Arrakan, 20, 22Auckland, 92 , 1
Austral ia . Seesections ( A u
agencies of, fo
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150-51graves registration in, 251
efforts to suppl
procurement o
344 THE QUA
Base sections (Australia)—Continued
control of QM supplies by, 85-86dis t r ibut ion to advance bases by, 1 7 0 - 7 1market centers in, 119-20
mission of, 83
organization of, 83-84
procurement of perishables by, 118-19Quartermaster sections of, 85-86, 171-72
reduction of activities in, 71, 87, 322
storage at, 86
1 (Darwin)
Bases (New Guin
physiography arise in importan
"roll-up" of, 3
variations in fooA (Milne Bay)
redesignatiAugust
storage at,
supply of B
B (Oro Bay)
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decline of, 85
establishment of, 84
Army farm
deteriorati
INDEX
Bases (New Guinea)-Continued
United States Advance Base (Port Moresby) —
Continued
establishment of, at Milne Bay, August 1943,
87removal of, to Milne Bay, 87
storage at, 87
support of Buna forces by, 272-73
Bases (Philippines)
K (Tacloban)
establishment of, 90
Batchelder, Lt. Co
Baten, 283Bath units. See
ilization and
Baybay, 276
Beef, boneless
advantages of,
difficulties in pr
shortage of, 19
Beli Beli Bay, 88
Biak Island Oper
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shortage of gasoline at, 217
work of, in Leyte Operation, 275, 279bakeries in, 229use of landing c
346 THE QUA
Budget, Accounting, and Inspection Division,
OCQM, USASOS, 65-66Buna, 87, 88, 273Buna Operation
graves registration in, 250
supply in, 271-72Bureau of the Budget, 42
Burgheim, Col.Joseph H., 147, 180Burma, 117
C-47 transport planes, 277
Clothing. Se e alvidual items.
deterioration of
distribution of ,problem of spe
122procurement of
rationing of wo
repair of, 245-4Clothing, protecti
neglect of, 203
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Cabanatuan Rice Central, 9Cabcaben, 18
responsibilities o
storage of, 202
INDEX
Darwin, 21, 23, 24, 30, 50. See also Base sec-
tions (Australia).
Darwin-Alice Springs railway, 85
Defense reserves, 3-5, 6, 10, 28, 34, 35
Dehydration
advantages of, 103
application of, 111-12, 126growth of, industry in Australia, 112
Dehydration Branch, Subsistence Depot, 112
Department of Commerce (Australia), 63
Department of Supply and Shipping, 63
Engineers, Corps o
construction of
responsibilities o
Eniwetok, 265
Equipment, indiv
description of,
shipmentof, in
Equipment, jungl
items.
demand for, 29development of
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Department of War Organization of Industry, 63
Depots
value of, 294-95Equipment, organ
348 THE QUA
Footwear-Continuedlack of proper sizes of, 206, 207,208
repair of, in combat areas, 244, 247-48Foreign Economic Administration, 128
Foreign Liquidation Commission, 324
Fort Armstrong, 36, 80
Fort Kamehameha, 263Fort Stotsenburg, 4, 5, 7, 12
Fort William McKinley, 4, 7, 12,13Forward Area (SPA), 94Fremantle, 22, 23, 24
Graves registration
infantrymen useinfluence of tact
organization of,
program for, in
program for, in S
use of civilian mGraves registrationactivities of, in Nfunctions of, 24improvisation of
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Frink, Maj. Gen. James L., 157, 175, 193, 194Fumigation and bath units
operations of, in
shortage of, 249
INDEX
Hilo Quartermaster Depot, 39
Hollandia. See Bases (New Guinea).
Hollandia Operation, 152, 301,302
destruction of QM supplies during, 271
graves registration in, 252
Quartermaster supply in, 268-71
Honolulu , 37, 44, 95Horses. See Animals, pack.
Humboldt Bay, 197, 269, 271 ,296Huon Gulf, 88Huon Peninsula, 88
Java, 23, 46John Foster, 207
Joint Administra
( U S A F I A ) , 22Joint Chiefs of StJoint Logistical Bo
Joint Purchasingfunc t ions of, 71procurement of
Quartermaster
role of U.S. Nav
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Hurley, Brig. Gen. Patrick J., 25 storage of foodJoint Working Bo
350 THE QUA
Lend-lease, 67, 101, 104
Lend-lease, reversebeginning of, 54, 62
declaration of reverse lend-lease property as sur-
plus, 323
procurement of supplies under, 102, 110,116,
120 ,121 ,125 ,127 ,128 ,213services provided under, 54, 228, 234, 244
value of , 102, 125, 12 7Lend-Lease Administration, 67Lever Brothers, 316
MacArthur, Gen.plea for change
protest on lack
McConnell, Col. A
MacKechnie, ColMcKenzie, Brig. G
Machete, 300-301Madang, 87Maintenance facto
Malaya, 99, 292
Malinta Hill, 33
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Leyte, 20, 88, 89, 90Leyte Operation, 153
Malinta Tunnel,Manila, 4,6, 7, 8,
INDEX
Meats, fresh—Continuedrefrigeration for, 113
shortages of, 13, 14, 27-28, 113, 115, 193, 196
Medical Corps, 125, 240, 248Melanesia, 253
Melbourne, 30, 50, 60, 65, 67. See also Base sec-
tions (Australia).Memorial Division, OCQM, USASOS, 63Mess equipment, 124, 149Messes
lack of trained cooks for, 115,192
New Georgia Ope
air supply in, 2consumption of
New Guinea. See
description of,
as supply cente
New Hebrides. S
New Ireland, 76New Orleans PortNew South Wales,New York Port of
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monotony of, 193, 196, 198,199, 200
Methyl bromide, 237
New Zealand, 36,
comparison be
352 THE QUA
Office of Food Control-Continued
functions of, 42price regulation by, 43,44, 45
Office of the Military Governor, Territory of Ha-
waii, 42, 45
Office of Price Administration, 45, 46
Office of the Quartermaster, Central Pacific BaseCommand, 81
Office of the Quartermaster, USAFPOA, 81Office of the Quartermaster, USASOS, 67, 69Office of The Quartermaster General, 3, 59, 177,
Pack, jungle—Con
need for, 293
objection to, 30Pack troops, QM
65th, 766th, 7
Packaging, definit
Packaging, subsistdeficiencies of cefforts to impro
methods of, for
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178, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 205, 208, 209,291, 292, 293, 296, 297, 298, 301, 302, 304,
Packing, definitionPacking, clothing
INDEX
Pilferage, 27, 177, 32 2as factor in food losses, 192prevalence of, in combat zones, 287, 288-89
Pim, 270, 271P lann ing and Control Division, OCQM, USASOS,
65
Plant, Col.Thomas G., 61
Polynesia, 47Poncho, 299, 30 0Pongani, 273Port Augusta, 50
Procurement , locbeef, 100,113,beer, 129
beets, 107,110blankets, 124
cabbages, 110
candy bars, 12
carrots, 104,10clothing, cotton
clothing, wool,
coffee, 5,40,12
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Port-Depot System. See Quartermaster Branch,
OSD, SFPOE, h a n d l i n g of requisi t ions by.corn, 107, 110corned beef, 1
354 THE QUA
Procurement, local (items)—Continued
vegetables, fresh, 40, 118, 119, 120, 126, 127,
129-32weedicides, 104
Pueblo Ordnance Depot, 142
Purchasing and Contracting Division, OCQM,
USASOS, 62-63
Quartermaster battalion, 130th, 73
Quartermaster Branch, Overseas Supply Division,
San Francisco Port of Embarkation
Ration, C—Cont
improvement o
inclusion of, in
objections to, 3as part of rice r
Ration, Dcomposition of,
deficiencies of, evaluation of, 3
inclusion of, in as part of rice r
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functions of, 140
handling of requisitions by, 140, 142
Ration, flight, 31Ration, hospital,
INDEX
Refrigerated vessels—Continuednaval, 174shortage of, 39, 44, 45, 173-76turnabout time of, 174, 176
"X-ships" ("lakers") as, 174, 175
Refrigeration companies, QM, 168
Regiment, QM, 12th, 7, 17Reid, Lt. Col. Clarence E., 196
Replacement factors
accuracy of, 139-40definition of, 137
Salvage repair un
effect of lack ofequipment and
hindrances to o
improvisation o
Samar, 20Samoa Islands, 46
San Fabian, 91
San Fernando, La
San Francisco Por
139, 146, 151
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improvement in, 288
inadequacy of, for Class II and IV supplies, 286,
master Branc
automatic supp
356 THE QUA
Size tariffsdeficiencies of, in supply of clothing, 206, 207,
208
establishment of local, 208
inadequacy of national, 206-07relation of, to distribution requirements , 207-08value of, 206-07
Soerabaja, 23, 24
Soles, rubber, 297Solomon Islands, 94, 279, 316, 322Somervell, Lt. Gen. Brehon B., 299, 300
Stock inventoriesinadequacy of,
use of, for determStock levels
computation ofestablishment o
importance of a
in Pacific areas
relation of repl
status of, afterStorage and Dist
SOS, 66
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South Pacific Area, 143, 299, 308, 314boundaries of, 47 Storage facilities.
INDEX
Supply points, 194, 196, 274, 275, 276, 279-80Supply system, European, contrast between, and
that in the Pacific, 96-97Surplus property, 323-25Suther land, Maj. Gen. Richard K., 21Suva, 93
Swift, Maj. Gen. Innis P., 199
Swift an d Company, 9Swope, Lt. Col. Lawrence E., 281
Sydney. See Base sections (Australia).
Taiyuan, 24
Transportation,
vessels.commercial loa
congestion of, acontrol of shipm
convoys for, 17difficulties of m
by, 147-51discharge of shi
distances as fact
hindrances to,
importance of,
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Tanahmerah Bay, 197,198 lack of, as facto
358 THE QUART
U.S. Army Forces, Far East—Continued
control of shipping priorities by, 69, 176
establishment of, 2reconstitution of, in SWPA, 67, 69
U.S. Army Forces, Far East Board, 297
U.S. Army Forces, Middle Pacific, 81, 321, 324.See also U.S. Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas.
U.S. Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas, 80, 81
U.S. A r m y Forces, South Pacific Area, mission of,75
U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific, 321
U.S. Army Forces in Australia. See also U.S. ArmyServices of Supply,
Vegetables, fresh—Co
production of, in Au
provision of seeds fo rshortage of acceptab
Vella Lavella, 94
Veterinary Corps
establishment by, of
inspection of anima
118inspection of fruits a
inspection of storedrole of, in salvage,
Victoria, 50
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establishment of, 58
organization of QM activities in, 59-65
Visayan Islands, 2, 19,
Visayan-Mindanao Fo
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