GHQ, 28100 Woodside Road, Shorewood, MN 55331 USA • (612) 374-2693 • www.ghqmodels.com January - February 2008 Modeling Excellence Since 1967 The previous issue of TacNews, “The Nuts and Bolts of Logistics,” covered in some detail the development of German supply techniques and the organization of German logistic columns in WWII. This issue will broadly cover U.S. Army quartermaster truck companies in the same period. Full coverage of these topics would require a large and complex study, far beyond the scope of the TacNews format, but this article will help you gain a working knowledge of how these companies were organized and deployed along with how they fit into the standard U.S. division TO&E. Development As with the German army, U.S. supply doctrine in WWII was in many ways an extension of techniques developed during WWI. Motor transport was in its infancy at the time, but thoughtful staff officers in all the armies involved were acutely aware of the implications for future conflicts. The inter-war period saw many experi- ments and innovations. In 1919, the U.S. Army dispatched a trans-continental motor convoy to test the ability of trucks as the primary means of supplying fast-moving armies. One junior officer taking part in the expedition, impressed by the potential of motor transport, was Lieutenant Dwight Eisenhower. Later, as supreme comman- der of Allied forces in Europe, he would com- mand the most lavishly equipped motorized army in history. THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF LOGISTICS II (U. S. Army Transport in World War II) 1 Organization: Quartermaster Truck Companies When the United States joined the war in earnest in 1942, its basic logistic element was the Quartermaster Truck Company, organized as follows: Company Headquarters: (Personnel, Admin, Mess, Supply, & 2 nd Echelon Maintenance sections) 3 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’ 1 3/4-Ton Command Truck 4 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers 3 Truck Platoons: each capable of carrying 56 Tons and consisting of the following vehicles: 1 1/4-Ton ‘Jeep’ (Total 3) 16 2.5-Ton Cargo Trucks (Total 48) 16 1-Ton Trailers (Total 48) (Platoons were further divided into two, eight-truck, ‘sections’ each of two, four-truck, ‘squads’.) These were manned by a total of 10 Officers and 183 Enlisted Men: 1 Lt. Colonel, 1 Major, 3 Captains, 3 1 st Lieutenants, 2 2 nd Lieutenants 40 NCOs 143 Other Ranks 3 2.5-Ton Cargo Trucks 11 1/4-Ton Trailers
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GHQ, 28100 Woodside Road, Shorewood, MN 55331 USA • (612) 374-2693 • www.ghqmodels.com
January - February 2008 Modeling Excellence Since 1967
The previous issue of TacNews, “The Nuts andBolts of Logistics,” covered in some detail thedevelopment of German supply techniques andthe organization of German logistic columns inWWII. This issue will broadly cover U.S. Armyquartermaster truck companies in the sameperiod. Full coverage of these topics wouldrequire a large and complex study, far beyond thescope of the TacNews format, but this article willhelp you gain a working knowledge of how thesecompanies were organized and deployed alongwith how they fit into the standard U.S. divisionTO&E.
DevelopmentAs with the German army, U.S. supply
doctrine in WWII was in many ways an extensionof techniques developed during WWI. Motortransport was in its infancy at the time, butthoughtful staff officers in all the armies involvedwere acutely aware of the implications for futureconflicts. The inter-war period saw many experi-ments and innovations. In 1919, the U.S. Armydispatched a trans-continental motor convoy totest the ability of trucks as the primary means ofsupplying fast-moving armies. One junior officertaking part in the expedition, impressed by thepotential of motor transport, was LieutenantDwight Eisenhower. Later, as supreme comman-der of Allied forces in Europe, he would com-mand the most lavishly equipped motorizedarmy in history.
THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF LOGISTICS II(U. S. Army Transport in World War II)
1
Organization: Quartermaster Truck CompaniesWhen the United States joined the war in earnest in 1942, its basic logistic element was the QuartermasterTruck Company, organized as follows:
Company Headquarters: (Personnel, Admin, Mess, Supply, & 2nd Echelon Maintenance sections)3 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’1 3/4-Ton Command Truck4 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers
3 Truck Platoons: each capable of carrying 56 Tons and consisting of the following vehicles:1 1/4-Ton ‘Jeep’ (Total 3)16 2.5-Ton Cargo Trucks (Total 48)16 1-Ton Trailers (Total 48)
(Platoons were further divided into two, eight-truck, ‘sections’ each of two, four-truck, ‘squads’.)
These were manned by a total of 10 Officers and 183 Enlisted Men: 1 Lt. Colonel, 1 Major, 3 Captains, 3 1st Lieutenants, 2 2nd Lieutenants40 NCOs 143 Other Ranks
3 2.5-Ton Cargo Trucks11 1/4-Ton Trailers
22
Medical Battalion
9 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’1 3/4-Ton Command Truck14 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers30 3/4-Ton Ambulances2 1.5-Ton Trucks14 2.5-Ton Cargo Trucks6 1/4-Ton Trailers9 1-Ton Trailers5 1-Ton (250 gal) Water Trailers
(36 Officers & 429 Enlisted Men)
Armored Division Ordnance/Light Maintenance Company
7 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’1 1/2-Ton Small Arms Repair Truck1 3/4-Ton Command Truck4 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers13 2.5-Ton Cargo Trucks2 4-Ton Wreckers1 5-Ton Heavy Wrecker13 1-Ton Trailers
(10 Officers & 137 Enlisted Men)
Attached Medical Personnel13 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’3 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers28 M.3 Halftracks (Unarmed)10 1-Ton Trailers
(30 Officers & 231 Enlisted Men)
Military Police Platoon
15 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’3 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers
(3 Officers & 70 Enlisted Men)
Armored Division Signals Company
19 1/4-Ton ‘Jeeps’5 3/4-Ton Command Trucks8 3/4-Ton Weapons Carriers7 1.5-Ton Cargo Trucks14 2.5-Ton Trucks2 2.5-Ton Small Arms Repair Trucks1 K-52 (Communications) Truck12 1-Ton Trailers
(11 Officers & 215 Enlisted Men)
PlanningBefore D-Day, U.S. Supply Doctrine clear-
ly stated that motorized supply columns werecapable of no more than a 100-mile round trip ina 24-hour period. In addition, Allied pre-inva-sion planning assumed that the French road netwas capable of supplying their forces at fullcombat effectiveness no more than seventy-fivemiles distant from forward rail-heads. Allieddivisions were expected to require some 650tons of supplies per day while in combat. InAugust 1944, in order to provide necessary sup-plies, Supreme Headquarters AlliedExpeditionary Forces (SHEAF) fielded a total of
227 Quartermaster Truck Companies with anequivalent of an additional 108 in French railcapacity. Given that, at that time, there were
Between two and six of these companies wereoften organized into Quartermaster TruckBattalions, one such battalion being capable oflifting an entire WWII U.S. Infantry Division.
Other Components of the Division ‘Train’In addition to truck companies, U.S
Armored Divisions (in particular) included agood deal of organic maintenance and logisticsupport elements:
US84WC-54 Dodge Ambulance
3
some 22 Allied divisions operating on the conti-nent at some 200 miles from the port ofCherbourg, this force would require some2,800,000 Ton/Miles per day (650 x 200 x 22).With all this supply capacity, the Allies were notexpected to reach the left bank of the Rhine untilD+365!
PracticeThe actual round-trip Allied truck convoys
would be able to effect in the period from 5 June– 20 September 1944 was 130 miles, 30% greaterthan planned; Supply consumption for Allieddivisions during the pursuit across France turnedout to be only 300-350 tons per day; and the max-imum distance at which Allied combat unitscould operate from forward railheads turned outto be 300% – 400% greater than expected!
German losses during the NormandyCampaign and the pursuit across France werenothing less than catastrophic. 400,000 Axis per-sonnel were lost, either as casualties or prisoners.To this total must be added some 1,800tanks/assault guns, 1,500 guns, and over 20,000other vehicles. 1st SS Division was reduced to 40
tanks and 1,000 men, 2nd Panzer ended up withonly 5 tanks and 2,000 men, while 84th InfantryDivision was reduced to some 3,000 troops and afew light weapons. 2nd Parachute Korps escapedwith as no more a shadow formation with only4,000 effective troops, little more than a strongbrigade! The Allies were on the Rhine fully ninemonths ahead of schedule, a significant and deci-sive victory.
Summing UpComparing American Logistics doctrine
and practices to their German counterparts isenlightening. To say that the Americans were‘lavish’ in apportioning vehicles and personnel tothis aspect of war is at very least an understate-ment. During the war, the United States mass-produced millions of military vehicles. More than800,000 2.5-Ton trucks were manufactured in the
US91 1/2 ton Chevrolet 4 x 4
US111/4 ton ‘Jeep’
US38
1 1/2 ton Weapons Carrier
US67
Amphibious ‘Jeep’
US58Cargo Trailers
US7
2 1/2 ton GMC
US162 1/2 ton Fuel Truck
US42DUKW 352
United States in the period. Hundreds of thou-sands of these were supplied to the other Alliedarmies, including more than 395,000 to the RedArmy alone.
It was the truck as much as the tank thatenabled the U.S. Army to become the world’spremier mechanized force during World War II,though many believe that honor goes to the
Wehrmacht. Throughout the war the Germansrelied heavily on horse-drawn transport, andemployed more than 2.8 million horses to sup-port their armies in the field. Without their well-trained, well equipped, transport service,American (and all other Allied) forces wouldhave been rendered immobile and the pace ofWWII combat would have resembled that of thewar of 1914 – 1918. WWII was a bloody anddestructive conflict, but the destruction wouldhave been of a magnitude almost beyond imagi-nation had the Allies not been able to count onthe largesse of the United States, made possibleby her enormous productive capacity.
by John Fernandes
4
US87WC-87 Dodge Command / Recon Car
US822 1/2 ton Workshop
US832 1/2 ton Compressor
& BreakdownTrucks
US81
2 1/2 tonDump Truck
US91
Diamond TWrecker
US72M26 Tank Transporter
US70
7 1/2 ton Mack NO
Selected BibliographyFM 10-35 ‘Quartermaster Truck Companies’, U.S. Government Printing Office, Leavenworth KS, 1945.Historic Military Vehicles Directory, Bart Vanderveen, ‘After the Battle’ Press, UK, 1989.Supplying War; Martin Van Creveld; Cambridge University Press; Cambridge (UK); 1982.TO&E Documentation obtained from the US Army Historical Center, Carlisle Carracks, PA
(Via the Nafziger Collection), 1994.World War II: The Encyclopedia of Facts and Figures; John Ellis; Doubleday; Mechanicsburg, PA; 1993.
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