Logistics in World War II
Final Report of the Army Service Forces

A Report to the Under Secretary of War
and the Chief of Staff
by the Director of the
Service, Supply, and Procurement Division
War Department General Staff

 

This volume is "under development" and will be completed as time allows...

Contents

  Foreword  
  Introduction vii
Chapter   Page
1. Preparations Prior to Pearl Harbor 1
    The Peacetime Army 1
    Early Expansion of the Army 2
    Development of Weapons 3
    Industrial Mobilization 4
    Construction 5
    Effect of Lend Lease on Preparedness 5
    Oversea Bases 8
    Service Troops 9
2. State of Readiness, December 1941 10
3. The Army Service Forces 22
4. Influence of Logistics on Strategy 32
    North African Campaign 35
    Sicilian Campaign 38
    Italian Campaign 39
    European Theater of Operations 40
    Persian Gulf Command 44
    China, Burma, India 45
    Early Pacific Campaigns 48
    The Philippines 48
    Preparation for the Final Assault on Japan 53
    Redeployment 54
5. Supply 56
    Requirements 57
    Research and Development 62
    Production 65
    Purchasing 70
    Storage 74
    Packaging and Packing 77
    Distribution 78
    Lend-Lease Distribution 84
    Civilian Supply in Occupied and Liberated Areas 85
    Maintenance 88
    Combat Vehicles 91
    Motor Transport Vehicles 93
    Artillery and Ammunition 94
    Small Arms 97
    Clothing and Equipage 99
    Subsistence 101
    Engineer Equipment 103
    Communications Equipment 104
    Chemical Warfare Supplies 106
6. Services 107
    Military Personnel Administration 102
    Civilian Employees 112
    Military Training 113
    Information and Education 118
    Special Services 119
    Chaplains 120
    Medical Services 121
    Military Justice 127
    Military Police 128
    Construction and Real Estate 130
    Communications 139
    Transportation 140
    Finance 149
    Printing 152
    Photography 153
    Maps 154
    Port Management and Housekeeping 154
7. Logistics in Theaters of Operations 158
8. Management 171
    Organization 171
    Supervisory Personnel 173
    Policies 174
    Planning 175
    Procedures 175
    Work Simplification 182
    Work Measurement 183
    Service Control 187
    Management Ideas from Within the Organization 187
    Statistical Reporting 190
    Reports Control 191
    Personnel Control 191
    Control Units 193
9. Army Service Forces Relationships 194
    Within the War Department 195
    With the Navy 198
    With the Combined and Joint Chiefs of Staff 200
    With Civilian War Agencies 202
10. The Transition to Peace 214
    Demobilization Planning 214
    Demobilization of Personnel 216
    Matériel Demobilization 219
    Property Disposition 224
    Disposal Agency Backlogs 226
    Direct Disposition by the War Department 228
    Disposition of Army Services Forces Property Overseas 229
    Assisting the Civilian Economy 230
    Demobilization of Installations 232
    Transportation 233
    Civilian Supply 234
    Food Conservation 238
    Repatriation of United States Dead 238
    Dissolution of the Army Service Forces 239
11. Logistic Lessons of World War II 244
    Summary 252
Appendix   Page
I. List of Important Management Improvements Achieved in ASF to 11 June 1946 253
II. Key Personnel 271
  Illustrations  
Chart
No.		   Page
1. Logistic Activities x
2. Logistic Situation, December 1941 16
3. Organization, Army Service Forces, 1945 20
4. Work of the Army Service Forces
5. ASF Activities to End of Hostilities, World War II
6. U.S. Army Supply Lines, World War II
7. Supply Control
8. ASF Procurement Deliveries
9. ASF Index of Contract Price Changes
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Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation