Chapter IX
THE SERVICES OF SUPPLY
N rear of the area actually occupied by The building up of this organization the fighting elements of a modern was one of the most diffi.cult problems I army, a great organization is required which faced the Commander-in-Chief of to keep the combat units constantly sup- the A.E.F. upon his arriva! in France. It plied with the men and means necessary was imperative that the essential supply for operations against the enemy. Re- services be ready to operate when the placements of men and animals, great first combat troops arrived and that their quantities of rations, ammunition, weap- facilities be expanded progressively to ons, equipment and supplies of all kinds supply the needs of the vast forces soon must be obtained and delivered to to corne. In spite of the handicaps of
Locomotive Repair Shop at Nevers Under Construction by American Engineers Nevers was an important railroad and srorage center the front. To accomplish this, complete emergency pressure, the great distance transportation facilities must be provided, from America, a foreign language and and these must not only be adequate to foreign customs, and an already over- handle the enormous volumes of freight burdened railroad system in France, the but also to move organizations from one organization was developed steadily so point to another and to evacuate the that when the crisis came at the time of wounded to the rear. In the A.E.F. the Meuse-Argonne offensive it was able these and other tasks, which involved the to handle with great success the enormous construction and operation of transporta- demands made by the First Army upon it. tion systems, telephone and telegraph The "Line of Communications" was lines, hospitals, depots, docks, mills, re- formed on July 5, 1917, shortly after pair shops and factories of various kinds, General Pershing arrived in France. At were performed by an organization known that time it was given no definite bound- successively as the "Line of Communica- aries but consisted mainly of the port of tions", the "Service of the Rear" and the St. Nazaire and the city of Nevers, the lat- "Services of Supply" or briefly "S.O.S." ter being the Headquarters of the Advance (437) 438 THE SER VICES OF SUPPLY
Section. Its active area was gradually communication began within the United extended, however, and on February States and extended across the sea to 16, 1918, the "Line of Communications" France. They entered France mainly was reorganized and called the "Service of at ports along its western coast from Brest the Rear". This designation was changed southward, as those farther north were
Services of Supply of the American Expeditionary Forces 3 G L N
SPAIN
0 100 200 Miles
General Headquarters A. E. F. Headquarters S. O. S. Port used by S. O. S. o Important Town Une of Jan . 1918 Railroad ------Section Boundary Numbers indicate base sections on March 13, 1918, and throughout the already heavily burdened with British remainder of its existence the organiza- and French traffic. The railway lines tion was known as the "Services of Sup- which ran northeastward from these ply" or more generally as the "S.O.S." southern ports to the main areas of Ameri- The American lines of supply and can operations were selected for the use THE SERVICES OF SUPPLY 439 of the A.E.F., thus avoiding the con- Board, was created to supervise and gested region near Paris w here the greater coordinate such purchases. The effi- part of the French war factories and large ciency of this agency as well as its great supply depots were located. value is illustrated by the fact that from For purposes of administration the June 1917 to December 1918 approxi- S.O.S. was divided into several base sec- mately 10,193,000 ship tons of material tions, located around the ports of debarka- were acquired in Europe for the use of the tion, and one intermediate and one ad- American Arrny, while shipments from vance section located the United States to progressively ne are r the A.E.F. during that the front lines. Even- same period amounted tually there were nine to a p p r o x i m a t e 1 y base sections, including 7,675,000 ship tons. one in England, one in A further saving in Italy and one compris- tonnage was made by ing Antwerp and Rot- the fo r m a t i o n of a terdam. The extent of salvage service, which the S.O.S. and its terri- collected, repaired and torial organization at reissued discarded the time of the Armi- shoes,hats, clothing and stice are shown on the other articles of equip- preceding sketch. ment. This service, The Commanding besides saving much General of the S.O.S. raw material, reclaimed was responsible directly for use supplies valued to the Commander-in- at $126,367,322. Chief of the A.E.F. The construction of He was in charge of all the many establish- activities of the Serv- ments and facilities ices of Supply and of all necessary to the proper personnel and matériel functioning of the sup- from the moment they ply service was per- arrived at the ports fo r m e d ch i e fi y by until they reached American en gin eer points in the forward troops. Nearly 1,000 areas designated by miles of standard-gauge G.H.Q. He coordinated railway tracks; 4 docks, the work of the differ- with 23 berths, includ- ent supply branches, ing the necessary equip- such as the quarter- Major General James G. Harbord ment for un 1o ad in g m aster, engineer, Commanding General of the Services of ships; about 25,000,000 ordnance, signal, trans- Supply from July 29, 1918, square feet of covered portation, aviation, to May 26, 1919 storage space; 16,000 chemical warfare and barracks, which, if medical, and so planned that, as far as placed end to end, would have reached possible, there would be on band at all 303 miles, or from Washington, D. C., to times sufficient supplies to meet every Albany, New York; bakeries; several requirement of the forces at the front. enormous hospitals; refrigeration plants; The scarcity of vessels made it im- and many other structures were built by perative that as rnany articles as possible the American Army in France. The base be purchased in Europe, so an agency of hospital center at Mars consisted of 700 the S.O.S., called the General Purchasing buildings, with a fioor space of 33 acres. 440 THE SERVICES OF SUPPLY
One of the refrigerating plants could motives and 56,000 cars for the Allies. store 6,500 tons of meat and produce 500 The supplies collected were stored at tons of ice per day; and one of the me- different points between the base ports chanical bakeries had a daily capacity of and the combat zone. It was inadvisable 800,000 pounds of bread, enough to fill to place large quantities too close to the about 50 standard American freight cars. front because of the enormous losses and Forestry operations, which produced more consequent scarcity of supplies which than 200,000,000 feet of lumber and about would result if the Germans made a sub- 4,000,000 railway ties, were carried on to stantial advance. On the other hand, if assist in providing the materials needed stored near the base ports they would be in the construction program, the size of too far from the battle front and an inter-
American Lumber Mill Nea r Eclaron At the rime of the Armistice 81 of these mills were in operation
which is indicated by the examples that ruption of the lines of communication have just been given in this paragraph. would interfere with sending them for- The transportation of supplies required ward and thus seriously embarrass the a great amount of rolling stock. As only troops in contact with the enemy. De- a part of this could be procured from the pots were therefore established in the base, French, assembly plants were erected in intermediate and advance sections, those which more than 1,500 locomotives and in the advance section containing rela- 18,000 cars were constructed from parts tively small reserves and being located as received from the United States. Amer- near to the combat areas as practicable. ican railroad repair shops in France also It was originally planned that sufficient reconditioned approximately 2,000 loco- reserve stocks should be kept in France View of Y ar
Supplies in Storage at Montoir LOCATIONS IN FRANCE OF ACTIVITIES OF THE SERVICES OF SUPPLY
HE following list gives some of the Colombey-les-Belles. Air service de- T places in France where establishments pot for advance section of the S.O.S. were created or operated by the Services Commercy. Remount depot and vet- of Supply. This list although incomplete erinary hospital; motor transport center. will give an idea of the magnitude of the Contrexéville. Hospital center. work performed by that organization. Corbeil. Coffee roasting plant. HEADQUARTERS, S.O.S. Dijon. Advance quartermaster depot; motor transport shops; camouflage plant; Tours. Also aviation instruction center air service depot; forestry district hdqrs. and base depot; refrigeration plant. Donjeux. Tractor artilleryrepair shops; A beautiful fountain at Tours erected motor transport service park. by the United States Government com- Doulaincourt. Ordnance shops. memorates the services of the S.O.S. It Eclaron. Location of a forestry dis- is located on the Quai d'Orléans at the trict headquarters. southern end of the Pont Wilson. For a Epinal. Motor transport overhauling description of this memorial see page 479. and repair shop; forestry district hdqrs. ADVANCE SECTION * Gondrecourt. I Corps schools. Bazoilles-sur-Meuse. Hospital center; Hanlon Field, 1 mile east of Chaumont. salvage plant; storage depot; cold-storage Location of A.E.F. gas defense school. and ice-making plant; medical school. Haussimont. Artillery observation Beaune. A university, established here school; training center for railway artil- by the A.E.F. after the Armistice, was lery; ordnance training center and repair attended by about 9,000 Americans; hos- shop for artillery on railway mounts. pital center; general storage depot. Is-sur-Tille. Headquarters of Advance Belfort. Motor transport repair shops. Section of S.O.S., Sept.17-Nov. 1, 1917; Besançon. Location of a forestry dis- regulating station, from which more than trict headquarters and remount depot. 1,000,000 men were supplied at one time; Bourbonne-les-Bains. Remount depot largest bakery in the A.E.F.; ordnance and veterinary hospital; medical supply school and shops; air service intermediate depot; advance mot or transport center. depot; artillery camp; important center Châtillon-sur-Seine. Location of II of railroad construction in this area. Corps schools; air service school in gun- Jonchery. Advance quartermaster de- nery and observation; gasoline storage pot; advance ammunition storage depot; depot; fi eld and mechanical bakeries. center of railroad construction; ordnance See map, page 438, [or location of these Sections. school; advance motor transport center.
New Cars an d Trucks Asse mbled at Bassens, October 1, 1918 THE SERVICES OF SUPPLY 443
Horses for the Arnerican Forces Just Unloaded at Bordeaux
Langres. Army schools, which in- Nogent-en-Bassigny. Headquarters of cluded 17 separate schools; motor trans- the Advance Section, S.O.S., during the port repair and supply center; hospital period, June 28 to October 23, 1918. center; Headquarters of the Advance Sec- Rimaucourt. Hospital center. tion, Services of Supply, during the period St. Dizier. Regulating station. from January 20 to June 28, 1918. Sampigny. Location of a large motor Léonval. Advance miscellaneous stor- transport park and repair center. age depot; chemical warfare ammunition Toul. Important hospital center; re- depot and repair shops. frigeration plant; veterinary hospital. Le Valdahon. Aerial observation school Vaucouleurs. Advance storage depot. for artillery; field artillery school and Vitrey. Trench artillery school center. training camp; ordnance repair shop; Vitry-le-François. Motor transport re- location of veterinary hospital. pair center; important railroad junction. Liffol-le-Grand. Regulating station; depot camp; railroad repair shop and INTERMEDIATE SECTION engine terminal; mechanical bakery; scene Aix-les-Bains. Central point of the of many large general activities. principal leave area for the A.E.F. Lux. Location of a remount depot and Allerey. Hospital center; storage depot; veterinary hospital. ice-making and cold-storage plant. Mailly. Heavy artillery school before Autun. Military police school. removal to Angers; artillery camp. Blois. Reclassification camp for offi- Montiers-sur-Saulx. Location of a cers; concentration and reclassification remount depot and veterinary hospital. point for enlisted casuals discharged from Nancy. Location of a remount depot. hospitals in the A.E.F. Neufchâteau. Headquarters of the Bourges. Location of the central rec- AdvanceSection, S.O.S., Nov. l, 1917-Jan. ords office for all personnel of the A.E.F.; 20 and after Oct. 23, 1918; motor trans- ordnance school, shops and depot; for- port overhaul park; veterinary hospital. estry district headquarters; field bakery. depot; site of prisoner of war enclosure. La Cluze. Location of a forestry dis- trict headquarters. Le Blanc. Field artillery motor train- ing center and ordnance repair shop. Le M ans. Replacement depot; rifle range with 775 targets; motor transport repair shop; chaplains' school. After the Armistice this was the principal area in which troops were assembled, inspected and equipped preparatory to embarking for the United States. Its maximum capacity was 230,000 men. Le Puy. Forestry district headquarters. Mars. Location of a hospital center. Mehun-sur-Yèvre. Location of largest ordnance repair shop in A.E .F ., where rifles, machine guns and cannon were re- conditioned; storage depot. Mesves-sur-Loire. One of the largest hospital centers of the A.E.F. Montierchaume. General intermedi- ate storage depot, similar to the one at Soning Sal vaged Shoes Gièvres but only half completed at the time the hostilities ceased. Châteauroux. Gas mask salvage de- Montlouis. Potato storage depot. pot; forestry district headquarters. Neuvy-Pailloux. Tank center. Chinon. Location of the Chemical Nevers. Headquarters of the Advance Warfare Service training center. Section, S.O.S., July 10-Sept. 17, 1917; Clamecy. III Corps schools. Headquarters of the Intermediate Sec- Clermont-Ferrand. Training center for tion, S.O.S., after Sept. 17, 1917; also an heavy tractor artillery; aviation instruc- important railroad and storage center; tion center; ordnance training center and principal locomotive repair shops of the repair shops; hospital center; quartermas- Expeditionary Forces; veterinary hospital. ter depot; location of a field bakery. Drafting an Operation Map Decize. Motor transport school. Gien. Heavy artillery tractor school; forestry district headquarters. Gièvres. General intermediate storage depot, the largest depot in the A.E.F. It reached a strength of about 700 officers and 25,000 soldiers. Included in this depot were the largest refrigeration and ice-making plant in the A.E.F.; coffee roasting plant and field bakery; coal and gasoline storage; central baggage office; remount depot and veterinary hospital. Center of railroad construction. Grenoble. One of the leave areas. Issoudun. Aviation instruction center comprising 12 fl.ying fields; intermediate quartermaster depot; ammunition storage
(444) Pont-de-Claix. Gas cylinder filling plant run by the Chemical W arfare Service. Pouilly. Location of a supply depot. Richelieu. Camp for officer prisoners of war, more than 800 being confined. Romorantin. Aviation production center and base depot; motor transport repair shop and storage depot. St. Aignan. Replacement depot. After the Armistice it became a clearing point for troops returning to the United States. St. Pierre-des-Corps. Central camp for prisoners of war; supply depot; salvage Ice Plant at Gièvres plant; postal and statistical bureaus. Third largest in the world, construcred by A. E. F. Selles-sur-Cher. Remount depot. Sougy. Location of a remount depot was unfinished at the time of the Armi- and veterinary hospital. stice. This was the main depot for sup- Valbonne. Infantry school for officer plies received at the port of St. Nazaire. candidates; location of a field bakery. Nantes. Port of entry; motor assem- Verneuil. Motor transport reconstruc- bly and repair shop; hospital center. tion shop of the A.E.F.; motor transport St. Jean-de-Monts. Location of an supply depot; prisoner of war enclosure. aerial gunnery and an ordnance school. Vichy. Location of a hospital center. St. Nazaire. Headquarters of Base Section No.1; principalfreight port, about DISTRICT OF PARIS 2,552,000 tons of freight were received here Arnouville-les-Gonesse. Artillery sec- before May 1, 1919; remount depot and tion of the Army anti-aircraft school. veterinary hospital; ice-making and refrig- Clichy-la-Garenne. Air base depot. eration plant; center of railroad construc- Le Bourget. Temporary regulating sta- tion; locomotive erecting shops; camps. tion which included N oisy-ie-Sec and was Saumur. Artillery school for officers used in conjunction with the French. and candidates for commission; bakery. Savenay. Hospital center for wounded BASE SECTION NO. 1 being returned to the United States. Angers. Heavy artillery school; engi- neer training base; ordnance training BASE SECTION NO. 2 center and repair shops; railroad trans- Angoulême. Ordnance training center portation officers' school; hospital center; and repair shops; training center for per- location of a cold-storage plant. sonnel of artillery ammunition trains. Baugé. Forestry district headquarters. Bassens. Large American docks; stor- Coëtquidan. Artillery training camp; age warehouses and cold-storage plant; aerial observation school; veterinary hos- machine repair shop for the transport pital; ordnance repair shop; storage depot. service; engine terminal; center of railroad Donges. Ammunition depot. construction and many other activities. Les Sables-d'Olonne. Secondary port Bayonne. One of the smaller ports of entry, principally used for coal. used by the A.E.F.; remount depot. Meucon. Field artillery training camp; Beau Désert. Hospital center; small artillery aerial observation school; ord- storage depot; prisoner of war enclosure. nance repair shop for mobile artillery. Bordeaux. Headquarters of Base Sec- Montoir. Large storage depot and tion No. 2. At the time of the Armistice railroad yards; engine terminal and rail- this port was rapidly becoming the princi- road repair shop; coal storage yards. A pal freight port of the A.E.F. and by May large new dock to accommodate eight ships 1, 1919, it had received about 2,197,000 ( 445) Railway Yards and Warehouses at St. Sulpice Constructed by American Engineers tons. In its vicinity were a large num- returning to the United States after hos- ber of sawmills, hospitals and warehouses. tilities had ceased; small storage yard. Carbon-Blanc. Location of a remount Perigueux. Hospital center. depot and veterinary hospital. Pontenx-les-Forges. Forestry district Cazaux. Aerial gunnery school. beadquarters; location of a field bakery. Dax. Forestry district headquarters. St. Loubè . Large base depot; ord- Hendaye. Remount depot. nance storage depot; oil storage tank; Labrit. Forestry district headquarters. center of railroad construction. La Courtine. Field artillery training St. Sulpice. Large storage depot; cof- camp; miscellaneous storage depot. fee-roasting plant; field bakery; coal stor- Le Courneau. Field artillery training age yard; center of railroad construction. camp; miscellaneous storage depot. Sougé-Champ-de-Tir. Artillery con- Libourne. Heavy tractor artillery train- centration and training camp; balloon, ing center; ordnance training center and aerial gunnery and observation schools; shops; miscellaneous storage depot. ordnance repair shop and remount depot. Limoges. Heavy tractor artillery train- ing center; ordnance training center and BASE SECTION NO. 4 shops; storage depot; bospital center. Calais. One of the ports used by Amer- Mérignac. Remount depot. ican troops arriving by way of England. Mimizan. Location of a forestry dis- Le Havre. Headquarters of Base Sec- trict headquarters. tion No. 4; auxiliary port for American Pauillac. Naval air station; port of sbipping; most of the men trans-shipped entry and port of embarkation for troops from England landed here; storage depot; refrigeration plant; location of a motor Assemhling an American Locomotive at the transport service and reception parks. St. Nazaire Shops of the S.O.S. Rouen. Port of entry for gasoline, coal and other supplies; motor transport shops.
BASE SECTION NO . 55 Brest. Headquarters of Base Section No. 5; principal port for debarkation and embarkation of troops. A lighterage wharf, warebouses and refrigeration plant were constructed by Americans there. A beautiful monument to commemo- rate the achievements of the United States Navy during the World War bas been erected by the American Govern- ( 446) THE SERVICES OF SUPPLY 447 ment on an old fortification wall over- Miramas. Storage depot for the port looking the harbor. See page 475 for a of Marseille; prisoner of war enclosure. general description of this memorial. Nice. Main town in Riviera leave area. Cherbourg. Port of debarkation for troops arriving by way of England. BASE SECTION NO. 7 Granville. Port of entry for coal. Aigrefeuille. Location of a base depot; Pontanézen Barracks. Largest Amer- classification yards and coal storage depot. ican camp in France; rest camp for troops La Pallice. Headquarters of Base Sec- debarking or embarking at Brest. tion No. 7 for a time; port of entry for oil Rennes. Locomotive terminal; repair and otber freight; gasoline storage depot; shop for railroad cars and locomotives. refrigeration plant and remount depot.
Loadiog Cars at Quartermaster Depot No. 1, Nevers Note women laborers employed for this work
St. Malo. Leave center in Brittany; La Rochelle. Headquarters of Base secondary port of entry, mainly for coal. Section No. 7 after removal fromLa Pallice; operated as a port in conjunction with BASE SECTION NO. G La Pallice; railroad car erection center; Marseille. Headquarters of Base Sec- remount depot and veterinary hospital. tion No. 6; motor reception park; remount Marans. Location of a secondary coal depot. Due to submarine activities in the port and coal storage depot. Mediterranean and the greater distance Mortagne. Cernent plant, leased from from America tbis port was not used exten- the French, was operated by the S.O.S. sively by the American Expeditionary Rochefort. Port for coal and general Forces during the war. After the Armistice cargo; site of prisoner of war enclosure. it was a secondary port of embarkation Tonnay-Charente. Coal port and coal for troops returning to the United States. storage depot, operating with Rochefort. Convoy of Transports En Route to France, October 1918