United States Army Logistics, 1775-1992 An Anthology (vol.1)

344 Pages·1997·52.403 MB·English

by  Charles R. Shrader

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Volume
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V
Army
United States Logistics,
1775-1992
An
Anthology
Selected and Edited
by
Charles R. Shrader
In Three Volumes
Volume
1
CENTER OFMILITARYHISTORY
UNITED STATESARMY
WASHINGTOND.C., 1997
——
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
United States Army logistics, 1775-1992 : an anthology / selected and edited by
Charles R. Shrader.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
— — —
1. United States. Army Suppl—ies and stores —Management —History
Sources. 2. United States. Army Transportation Management History
— —
Sources. 3. Logistics History Sources. I. Shrader, Charles R.
UC263.U55 1997
355.4'11'0973—dc21 96^4553
CIP
CMH
Pub 68-1
First Printing
Foreword
Perhaps no other field ofmilitary science is more misunderstood than logis-
tics. Yet the means of supply, transportation, maintenance, and a variety ofother
supporting services frequently affect the daily lives ofsoldiers, the tactics ofdivi-
sions, and the strategies ofnations. In the Foreword to James A. Huston's classic
work, The Sinews ofWar:ArmyLogistics, 1775-1953, Brig. Gen. Hal Pattison, the
Chief of Military History in 1965, compared the importance of logistics to "the
same way that a well-run household supports the people who live in it." Battles
have been won, and wars have been lost, at least in part because ofan army's abil-
ity to sustain itselfin combat.
U.S. Army Logistics, 1775-1992:AnAnthology is designed to introduce to the
soldier and the student of logistics a variety oftopical selections that cover over
200 years of our Army's history. In many cases, the reader may be intrigued by
how often problems were repeated in different conflicts. There were remarkable
similarities in transportation problems during the Mexican War and World War II,
and comparable supply management difficulties arose during the Korean War and
the war inVietnam. How military personnel dealt with these issues and what suc-
cessive generations learned from these experiences provide valuable insights for
logisticians and commanders today.
The selections for this anthology were made by Lt. Col. Charles R. Shrader,
who was eminently qualified for this task. Blending his years ofexperience as an
Army logistician and historian, Colonel Shraderhas assembled a unique collection
ofessays that cover both the breadth and depth ofArmy logistics from the frozen
hills ofValley Forge to the burning deserts ofSouthwestAsia. For the commander
and the logistician, the soldier and the student, here is a book that will stimulate
thought, encourage discussion, and provide perspective to an essential element of
military science.
W
Washington, D.C. JOHN MOUNTCASTLE
September 1996 Brigadier General, U.S. Army
ChiefofMilitary History
in
The General Editor
Charles R. Shrader retired from the United StatesArmy in 1987 as a lieutenant
colonel after 23 years' service as an Infantry and Transportation Corps officer. He
served as an infantry platoon leader and battalion operations officer at Fort
Carson, Colorado, on two tours with transportation units in Vietnam, and later as
a liaison officer between major logistical headquarters and as a truck battalion
executive officer in Germany.
For most ofhis military career Dr. Shrader was active in the study and teach-
ing ofhistory and the administration ofhistorical programs within the Army. He
served as an assistant professor ofhistory at the United States Military Academy
and as a history instructor at the U.S. Army Command and General StaffCollege.
He was the first acting director of the Combat Studies Institute at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas, and later served as chiefofthe Oral History Branch ofthe
U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, where he
also held the General ofthe Army George C. Marshall Chair ofMilitary Studies
at the U.S. Army War College. He later served as the curriculum director of the
NATO Defense College in Rome, andatthe time ofhis retirement from active duty
he was chief, Historical Services Division, U.S. Army Center ofMilitary History,
in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Shrader earned the B.A. degree in history (cum laude with "High Honors
in History" and Phi Beta Kappa) from Vanderbilt University in 1964 and the doc-
torate in medieval history from Columbia University in 1976. He is also a gradu-
ate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army War
College, and the NATO Defense College.
Dr. Shrader has published several articles on medieval history and manuscript
studies as well as on various topics inAmerican military history. He is the author
ofAmicicide: The Problem ofFriendly Fire in Modern War and ofmajor articles
on logistics in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He
is also the general editor of a five-volume Reference Guide to U.S. Military
History (1990-1995), the editor of U.S. Military Logistics, 1607-1990: A
Research Guide (1992), and the author ofCommunistLogistics in the Korean War
(1995).
IV
Preface
Any anthology represents the personal preferences of its compiler, and this
anthology is no exception to that rule. The readings which comprise the body of
this volume are, no less than the introductory essay and suggestions for further
reading, reflections of my own knowledge and understanding of the history of
United StatesArmy logistics. They represent pieces which I have found congenial
as to style or particularly useful as to content. The balance among types ofmater-
ial, authors, temporal periods, and topics has thus been predicated on my percep-
tion ofwhat themes should be examined by the student ofArmy logistics as well
as the topics which I believe should be of lasting interest to the general reader.
Although each item was selected on the basis ofits perceived quality and useful-
ness, specific consideration was given to the degree to which it addresses one or
more ofnine key topics: the definition oflogistics; the relationship oflogistics to
strategy and tactics; the organization for logistics; the evolution oflogistical force
structure; the evolution oflogistical doctrine; the art and science oflogistical oper-
ations; the impact ofkey personalities; the impact ofoverseas operations; and the
impact ofcooperative logistics.
The readerwill note that almost all ofthe selections deal exclusively with U.S.
Army logistical matters. This is not to deny that there is much to be learned from
the logistical history ofthe other services or offoreign armed forces. Such is cer-
tainly the case, but the student of logistical history is well advised to begin with
the history ofhis own nation and service before proceeding afield. The same ratio-
nale applies to the fact that the selections are in almost every case from the pen of
American writers.
The temporal scope ofthe selections runs from 1775 to 1992; that is, from the
birth ofthe U.S. Army during the Revolution through the war in SouthwestAsia in
1991-1992. Although the selections tend to provide more detail and to focus at
lower levels as we move closerto the present, it should be pointed out that there is
something important to be learned from every period. In general, periods ofmajor
conflict, such as the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, and World
War II, receive somewhat greater attention inasmuch as they were times ofsignif-
icant change in logistical doctrine and methods. But in the field of logistics the
preparatory activities in peacetime are perhaps equal in significance to the actual
conduct of logistical operations in wartime. Accordingly, the selections in this
anthology do cover both "the Preparation for War" and "the Conduct ofWar" as
Clausewitz calls the two major aspects ofwarfare.
I have generally avoided lengthy selections on such quasi-civilian logistical
activities as procurement, production, and mobilization, although some briefer
selections essential to understanding the overall scope oflogistics in modern war-
fare have been included. I have also tried to select readings which cover all ofthe
various logistical functions. Thus, there are selections discussing supply, rations,
ordnance, transportation, and maintenance as well as logistics in the more general
sense. have also Included selections which inform the reader about the organiza-
1
tional histoi\ o\' each o\' the traditional supply departments: Quartermaster,
Commissary, Ordnance, and Transportation. Unfortunately, the limits of space
have precluded the inclusion of material dealing with the one remaining major
area of Army logistics, medical service, or with the important contributions to
logistical operations ofthe Corps ofEngineers.
The broad field ofArmy logistics involves many activities outside the actual
theater of operations. Nevertheless I have consciously sought to focus the selec-
tions principally on what might be called the operational level oflogistics, that is,
on the theater level. However, activities and issues at both higher and lower levels
have not been neglected; the selections in fact provide a wide variety ofperspec-
tives. Some pieces reflect the view from the highest national political and military
levels while others present the issues from the viewpoint ofthe theater comman-
A
der or his logistical staff. few pieces even provide a "user/doer" or division/bat-
talion/company-level view.
Overall, I have sought to balance the selections interms oforiginal documents
and secondaryworks ofanalysis and descriptionwhile still exposingthe wide vari-
ety of types of material available. Thus, journal articles both contemporary and
retrospective, books, official reports and orders, correspondence by participants,
and othervarieties ofmaterial have been included. Ofcourse, I have selected items
which cover the key events and personalities, but I have also sought to introduce
the reader to some ofthe "classic" sources ofinformation on U.S. Army logistical
history and to historians working in the field. The various historical and profes-
sional journals in which one is likely to find good logistically oriented materials
are also well represented. If I seem to have relied too heavily on any particular
author, book, or journal, it is simply because the best pieces were to be found
there. Some articles or topics may have been omitted, but it was not possible to
include everything that might be sought by every user ofthis anthology.
Although the principal purpose of this anthology is to provide a convenient
selection ofreadings which the teacher and student can use to support lectures on
the history of U.S. Army logistics or to supplement a text such as James A.
Huston's The Sinews ofWar, the readings should prove equally interesting to the
professional historian and the general reader interested in military affairs. In some
cases the selection can scarcely be considered definitive, but the bibliographical
notes ofthe piece should lead the reader to additional information. To that end I
have also includeda section entitled "Suggestions forFurtherReading," which can
be used as an introductory self-study course by the reader interested in pursuing
the subject. I have also provided as an aid to the readerthree appendixes which list
the key logistical personalities over the years and set forth two important sets of
background data: the expenditures of the Army and the strength of the Army at
various dates. In every case I have sought to stimulate interest and further explo-
ration ofthe fascinating and important field oflogistics.
This anthology traces its origins back to a similar collection ofreadings which
I prepared for a course on the history of U.S. Army logistics at the U.S. Army
v
I
Command and General StaffCollege in the late 1970s. Both my knowledge ofthe
subject and ofthe available literature have greatly expanded since that time due
mainly to the many excellent suggestions provided by colleagues to whom I am
greatly indebted. I would be remiss ifI did not acknowledge two ofthemby name:
Dr. Tommy R. Young II and Col. Thomas W. Sweeney. I am also indebted to the
staffofthe CombinedArms Research Library at Fort Leavenworth and to the per-
sonnel of the Reference Branch and the reading room staff of the U.S. Army
Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks for their professional advice and
willing assistance. At the Center of Military History, Ms. Beth MacKenzie col-
lected the illustrations, designed the text, and formatted the manuscript, while Mr.
Cody Phillips reviewed the entire text to purge transcription errors and made edi-
torial corrections. And I am most grateful forthe informed guidance oftheArmy's
ChiefHistorian, Dr. Jeffrey J. Clarke, and for the support oftwo previous Chiefs
ofMilitary History, Maj. Gen. WilliamA. Stofft and Brig. Gen. HaroldW. Nelson.
I also am thankful to the current Chief of Military History, Brig. Gen. John W.
Mountcastle, for his support in seeing this anthology published.
The views expressed in these selections are those of the authors and do not
reflect the official policy or positions ofthe Departments ofArmy and Defense or
the U.S. government.
Carlisle, Pennsylvania Charles R. Shrader
September 1996
Vll