United States Army in World War II: The Technical Services: The Ordnance Department

On Beachhead and Battlefront

By Lida Mayo

Center of Military History

United States Army

Washington, D.C., 1991

. . . to Those Who Served

Contents

Chapter 1: The Military Missions

The Special Observer Group—Ordnance Plans for Iceland—The Lend-Lease Missions to the Middle East and China—Initiation Into Coalition Warfare

Chapter 2: Middle East Kaleidoscope

The OMETs—Militarization—The Desert Proving Ground—Applying the Lessons

Chapter 3: Early Arrivals in Australia

The Pensacola Convoy—Last-Ditch Efforts To Aid MacArthur—Planning the American Base—Port Operations

Chapter 4: The Base in Australia

Rounding Up Weapons and Ammunition—Ship Arming—Ordnance Forces Spread Thin—Geelong and the Ordnance Service Centers—Working With the Australians—USAAS Ordnance—Midsummer 1942: New Responsibilities—Preparations To Support the Move Northward—Responsibility for Motor Vehicles

Chapter 5: Supporting the Papua Campaign

The Ordnance Officer Arrives at Port Moresby—The Crisis in Mid-September—The Sea Route to Buna—The Attack Begins—and Stalls—I Corps Takes Over—The Forward Bases—Captured Japanese Matériel—“A Poor Man’s War”

Chapter 6: The Base in the British Isles

Ordnance Troops in Magnet—Planning for Bolero—Preparations for Torch

Chapter 7: Oran and the Provisional Ordnance Group:

Tactical Plans—Ordnance Service: The Group Concept—The Landing at Oran—The Provisional Ordnance Group—The Move to Northern Tunisia—Planning for Central Tunisia

Chapter 8: With II Corps in Tunisia

The Supply Crisis—“Miracles of Maintenance”—Niblo Leaves II Corps—Supporting the Thrust Through Gafsa—The March to Bizerte—“The End of the Beginning”

Chapter 9: The Short Campaign in Sicily

Plans for Husky—New Matériel—The Invasion Fleets Depart—The Landings—Colonel Nixon’s Problems—“A Black Eye on Ordnance”—The Evidence at the End

Chapter 10: Salerno and the Growth of Fifth Army Ordnance Service

Niblo’s Group Organization—“Hell in the Dunes”—“Uninterrupted” Ordnance Service—The Search for Better Organization

Chapter 11: Anzio and Artillery

The Ammunition Dumps—Anzio Annie and the Clamor for Heavier Artillery—The 240-mm. Howitzer and the 8-inch Gun—“Balanced Artillery Firepower”

Chapter 12: Rome and “The Forgotten Front”

The Allies Enter Rome—“The Forgotten Front”—Lessons of the Mediterranean Campaigns

Chapter 13: Arming for the Grand Campaign

New Methods of Supply—Motor Vehicle Assembly—Preparations for a Short Sea Voyage—Bomb Disposal—The Ordnance Plan for Neptune—“The Best-Equipped Fighting Force”

Chapter 14: The Far Shore in Normandy

Omaha Beach—Utah Beach—Frustration in the Hedgerows—Expansion After Cobra: Third Army

Chapter 15: The Race Across France

The Campaign in Brittany—To the Seine and Beyond: First Army Ordnance—Third Army Ordnance in the Dash to the Moselle—Seventh Army in Southern France

Chapter 16: At the Siegfried Line in Belgium

The Supply Famine—First Army Improvises—Frustration at the Ports and Depots—The Battle of the Ardennes—Bastogne and Third Army Ordnance

Chapter 17: Lessons of the Roer and the Ardennes

Ninth Army Ordnance—The Tank Duels on the Roer Plain—Attempts To Provide a Better Tank—The Zebra Mission of February 1945

Chapter 18: Victory in Germany

Supplies for the Last Campaign—Across the Rhine—Captured Enemy Matériel—Ordnance Technical Intelligence—After V-E Day

Chapter 19: From Papua to Morotai

Developing the Bases—New Weapons for Jungle Warfare—The Move Northward Begins With Dexterity—Support of Brewer in the Admiralties—Hollandia and Aitape—The Geelvink Bay Operations: Wakde, Biak, Noemfoor—The Sansapor Area in the Vogelkop—Morotai

Chapter 20: The Philippines: Leyte

The Ordnance Navy: The Shop and Depot Barges—Planning for Leyte—A-Day and After—The Costly Base at Leyte—Eighth Army Ordnance Arrives—Success on Mindoro

Chapter 21: The Philippines: Luzon

Ordnance Plans for Luzon—Supporting the Lingayen Landings—The Advance Inland—Clearing the Visayan Passages

Chapter 22: The Philippines: The Southern Islands

Palawan and Zamboanga—The Central Visayan Islands—Mindanao

Chapter 23: Boldly Aiming at Okinawa

A Strongly Fortified Island—The Advance in the Central Pacific—The Hawaiian Base—Tenth Army Plans and Preparations—The Landings on Kerama Retto

Chapter 24: Crescendo On Okinawa

The Landings on Hagushi—Supporting the Assault on the Shuri Defenses—Siege Warfare With a Difference: The Cave Positions—The Ordnance Build-up in the Mud—Supply by Water—Bloody Finale—Preparing for Japan

Chapter 25: The Guns Fall Silent

Bibliographical Note

Glossary

Code Names

Basic Military Map Symbols

Index

Charts

1. The U.S. Army Forces in Australia Ordnance Office, May 1942

2. Early Command and Staff Organization of ETOUSA Established by ETO General Order 19, 20 July 1942

3. Organization of the Ordnance Section, AFHQ, November 1942

4. Ordnance Group Organization for First U.S. Army, 15 August 1944

Maps

1. Lines of Communication in French North Africa

2. OMAHA Beach and Beach Maintenance Area

S. UTAH Beach and Beach Maintenance Area

4. Tactical Progress, 25 July–12 September 1944

5. First Army Ammunition Installations, 6 June–16 December 1944

Illustrations

Capt. George B. Jarrett—U.S. 90-mm. and German 88-mm. Antiaircraft Guns—Two Sherman Tanks Moving Toward the Front—Bazooka—The Priest, a Self-Propelled Howitzer—Col. Jonathan L. Holman—Convoy of Trucks Near Mount Isa, Queensland—Ordnance Warehouse, Australia—Port Moresby, 1942—Part of the Trawler Fleet, Port Moresby—Japanese Bunker, Buna—Ammunition by an English Roadside—Trailer Supply Unit in England—Brig. Gen. Urban Niblo—Jeep Headed Inland, Algeria—Oran Harbor—Antiquated French Equipment, Algeria—Ammunition Stored Under Trees, Tunisia—Strafed Supply Truck, Tunisia—Tiger Tank, Tunisia—Landing at Gela, Sicily—DUKW’s in Ship-to-Shore Operation, Sicily—155-mm. Gun—Ammo Joe—The Anzio-Nettuno Area—Tankdozer Used To Fight Ammunition Dump Fires, Anzio—Anzio Annie—240-mm. Howitzer, Italy—Mauldin Cartoon—M4 Tank Pulling Battle Sleds—Panther Tank—Brig. Gen. Henry B. Sayler—Hooded 105-mm. Howitzers, England—Testing Waterproofed 3A-ton Truck, England—Testing an Amphibious Tank—Col. John B. Medaris—Rhino Ferry, Normandy Beach—Ammunition Dump Behind OMAHA Beach—Col. Nelson M. Lynde, Jr.—The Fire at Depot 101, France—Tank With Hedgerow Cutter—Tank Transporter, France—Shells Stacked by Type, France—Lt. Gem George S. Patton, Jr., and Col. Thomas H. Nixon—Heavy Maintenance Company, Verdun—Duckbill Extensions on Tank Tracks—Col. William C. Bliss, S. Sgt. Erling N. Salvesen, and Technicians—John E. Pavlik and Harcourt W. Swanson—Tanks Near Bastogne—Col. Walter W. Warner—Replacing Tracks on a Sherman Tank—M36 Tank Destroyers on Dug-in Ramps—Maj. Gen. Gladeon M. Barnes—Convoy of Pershing Tanks—Berryman Cartoon—Ordnance Conference in Paris, February 1945—LCMs Being Moved to the Rhine—Colonel Medaris Examining Captured German Weapons—Col. Philip G. Blackmore—Headquarters Office, Base Ordnance, Oro Bay, 1943—Pulling a Truck From a Mudhole, Morotai—Unloading Supplies, Leyte—Col. Ward E. Becker—Lined Up To Pass Ammunition Ashore, Luzon—Sherman Tank and Japanese Medium Tank—LCM on the Way to Fort Pikit, Mindanao—Col. Robert W. Daniels—Long Toms—Signal Corps Men in a Weasel, Okinawa—Cave and Flame-Throwing Tank, Okinawa

All illustrations are from Department of Defense files except the following: Captain Jarrett, page 23, Jarrett Collection; General Holman, page 39, Holman Personal Files; Port Moresby, page 67, Australian War Memorial; Mauldin cartoon, page 207, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.; Colonel Medaris, page 233, Medaris Personal Files; Colonel Lynde, page 250, and Ordnance Conference, page 340, Lynde Personal Files; General Patton and Colonel Nixon, page 277, Nixon Personal Files; Colonel Warner, page 319, Warner Personal Files; Berryman cartoon, page 337, Evening Star, Washington, D.C.; Colonel Blackmore, page 354, Blackmore Personal Files; Colonel Becker, page 403, Becker Personal Files; and Colonel Daniels, page 449, Daniels Personal Files.