Foreword
This is the fourth and concluding volume of a series which records the experiences of the Army’s Quartermaster organization in World War II. The first two volumes of this group describe the problems and achievements of the Quartermaster Corps in the zone of interior and the third, still in preparation, will relate operations in the war against Germany. This volume tells the story of Quartermaster supply and service in the war against Japan in the Pacific. The principal Quartermaster function during World War II was to supply items commonly required by all Army troops—food, clothing, petroleum products, and other supplies of a general character—regardless of their duties. In the Pacific, as elsewhere, Quartermaster supply responsibilities included the determination of requirements, the procurement of the items needed both from the United States and from local producers, and the storage and distribution of items after they had been received. Quartermaster troops also furnished numerous services, including the collection and repair of worn-out and discarded articles, the provision of bath and laundry facilities, and the identification and burial of the dead. The author has concentrated in this volume on the many problems which were inevitable in a distant and strange environment, and his narrative naturally reflects the viewpoint of the troops and the commanders in the field.
Albert C. Smith
Maj. Gen., U.S.A.
Chief of Military History
Washington, D.C.
15 February 1955
The Author
Alvin P. Stauffer holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard University. For seven years he taught history at Simmons College, Boston, and then joined the staff of the U.S. National Park Service in Washington, where he produced many studies of historic sites administered by that agency. In 1943 he became a member of the Historical Branch, Office of The Quartermaster General. Dr. Stauffer prepared several treatises dealing with the Quartermaster Corps in the United States in World War II. One of these, Quartermaster Depot Storage and Distribution Operations, has been published in the monographic series entitled QMC Historical Studies. Since 1952 Dr. Stauffer has been Chief of the Historical Branch, OQMG.