Preface
This volume, which deals with the U.S. Army transportation activities in the overseas commands, is the last of the trilogy devoted to the history of the Transportation Corps in World War II. In the first volume attention was given to the nature of the transportation task, the functions and organization of the Transportation Corps, and the operating problems and relationships of the Corps. The second volume covered troop and supply movements within and from the zone of interior and Transportation Corps problems of procurement and training.
In this. the third volume, the overseas commands are discussed separately. This method of treatment was suggested by the nature of the material, by the fact that officers who directed Army transportation operations were responsible to the respective overseas commanders, and by the wide differences in transportation activities and problems in the several areas.
The Chief of Transportation in the zone of interior had no direct authority over transportation within the overseas commands. Transportation was but one phase of logistical operations utilized by theater commanders in the attainment of their tactical objectives. While the discussion in this volume will attempt to make clear the role of the Chief of Transportation in planning for and supporting overseas operations, such matters are presented more fully in the other volumes of Transportation Corps history. The present work deals primarily with the Army transportation organizations in the several overseas commands, the operations for which they were responsible, their relation to transportation matters that were not directly their responsibility, and their position in the theater structure.
In the main, the volume presents a topical treatment of the organization and major types of transportation within each overseas command, although efforts have been made in the introduction and elsewhere to orient the reader to underlying strategic and logistic developments and problems. This compartmentalization appeared to be the method best adapted to an orderly presentation of the various transportation operations. An exception is the chapter on the South and Central Pacific, where the absence of significant rail, inland waterways, and long-haul truck operations made possible a roughly chronological approach.
The volume does not deal exclusively with Transportation Corps activities. Created in July 1942 with a relatively limited scope, the Corps assumed responsibility for operations performed until then by other technical services.
In the interest of completeness early water, port, rail, and inland waterways transportation operations conducted by the Quartermaster Corps and the Corps of Engineers are considered within the scope of this discussion. Overseas motor transport operations, performed by Quartermaster trucking units but usually directed by Army transportation organizations, are also treated. Animal and other means of transport are included where they were performed under the direction of Army transportation organizations. Allied, joint Army-Navy, Navy, and civilian transportation are discussed insofar as they affected Army transportation.
The foregoing should not suggest that this volume is a complete account of military or even of Army transportation overseas. The support of the Army commands depended heavily on shipping provided or controlled by the War Shipping Administration and the Navy. Within the Army, air transportation was basically a responsibility of the Air Forces, while pipelines were the responsibility of the Corps of Engineers, and consequently these means of transportation received only incidental treatment here. Tactical transportation, that is, transportation in the combat area as distinguished from the communications zone, was not a Transportation Corps responsibility and lies within the realm of the combat historian. Amphibious assaults and other combat operations are dealt with only to the extent that Transportation Corps troops and equipment participated.
While the preparation of this work has involved extensive consultation between the two authors, there has been a basic division of responsibility. Dr. Harold Larson prepared the chapters on the transatlantic theaters and bases and the Southwest Pacific (Chapters 1, 3–8 inclusive, and 10). The remaining portions of the book are the work of Mr. Joseph Bykofsky, who also handled the final revision of the volume as a whole. The index of the completed work was compiled by Dr. Rose C. Engelman.
Although the authors have relied in large measure on War Department and overseas records collections in Washington and Kansas City, there has been some departure from this procedure. In the case of the Persian Corridor, where the command was concerned predominantly with transportation, the chapter draws heavily on Dr. T. H. Vail Motter’s published volume, The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia, and on records collected by him. Monographs on Army transportation in certain overseas commands prepared by Dr. Harold H. Dunham and Dr. James R. Masterson were invaluable. Other published and manuscript histories produced in the Office of the Chief of Military History and in the theaters also have proved of great assistance. Interviews with Army officers and others who participated in wartime operations have been employed to supplement, verify, and interpret the record. For details on the scope of research, the reader is invited to examine the Bibliographical Note which is appended.
The authors are grateful to the many people, both military and civilians, whose cooperation and assistance made possible the production of this volume. Only a few can be mentioned here by name. The writers have profited from the direction and supervision of Mr. Chester Wardlow, former Historical Research Officer, Office of the Chief of Transportation. His critical judgment and sage
counsel have added much to this book. Special thanks are due Lt. Col. Leo J. Meyer, who, in his capacity as Deputy Chief Historian, Office of the Chief of Military History (OCMH), guided the work to the editorial stage. Miss Mary Ann Bacon, OCMH, edited the volume and Mr. Arthur C. Henne copy-edited it. The photographs were selected by Maj. Arthur T. Lawry, Chief of the Photographic Branch, OCMH, and the maps were prepared by the staff of the Cartographic Branch under the direction of Maj. James F. Holly. At all stages of their work, the authors received invaluable assistance from their own office staff, notably from Miss Marie Premauer, Mrs. Janet S. Conner, and Miss Mary Morrissey. The writers, however, assume full responsibility for the judgments expressed and for any errors of omission or commission.
Statistical data on traffic within each overseas command were compiled during or shortly after the war, often by several agencies at various echelons of command. The authors have found frequent conflicts between sets of statistics. In such cases, where efforts to reconcile the differences have failed, the figures emanating from what seemed to be the most authoritative source have been used.
The use of many technical terms in both the text and the footnotes has been unavoidable. Abbreviations have also been used extensively to eliminate frequent repetition of long titles of agencies and officials and to identify documents cited and the files and records in which they are located. For the convenience of the reader, a Bibliographical Note, a Guide to Footnotes, a List of Abbreviations, a Glossary of Code Names, and a Glossary of Technical Terms have been appended.