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THIRD ARMORED DIVISION ASSOCIATION
April 10, 1991
From:
Haynes W. Dugan (Div. Hq.)
Association Historian
660 Elmwood
Shreveport, LA 71104
To:
Steve Waddell
Department of History
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4236
Dear Steve:
Without attempting to answer your questions posed in your
letter of March 25, 1991 to our secretary, I will attempt to
give you a picture of our supply situation in combat as seen
from the G-2 Section, where I was assistant G-2.
As you know, by then truck and automobile matters had been
placed under maintenance and not the old quartermaster supply
units.
Supply was seen as a three-pronged function, in the main,
being POL, rations and munitions. Most of our vehicles carried
a reserve of rations. Our supply system had been pretty well
tested in our nine months in England and long stateside service.
In England we got the same calorie ration as the civilian populace.
While thinking of it, map supply fell under G-2. After passing
into Germany in mid September '44, some unit commanders asked
what to do with their Belgian maps. Col. Andrew Barr, G-2, said
to keep them. Those who didn't regretted it in the Bulge.
Getting back to combat, after the Normandy breakout, the Mortain
counterattack and the Falaise Gap action, on pulling back, we
found the gasoline pipeline underlying the English channel had
been extended to our rear there, lying on the ground and not
buried. I understand the French tapped it soon afterwards.
Supplies were supposed to come through the port of Cherbourg,
but the harbor was heavily mined and supplies continued coming
over the beaches.
After the Falaise action and on crossing the Seine, we led
First Army to the German border and the longer we went the longer
the trip for POL. Then at Mons we, with portions of 1st Infantry
Division, were cut off with a disorganized German army, and no
supplies got through for a day or so, and we flew messages out
by artillery spotter plane.
By the time we got to Liege, things were really getting critical.
I recall draining gas tanks of division headquarters vehicles
to bring one tank battalion forward for abut five miles. At that
time we were eating German rations: black bread, cheese, etc.,
and a Red Cross woman came forward and asked how things were.
I told her some of the soldiers were short of cigarettes, and
she got word back to England and civilians there - rationed to
the hilt - whom we had known sent us some.
It was at this point, as I was later told by Col. Eugene C.
Orth, our G-4, that our people found a Third Army gasoline depot
and by slurred use of the word "third" got 100,000
gallons of gasoline, which carried us through the German border
with our 3,000 vehicles.
By that time, however, all our vehicles needed maintenance,
and one officer, taking over a battalion, found seven usable
tanks with a T/0 of 54!
Officers did get a bottle of whiskey and a half bottle of
gin per month. We, Col. Barr and I, gave our gin to our EM, but
I don't think they were entirely "dry" before that.
There was not much time for drinking, either.
Our maintenance people did wonders, lessening the need for
supply. They picked up abandoned, shelled tanks in the zone of
other armies and replaced short-barrel 75 mm tank guns with the
Navy 76 mm 4-inch gun with a longer barrel and higher muzzle
velocity, when ordnance said it couldn't be done, and other near
miracles.
Our munition needs must have strained the capacity of suppliers.
After the war Col. Frederic J. Brown, our Div Arty CO, told me
we used more ammunition than any other division in the ETO, what
with our six gun batteries and attached units.
At one point General Maurice Rose, our commanding general,
relieved the officer responsible for munitions supply and any
shortages did not happen again.
Rations came in the form of K rations, 10 in one, and some,
I think, in bulk. We did not eat well, although getting enough
calories, but lacked fresh food. When I came home on points in
September of 1945, I was suffering from malnutrition, painful
gum problems, and sores in my scalp, and an old knee injury flared
up.
Mail delivery was good, we had a good postal officer, and
our engineers were prompt in establishing water points for potable
water. About the time we took Cologne, the Army sent up bath
units, much needed, and fresh clothing was available. There was
no dry cleaning the entire time we were overseas, but my driver
"washed" our shirts in aviation grade, 100-octane gasoline
-- filched, of course.
On parts supply for vehicles, I heard it was easier to get
a new truck than a new carburetor, and we had some very good
maintenance people.
Our wartime G-4 and quartermaster are deceased but I am sending
copies of this correspondence to Col. Dale Brown, 10218 Monarch
Drive, Largo, FL 33544, who had some experience in trains, and
to William D. Wall, 3707 Aborn Road, San Jose, CA 95135, who
can tell you a good story about the rear area black market. He
was in supply battalion.
Col. Olin F. Brewster, 3501 Red Bud, Temple, TX 76502, A&M
'40, who was ex-officer in a tank battalion, can tell you about
supply as seen from where he was, as can Jack W. Fickessen, 10
Broadmoor, Box 26, Sam Rayburn, TX 75951, who was in our engineer
battalion headquarters.
After the war, I roomed with the division medical inspector,
and he said they had difficulty in getting alcohol to burn for
sterilizes, and others said fuel for Coleman lamps was not available.
But we got a fair amount of candy and cigarettes, both equal
to money, with civilians.
In retrospect, our supply problem was restricted to that by
truck, the air force having too good a job on French rail transport.
I have no recollection of supply by air. Also, supply by sea
would have been quicker and better if the Brits had gone beyond
Antwerp when they had the chance and taken the approaches across
the entrance.
It was Sheridan who said: "In time of war there is never
enough of anything." How right.
Regards,
Haynes W. Dugan
A&M Hist. '34
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