Services of Supply, American Expeditionary Forces
| Services of Supply American Expeditionary Forces | |
|---|---|
 SOS shoulder insignia | |
| Active | 1917 – 1919 |
| Country |
 United States |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Role | Combat service support |
| Headquarters | Tours, France |
Services of Supply was the support chain of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, England, Italy and the Netherlands during World War I. It was activated on July 5, 1917 and inactivated on August 31, 1919.
Organization
Services of Supply of the American Expeditionary Forces was established under the designation "Line of Communications," on July 5, 1917. It was re-designated "Service of the Rear" on February 16, 1918 to March 12, 1918. It was finally designated as "Services of Supply" on March 13, 1918. Its headquarters was in Tours, France.[1]:11 – 13 Services of Supply remained in operation until July 19, 1919; some of it section were transferred to American Forces in France and American Forces in Germany[1]:57
Commanders
Commanders of the Services of Supply were:[1]:27
- Colonel David S. Stanley (interim), July 5–24, 1917
- Brigadier General (later Major General) Richard M. Blatchford, July 25 – November 1, 1917
- Brigadier General (interim) Mason M. Patrick (interim), November 2–27, 1917
- Major General Francis J. Kernan, November 28, 1917 – July 28, 1918
- Major General James G. Harbord, July 29, 1918 – May 26, 1919
- Brigadier General William D. Connor, May 27 – August 31, 1919
Sections
Sections, except for Headquarters, Services of Supply, were area commands primarily located in France, but also in Italy, England, and Belgium.
Base Section Number 1
Base Section Number 1 was established on August 13, 1917 with headquarters in St-Nazaire, France. Base Section Number 1 was discontinued on October 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to American Forces in France.[1]:38, 392
Base Section Number 2
Base Section Number 2 was established on August 13, 1917.[1]:38 Base Section Number 2 was discontinued on September 30, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to American Forces in France.[1]:392
Base Section Number 3
Base Section Number 3 was established on November 27, 1917 with headquarters in London, England by separating it from Base Section Number 4.[1]:40 Base Section Number 3 was discontinued on June 15, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Headquarters, Services of Supply.[1]:48
Base Section Number 4
Base Section Number 4 was established as Base Section Number 3 on August 13, 1917 in Le Harve, France with a subordinate element in England. It was re-designated as Base Section Number 4 on November 27, 1917.[1]:38, 40 Base Section Number 4 was discontinued on April 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to the Intermediate Section.[1]:48
Base Section Number 5
Base Section Number 5 was established on November 27, 1917 with headquarters in Brest, France.[1]:40
Base Section Number 6
Base Section Number 6 was established on June 28, 1918 with headquarters in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), France.[1]:44 Base Section Number 6 was discontinued on June 15, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to the Intermediate Section.[1]:48
Base Section Number 7
Base Section Number 7 was established on June 28, 1918 with headquarters in La Pallice (Charente-Inferieure);, France.[1]:44 Base Section Number 7 was discontinued on April 25, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Base Section Number 2.[1]:48
Base Section Number 8
Base Section Number 8 was established on November 4, 1918 with headquarters in Padua, Italy.[1]:44 Base Section Number 8 was discontinued on May 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Headquarters, Services of Supply.[1]:48
Base Section Number 9
Base Section Number 9 was established on April 8, 1919 with headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium.[1]:48
Army Service Corps
On August 22, 1918, the Army Service Corps was established in the Services of Supply. Stevedore regiments were among more than 400 organization that would eventually be assigned to the Army Service Corps.[1]:44–45
Stevedore regiments and battalions
Stevedore regiments were organized by the Stevedore and Labor Branch, Administrative Division, Quartermaster Corps; the branch was originally managed by Colonel William G. Austin and later by Colonel Carey E. Goodwyn.[2]
Orders published September 16, 1918 transferred the stevedore regiments from the Quartermaster Corps to the Transportation Corps and reorganized them into stevedore battalions.[3] Stevedores unloaded supplies at American port facilities established in Brest, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles (all in France).[4]
301st Stevedore Regiment
The 301st Stevedore Regiment, deployed overseas, had an authorized strength of 127 Officers, 858 Enlisted Men (White), and 6121 Enlisted Men (Colored).[2]
The 301st Stevedore Regiment, Quartermaster Corps, formed the 701st Engineer Battalion (Colored Stevedore) and the 801st through 805th Stevedore Battalions, Transportation Corps, each with an authorized enlisted strength of 1154.[5]:44, 47–49
302nd Stevedore Regiment
The 302nd Stevedore Regiment, deployed overseas, had an authorized strength of 127 Officers, 858 Enlisted Men (White), and 6121 Enlisted Men (Colored).[2]:45, 47–49
The 302nd Stevedore Regiment, Quartermaster Corps, formed the 702nd Engineer Battalion (Colored Stevedore) and the 806th through 810th Stevedore Battalions, Transportation Corps, each with an authorized enlisted strength of 1154.[5]:47–49
303rd Stevedore Regiment
The 303rd Stevedore Regiment, deployed overseas, had an authorized strength of 127 Officers, 858 Enlisted Men (White), and 6121 Enlisted Men (Colored).[2]
The 303rd Stevedore Regiment, Quartermaster Corps, formed the 811th through 815th Stevedore Battalions, Transportation Corps, each with an authorized enlisted strength of 1154.[5]
304th Training Regiment
The 304th Training Regiment, Newport News, Virginia, had an authorized strength of 59 Officers, 286 Enlisted Men (White), and 2469 Enlisted Men (Colored).[2]
305th Reserve Stevedore Regiment
The 305th Reserve Stevedore Regiment, Location unspecified, had an authorized strength of 76 officers, 3556 Enlisted Men (White), and no Enlisted Men (Colored).[2]
Lineage
The 301st, 302nd, and 303rd Regiments and the 701st and 702nd Battalions were active in France at the end of the war.[6]
Deceased
Records for soldiers who are buried overseas may be found at the American Battle Monuments Commission web page.[7]
External
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War, American Expeditionary Forces: General Headquarters Armies, Army Corps Services of Supply Separate Forces, Volume I (PDF). Center of Military History, United States Army. 1937. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sharpe, Henry Granville (1921). The Quartermaster Corps in the Year 1917 in the World War. New York: The Century Company. p. 65. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ↑ "303rd Stevedore Regiment". Together We Served. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ↑ Scott, Emmett J. (1919). "The Negro in the Service of Supply". Scott's Official History of the American Negro in the World War. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, Part 1. Government Printing Office. 1919. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ↑ Sweeney, W. Allison (1919). History of the American Negro in the Great World War: His Splendid Record in the Battle Zones of Europe. p. 241. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ↑ "American Battle Monuments Commission". American Battle Monuments Commission. Retrieved 23 July 2017.