Advance planning played a large role in initiating activity and troops on the line in the services who made logistics work effectively during the war. The level of destruction suggests it was hit by a highvelocity gun or another tank. The german army died on the eastern front because of its failure to move supplies from its most advanced railheads to the front lines often several hundred km. Page 181 you i propose to move against johnstons army, to break it up, and to get into the interior of the enemys country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources. Amazon has 31,817 books about supply chain and 24,934 about logistics.
Major challenges of logistics in focus oman observer. Logistics from wallenstein to patton by martin van. Two engaging new world war ii histories remind us why logistics matter more. British and german logistics support during the world war ii north african campaign an individual study project by lieutenant colonel john d. On the other hand, the problems in logistics of japanese army turned to be fatal and revealed probably the largest obstacle on the way of its country to the victory in the world war ii and, thus, determined the defeat of japan. Since 1997, bookfinder has made it easy to find any book at the best price. All those books would weigh 49,000 kilograms half the cargo mass of a boeing 747200f. Did germany lose wwii more because of a lack of oil rather. T he battle of alaska has ended, and it may be reasonably contended that the japanese won it. This was particularly true in the pacific theater for both the united states and japan. Military logistics played a significant role in many world war ii operations, especially. Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement, supply, and maintenance of military forces. German officers did not want to be in quatermaster service. The allies possessed far more merchant shipping, and could import supplies from all over the world, but in spring 1917 germanys campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare uboat attacks launched without.
In turn, providing the eto with the materiel necessary for prosecuting the war against germany depended upon the battle of the atlantic, the fiveyear struggle against germanys uboats. Jan 29, 2014 at sea crucial for victory was command of the seas. Joint military operations historical collection adding air power to the joint coordination equation made multiservice coordination more complex. The word logistics is derived from the greek adjective logistikos meaning skilled in calculating. Global logistics and strategy, 19431945 army center of military. Millett, two veteran american academic historians, are to be commended for producing this authoritative, onevolume military history of world war ii.
Nations successfully coordinate land, air, sea, and space forces to multiply combat effectiveness. This is unabvoidable as we have to update the forum engine to a new structure that is. Two new world war ii histories paul kennedys engineers of victory and stephen budianskys blacketts war make the case that military success depends on logistics and. Cmh publication 119 center of military history united states army. That was not where careers and professional prestige were established. Combine the reading of this book with clayton christensens writings such as the. Lessons from world war i helped president franklin d. Chronologically, the book picks up where global logistics and strategy. Jul 19, 2019 now, one common joke about the wehrmacht is that their logistics were bad, especially when it comes to operation barbarossa. But the soviets put a million men into road and rail repair behind the lines and rebuilt the railways far quicker than the germans did. The chief of staff of the army csa has stated the transformation objective is to field a force that is strategically responsive and dominant every point on the spectrum of operations. Rethinking logistics challenges of the modern battlefield.
American logistics in the normandy campaign played a key role in the success of operation overlord, the allied invasion of northwest europe during world war ii that commenced on dday, 6 june 1944. Operational logistics and the gulf war by william g. Global logistics and strategy 19401943 washington, d. General somervell and american logistics in wwii dekalb, il. World war ii is an example of a true logistics achievement, but it not owed only to foresight or advance planning but also to ingenuity of those in the service organizations. Today is 3 packages in a row that they have tried to get out of it, immediately after missed attempt. Pacific express was selected to be on the marine corps commandants professional reading list for logistics and is required annual reading on military logistics for all officer and enlisted marines whether active duty or reserve. It is especially relevant to participants of the australian and new zealand defence logistics conference and others elsewhere. In a large sense, world war ii turned upon the successful logistics of the european theater of operations. Disciples and devotees of strategic thinking might find both books humbling. The russian army was much larger, had a much larger and advanced tank corps, with much more heavy tanks, including the best tank of the war, the t34. Two new world war ii histories paul kennedys engineers of victory and stephen budianskys blacketts war make the case that military success depends on. Apr 15, 2016 failures in logistics and support planning.
I do not propose to lay down for you a plan of campaign, but simply to lay down the work it is desirable to have done, and leave you free to execute it in your own way. Gerard van geleuken, writing a book about operation sealion. Krause the paper represents the personal opinions of the authors and should not be taken to represent the views of the department of the army, the department of defense, the institute of land warfare, the association of the united states army or its members. The painful lessons in moving supplies led to the creation of the transportation corps in 1942 as a permanent branch of the army. As there were few common designs the new railway system was burdened by operational problems, increased and often duplicated costs and a maintenance headache of mammoth proportions. Fuel shortages had severely damaging consequences on. Changing how we fight influences changes in how we support. Many of these points shouldnt be surprising, and the list is by no means exhaustive. World war i as a transition point for army sustainment. Having read the first book in the series 1, i was pleased that the author sent me this book to read after i spoke to a group of veterans of logistics ships in world war ii 2. This kingdom had a total manpower of around 100,000 troops. Dec 29, 2018 the logistics problems facing the germans in north africa were to be extremely challenging. The traditional approach in military logistics is through a hierarchical topdown management approach, where actions are initiated at the highest level.
Six strategic challenges for defence logistics logistics in war. Under one cover, an edited collection of the best works by noted military historians on the importance of military logistics in world war ii. Due to the short effective range of most single engine planes the air force usually moved rapidly behind the army and used captured air fields for operations. Well,this is implying that with better railways the germans could have won in the summer,and,imho,this is wrong. Nov 30, 2014 logistics in the falklands war by major general kenneth privratsky, us army retired published in 2016 is highly recommended for all those interested in logistics. This phrase clearly shows the importance of maintenance and logistics for an army. The logistical history of the army in world war ii. Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement, supply, and. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Jan 02, 2018 the painful lessons in moving supplies led to the creation of the transportation corps in 1942 as a permanent branch of the army. All the above points could be utterly irrelevant to the conflicts of the future. Hitler was more impressed with tanks and airplanes than he was with trucks. Winston churchill agreed with stalin on the importance of fuel. In 2017, logistics in war was privileged to have been given permission by the author to publish this essay.
Jun 08, 2012 on the other hand, the problems in logistics of japanese army turned to be fatal and revealed probably the largest obstacle on the way of its country to the victory in the world war ii and, thus, determined the defeat of japan. German logistics in the east page 7 axis history forum. Jun 15, 2018 the paper presented names of journals us based that had four or more articles indexed in abiinform global and proquest research librarybusiness mentioning military logistics or defence logistics or defense logistics in the title, abstract, key words or text from 1952 to 2010. The services of supply sos was formed in may 1942 under the command of major general john c. Many of the logistical problems faced in world war. American logistics in the normandy campaign wikipedia. Burks the world war ii attack on attu in the aleutian islands would have been easier if logistics planners had anticipated the effects of weather and terrain. Jan 20, 2017 logistics will continue to be driven by context. The logistics problems facing the germans in north africa were to be extremely challenging. As a result the supply sections tended to atract aower quality of officers. Now, one common joke about the wehrmacht is that their logistics were bad, especially when it comes to operation barbarossa. But we got it down to ten logistics and supply chain books you. Contents i the character of the problem 1 ii galapagos units 7 iii united kingdom bases 18 iv bobcat 36 v bases in the south pacific area 66 vi advance base units lions, cubs, acorns 75 vii field agencies of op30 98 viii internal organization of op30 111 ix catalogue of functional components 125 x advance base schedule 141 xi the maintenance of bases 158. The technical services the chemical warfare service.
Army in 1944 could have handled the impossible logistical problems posed by the german advance. He considers the formidable problems of movement and supply. The logistical impact on land operations at guadalcanal. The central powers controlled only the baltic which they used to import swedish iron ore. John norris shows how logistics, though less glamorous than details of the fighting itself, played a decisive role in the outcome of every campaign and battle of world war two. Contents i the character of the problem 1 ii galapagos units 7 iii united kingdom bases 18 iv bobcat 36 v bases in the south pacific area 66 vi advance base units lions, cubs, acorns 75 vii field agencies of op30 98 viii internal organization of op30 111 ix catalogue of functional components 125 x advance base schedule 141 xi the maintenance of bases 158 xii assembly vii 173 xiii the. War and tactics forum is currently undergoing some modifications that might disable features you are used to. The allies possessed far more merchant shipping, and could import supplies from all over the world, but in spring 1917 germanys campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare uboat attacks launched without warning threatened their atlantic supplies. Air commodore hayden marshall was, at the time of writing this article, the australian defence. Design, development, acquisition, storage, distribution, maintenance, evacuation, and disposition of materiel. Six strategic challenges for defence logistics logistics. This book was provided free of charge by the author. Transformation revolution in military logistics logistics is the lifeblood of any army. At sea crucial for victory was command of the seas.
It was a war of distances, advance bases, and was a strategy driven and constrained by logistics. World war ii european theater logistics on the eastern front. This is perhaps true in other armies as well, but it was especially true in the german army. Why were there so many supply problems for the german army in wwii. Why were there so many supply problems for the german army in. Cmh publication 119 center of military history united states army washington, d. Logistics in world war ii army center of military history. One moment it was a panzer mkiv and the next a huge pile of scrap iron. These books will help kids understand the events of one of the most interesting periods of modern history. The logistical system of the german air force was focused on short campaigns. Bekker, cajus, the luftwaffe war diaries, ballantine books, new york, 1964.
On this list youll find historical fiction to give context for the time period and convey what it really felt like for fighters on the front lines, kids and families back home, and jews in hiding or sent to concentration camps. Popular logistics books meet your next favorite book. Mar 18, 20 well,this is implying that with better railways the germans could have won in the summer,and,imho,this is wrong. The problem of changing the railway gauge over from standard to broad, destroyed facilities, bridges, tunnels, signalling etc.
One of the major problems faced by the wehrmacht was the soviet unions lack of a modern road system and the germans limited motor vehicle supply. Modern weapons and communications demand rapid and effective decision making. Logistics in the falklands war by major general kenneth privratsky, us army retired published in 2016 is highly recommended for all those interested in logistics. Purchase logistics operations and management 1st edition.
The author marshals some astounding facts and figures to convey the sheer scal. Perhaps the most serious german military weakness was the lack of attention to logistics. The primary italian ports for shipping and embarkation to libya were naples, bari, brindisi, and taranto. The post, titled german transport system wwii, describes how the german reichsbahn, an amalgamation of the former state railway systems, was forced to absorb a vast network of railways in varying condition, and locomotives and rolling stock that were often incompatible.
Jun 24, 2016 summary the underlying and continuous problems. To conclude, the main underlying problems for the german mistakes were basically, a strong optimism that prevented any worstcase scenario planning, an underestimation of the enemy and an overestimation of the germans army capabilities. This note distills from a survey of world war ii literature two kinds of information. A brief history logistics is a relatively new word used to describe a very old practice. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with. This is perhaps true in other armies as well, but it was especially true in the. And this is usually explained with the lack of trucks, hubris and other. I believe most military logisticians are already well aware of the problems that they will face on the future battlefield. Supply is not everything, but without supply everything is nothing. Why were there so many supply problems for the german army. Army theater distribution prescribes using this same topdown approach as the central principle of distribution. This unidentified photogtaph shows a pulverized panzerkampfwagen mkivthe mainstay of the german panzer forces during world war ii albeit with many upgrades. A powerful armored formation can be useless against the enemy when it runs out of fuel or ammo. It tells the story of an almost unimaginable effort to transport and supply 3 commando brigade and 5 infantry bde across the 8000 miles between uk and the south atlantic where air.