1941, family scan
During World War II the Quartermaster Corps was in charge of munitions, personal equipment,
transportation, petroleum, repair and maintenance,
general service,
food, clothing, and special services.
more than 24 million meals each day. On Anzio Beach (where John Edward later served and which we
shall read about in another post) the bakery produced fourteen tons of bread every day.
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| Sicily Operations Map, 18 July 1943 Report of Operations,* family scan |
"The operations in Sicily
were classic Quartermaster stuff.
Dad was really impressed with the operations
in Sicily [where he later served
at the request of General Patton,
which we shall read about in another post],
because
they were so well organized and perfected.
 |
| 1st Lt. John E. Binnion listed under Transportation Section, Base Area Report of Operations,* family scan |
This number of people who are going to do the invasion.
Based upon experience, this number are going to be hospitalized,
be wounded and killed, and this is the kind of hospital support we need
and how much medication we’re going to need, how much food we’re
going to need, how many gallons of gasoline we’re going to need.
Everything was calculated to the nth degree.
A company like Price Waterhouse, a big accounting firm, did all this work. The army would bring them in on contract to do all the logistics, calculations. It surprised me that they were involved in the actual invasion planning to that degree. But you need to have people who are super number-crunchers to do all that analysis.
Dad never said this, but after reading this book* I think this is why he really liked working in Sicily. Everything was planned.
"That was
the job of the Quartermaster of course,
to do all that planning, to make sure that
everything was in place
and everything that was needed would have been thought
of."
--John Edward Binnion II, 7-21-16
 |
| Report of Operations* mailing page, family scan |
*The Report of Operations
of The United States
Seventh Army
in the Sicilian Campaign,
10 July - 17 August 1943
was mailed to John Edward
upon his request.
But it is not yet 1943.
And in 1940, as we read in our last post, virtually all available weapons,
clothing, supplies, and vehicles were obsolete or non-existent. This was because little had yet been
done to improve and upgrade equipment from World War I: the bayonet and .30 caliber Springfield rifle
were accompanied by the doughboy hat and wrap-around leggings. With
vehicles in even shorter supply, training was conducted by reading vehicle manuals. Perhaps
most importantly, officers were sharply divided on the need for mechanized vehicles and equipment.
But all that changed when France fell to the superior mechanized German forces in only ten days.
It was now clear to all the world that we were in a new era of warfare. And so new research began, deficiencies were addressed, and development stepped up. With this war, tanks, submarines, and airplanes all became standard. Improvements were made to weapons, ammunition, supplies, food dispersal, and uniforms. The government was now in a race to develop and produce weapons and supplies that could be used to train these soldiers and support them in the field.
 |
| Friend of John Edward, 1941-1942 training camp family scan |
his Company began training,
the flat tin doughboy helmet
from World War I was still issued.
We see one in this photograph
that he took of a friend at one of
the training camps they attended.
Replacement of the tin helmet
was a priority, and in 1941
the metal M1 helmet went into
production. The outer shell was
composed of steel-carbon-manganese, and the
inner liner of a strong light fiber
with adjustable straps.
John Edward would later be sent to "draw supplies, clothing,
and
equipment for the company . . . . By the way, can't tell you where
because Uncle Sam
doesn't want people to know where the supply bases
are."
(October 19, 1942 letter home)
 |
| 2 1/2 ton US Army cargo truck Wikipedia, Public Domain |
the scarce availability of vehicles,
John Edward and men in his Company
were trained for transportation, repair,
and maintenance by manuals.
He and others were nevertheless
soon classified as truck drivers
for 2 1/2 ton army trucks. And they
would eventually be further trained.
as he led two Light Tank Battalion convoys from Casablanca, Morocco
to Tunis, Tunisia, John Edward's leadership in a potentially perilous situation
will be noticed by and commended by Gen. Patton.
In mid-December of 1940 the Quartermaster Regiment would be sent
from Camp Mabry to Camp Bowie. It
was there that the men
would begin their year-long training to
serve in the war -- which the United States
had not yet entered, but
were preparing for what many saw as inevitable.
And with recent Congressional appropriations Camp Bowie had just been
refitted; it would soon provide all-encompassing training and
become one of
the largest training camps for World War II.
Click here for the next post, in which John Edward
receives his first promotion and arrives at Camp Bowie.
