Evening star., 1942-09-02
Big Supply Depots
Set Up With Speed
Stunning 10 Britons
Overseu Establishment
Expected Soon to Be us
Good as Thot in U. S.
BY RUSSELL LANDSTROM
Wide World


HEADQUARTERS SOS. UNITED
STATES ARMY, EUROPEAN THE
ATER, Sept. 2.-The boys of the
SOS, whose job is to take over vir-
tuRlly everything but the shooting
are setting up shop in Britain with
swiftness and energy somewhat
stunning to the average English
man.
Service of Supply is vital ele-
ment in modern warfare, and de-
spite the tremendous difficulties of
feeding supplies to the fighting
forces the SOS expects to have an
establishment in Britain "just about
as good" as the parent organiza-
ton IN the United States.
supply headquarters and one of
the big base depots are located in a
town famous for its picturesouenes
and devotion to Victorian manners.
Even now older residents drive
about in horse drawn carriages that
look like museum pieces.
With no lost motion the sos has
taken over from the British new
buildings with facilities which our
men found very good" The base
depot embraces Quartermaster
Corps, Ordnance, Signal Corps, En-
gineers, Motor Transport School,
Medical Corps and Chemical War
fare section.
Motor Pool Established.
Each of the big warehouses, into
which voluminous stores shipped
from the United States have been
placed, has about $4,000 square feet
OF space. Thoroughly modern in
construction, they are heated from
central plant.
Working closely with the British.
the Americans built rail lines to
speed up handling of supplies. Al
ready a great motor pool has been
established, much of it necessarily of
British make-row on row of heavy
trucks, ambulances and a sprinkling
of jeeps.
Looking over the British stuff,
visiting American Army officer said.
IF this keeps up there will be only
one army"
The motor transport department
provides for the assembling OF parts,
the servicing of equipment and the
training of mechanics.
So that Yankee Jacks won't be-
come dull boys, baseball diamonds,
football field and grounds for other
sports have been provided.
Following principle new to the
United States Army, the quarter
master depots are well dispersed
over the country; each is broadly
self-contained rather than special
azed.
Depets Strategicaily Dispersed.
Formerly there were separate de-
pots for clothing, food and ammuni-
ton. The new system assures that.
If one or even several depots should
be bombed out. the others would be
able to carry on adequately.
Of1cers said strategic dispersal of
depots was made possible by the
amazingly good railroad setup in
Britain" Ns
In the last war the Sos func--
toned from the base depots to the
intermediate zone, thence to the
combat area. Modern aerial war
fare has changed all that; it's all
in the combat zone today.
fundamentally" said q high
ranking officer, this is a supply
war. of getting the stuff in from
great distances over dangerous
areas.
I'm the last war we had so many
more places to draw upon-Italy,
France, Spain, Portugal, North
Africa Spain was a gold mine, espe-
cially for fruits and vegetables. Italy
contributed much fresh foodstuffs,
And there was good transport. But
there is just one source now-the
United States-and it's plenty diff
cult"
In addition, vast organization
Is being set up for servicing and
maintenance Of the bombers and
fighters being groomed for the
Western European aerial offensive.
An internal air ferry service is
being established and American
built transport planes are arriving
to handle the rush of work
Gathering its strength for the
imminent offensive, the United
States Airforce here is completely
self-supporting, from tiny parts
weighing a fraction of an ounce to
great 56-feet-long lorries with s.
ton cranes that can carry load
equal to that of a loaded fortress
bomber All that is being brought
from the United States.
Bomber and fighter stations re-
ceive their stocks of spares and per-
sonal equipment from the depots
taken over from the RAF
Each enlisted man at depot is
fighter, as well as skilled me-
chanic, and is trained to handle
a job in the ground defenses. Each
knows how to handle a rifle or a
tommygun and, although the Amer
lean forces have been at these sta
tions only few weeks, firing already
has been done on the target ranges.
They range from fledglings of l9,
whose technical training has beer
acquired since their enlistment, to
veterans with 80 years service ir
the Air Force
The spirit of the personnel wa:
cheerfully expressed by F. c. War
nekecke, 19-year-old hydraulic fittel
from Wisconsin, who has been In
service year and half:
II joined up because wanted tt
be trained in the handling of ships
! figured, too, that I'd probably be
iy, the u-or coy,,a time oltfouoh
certainly never dreamed I'd be COM
ing to Britain.
u find every one-including the
girls-very friendly, though. Cues
our boys have shaken down owe