Importance of Logistics

[Subdeacon Joe]

Scroll down a bit here for a good look at:rations for the US Army in WWII

 

Contrast that to Civil War rations

 

CAMP AND GARRISON RATION:

 

Meat: 12 ounces of pork or bacon, or

1 pound and 4 ounces of salt or fresh beef

 

Bread: 1 pound and 6 ounces of soft bread or flour, or

1 pound of hard bread [hardtack] or

1 pound and 4 ounces of corn meal

 

To every 100 rations:

15 pounds of beans or peas, and

10 pounds of rice or hominy

10 pounds of green coffee, or

8 pounds of roasted (Or roasted and ground) coffee, o

1 pound and 8 ounces of tea

15 pounds of sugar

4 quarts of vinegar

1 pound and 4 ounces of adamantine, or star candles

4 pounds of soap

3 pounds and 12 ounces of salt

4 ounces of pepper

30 pounds of potatoes. when practicable. and

1 quart of molasses

 

 

 

MARCHING RATION;

 

Meat and Bread; same as above

Coffee, Sugar, and Salt; same as above

 

And now imagine the problems getting that to 10,000 men every day. Even the shorter marching rations. And on the march having to get the supply wagons moving, often in the dark, to be able to be where the troops would be stopping the next night.

 

Plus ammunition, plus forage for the horses, plus mail, plus ordnance for the artillery.

 

AND finding firewood so food could be cooked.

 

Having to run the mess for 12 in our reenacting unit can be bad enough, I can't fathom how supply works for a whole corp or army.

[Denver Don]

I normally when people ask me what i did in the service my reply is "I changed the windshiled wipers on submarines" funny yo would not believe how many people believe thats true and say really thats kewl .... lol any way that was me in supply logistics, well when i was in it wasnt called logistics it was force service support group, any way not hard after ya get the swing of it.....

[Utah Bob #35998]

Mmmmm...salt pork.

[Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363]

Mmmmm...salt pork.

 

Washed down with coffee ya made by smashing the beans with a rifle butt on a rock, then boiling up in a rusty mucket.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Washed down with coffee ya made by smashing the beans with a rifle butt on a rock, then boiling up in a rusty mucket.

No coffee bean smashing necessary if you had one of these. Coffee Grinder Sharps.

[Sergeant Smokepole #29248L]

I don't know who said this but I remember it from some of my Senior NCO classes....

 

 

Tacticians win battles.....

 

 

Logisticians win wars......

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I was given the choice of logistics or Ordnance repair and supply. I took R&S. Too much math and magic in Logistics.

 

A famous general (not famous enough for me to remember his name) said that Armies prepare and plan operations down to the last boot lace...and when the first shot is fired the whole thing goes right out the window.

 

I was never in any unit of any size that had anything close to what the TO&E called for.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

A famous general (not famous enough for me to remember his name) said that Armies prepare and plan operations down to the last boot lace...and when the first shot is fire the whole thing goes right out the window.

Sounds like life outside the military too. Well, my life anyway!