bigpigeon.us webpage WW II - Germany > ETO > ETO Communications Zone, updated by RAC 31 Aug '19.
In military parlance, The Communications Zone or CommZ is the rear part of theater of operations (behind but contiguous to the combat zone) which contains the lines of communications, establishments for supply and evacuation, and other agencies required for the immediate support and maintenance of the field forces.
In military parlance, The Communications Zone or CommZ is the rear part of theater of operations (behind but contiguous to the combat zone) which contains the lines of communications, establishments for supply and evacuation, and other agencies required for the immediate support and maintenance of the field forces.
The Ports Problem:
For months after D-Day, the Communications Zone in the European Theater of Operations lacked sufficient port facilities.
Initially Allied troops were supplied directly from the beach, especially by LST (Landing Ship Tank) ships that could run up on the beach, drop their ramps, and unload onto land. This capability was weather-dependent, and fortunately for the next several months the weather was generally cooperative, except for the storm mentioned in the following paragraph.
Immediately after D-Day, two artificial ports, called Mulberries, were put in place off of the invasion beaches, one off of Omaha Beach and one in the British sector at Arromanches. Both Mulberries were fully functional by June 18, but the Omaha Beach Mulberry was destroyed in a storm on June 19. The Arromanches Mulberry, called Port Winston, was used for ten months and landed four million tons of supplies. Remains are still scattered in Arrmanches harbor.
The first major French port, Cherbourg in Normandy, was captured on June 29 but port destruction was so great that it was mid-August until it was available for limited use.
The second major port, Brest in Brittany, had been heavily used by the American Expeditionary Force in 1917-19 during World War I. Such was not the case in World War II. When Brest finally surrended on September 19, the port facilities had been thoroughly destroyed by the Germans that Brest was not of use during the remainder of the four.
Rouen, in the Seine estuary near Le Harve, surrendered to Canadian forces on August 30, and Le Harve, near the entrance of the Seine River, surrendered to the British on September 12.
The third major port, Antwerp in Belgium, was siezed in good condition by the Canadian Army on September 4. However, the approach to Antwerp was up a long estuary, which was not cleared of German troops until November.
Several hundred miles away to the south, the port of Marseilles was siezed by French troops around August 26. Despite the distance, the rail network in Southern France soon led to a third of the supplies needed by the Allied armies being landed in Marseilles and then shipped northward.
In addition to a shortage of port facilities, the Communications Zone experienced other logistics issues:
For months after D-Day, the Communications Zone in the European Theater of Operations lacked sufficient port facilities.
Initially Allied troops were supplied directly from the beach, especially by LST (Landing Ship Tank) ships that could run up on the beach, drop their ramps, and unload onto land. This capability was weather-dependent, and fortunately for the next several months the weather was generally cooperative, except for the storm mentioned in the following paragraph.
Immediately after D-Day, two artificial ports, called Mulberries, were put in place off of the invasion beaches, one off of Omaha Beach and one in the British sector at Arromanches. Both Mulberries were fully functional by June 18, but the Omaha Beach Mulberry was destroyed in a storm on June 19. The Arromanches Mulberry, called Port Winston, was used for ten months and landed four million tons of supplies. Remains are still scattered in Arrmanches harbor.
The first major French port, Cherbourg in Normandy, was captured on June 29 but port destruction was so great that it was mid-August until it was available for limited use.
The second major port, Brest in Brittany, had been heavily used by the American Expeditionary Force in 1917-19 during World War I. Such was not the case in World War II. When Brest finally surrended on September 19, the port facilities had been thoroughly destroyed by the Germans that Brest was not of use during the remainder of the four.
Rouen, in the Seine estuary near Le Harve, surrendered to Canadian forces on August 30, and Le Harve, near the entrance of the Seine River, surrendered to the British on September 12.
The third major port, Antwerp in Belgium, was siezed in good condition by the Canadian Army on September 4. However, the approach to Antwerp was up a long estuary, which was not cleared of German troops until November.
Several hundred miles away to the south, the port of Marseilles was siezed by French troops around August 26. Despite the distance, the rail network in Southern France soon led to a third of the supplies needed by the Allied armies being landed in Marseilles and then shipped northward.
In addition to a shortage of port facilities, the Communications Zone experienced other logistics issues:
- Insufficient depots, especially in port areas.
- Inadequate rail and road infrastructure to move supplies to the front. Our Air Force had worked over much of the French transportation network earlier in 1944.
- Pilfering.
Sources for the WW II - ETO Communications Zone webpage
Pottawattamie County, Iowa WW II Deaths - ETO Communications Zone (updated 31 Aug '19)
Click Full Report at World Wars > WW II Fallen Project to view parental and spousal information.
Click Full Report at World Wars > WW II Fallen Project to view parental and spousal information.
Deaths Coming into Theater:
- Koebel, Leonard L, USAAF; 401st Bomb. Sqdn., 91st Bomb. Gp.; B-17 Flying Fortress bombardier, d. 3 Oct ’42 in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Island, crash en route from US.
- Storm, Donald W., USAAF; B-24J Liberator, d. 21 Jul ’44 between Greenland and Iceland over North Atlantic en route to Europe.
- Humes, William A., US Army; company commander, 543 Signal Depot Co. based at Signal Depot S-891 in Paris; wounded by V-2 rocket en route to Liege, Belgium, d. in Belgium 16 Dec ’44.
- Baraks/Barracks, Frederick A., Coal Valley, IL, US Army; 449th Military Police Co., 317th Military Police Bn.; d. 4 Apr ’45 in unknown location. (brother-in-law of my stepuncle, Maynard Jensen)
- McDowell, Elmer R., US Army; 3597th Quartermaster Truck Co.; d. 2 Jan ’45 in France.
- Mead, John L., US Army; Field Artillery, unit unknown; d. 26 Mar ’45 in Germany. (Father was a POW of the Japanese.)
- Mickey, Paul Leo “Leo”, US Army; 714 Engineer Depot Co.; d. 2 Dec ’44 in 166th General Hosp., France, accident.