Laundry and the Tactical Situation
The Quartermaster Review
July-August 1945
SINCE First Army’s 600th QM Laundry Company landed on Utah Beach, its mission has been that of servicing VII Corps divisions and corps troops. From the Cherbourg Peninsula through France and Belgium into Germany, this company has followed a corps which, in every campaign, has moved quickly and aggressively. It has been necessary, therefore, that it execute its movements promptly and with a minimum of production time lost. It was essential, too, that, in reconnaissance, operating sites be selected which were within reasonable proximity to the troops, yet beyond the range of enemy artillery.
Decreases in laundry output occurred not only as the result of company movements but, more markedly, because of the changing tactical situation, which often has prevented combat elements from sending in laundry. Conversely, laundry production has soared when the tactical situation became static, as during rest and regrouping periods. In the following sketch of this laundry’s operations since arrival on the Continent, an attempt is made to convey this striking correlation between production and the tactical situation as it existed during each of the various campaigns.
From Disembarkation to the Assault on St. L0 (16 July-24 July): When the 600th QM Laundry Company landed on Utah Beach on D plus 40, Cherbourg had been taken and the fighting had extended to the base of the peninsula. The first week of laundry operations began five days before the breakthrough at St. Lo. Among the seven divisions which the company serviced were the famed 1st, 4th, and 9th Divisions.
Breakthrough at St. Lo (25 July-1 August): During this period VII Corps broke out of the Peninsula and the 600th promptly followed, moving a distance of forty miles. Some pockets of resistance had to be eliminated, and a German counterattack at Mortain kept most of the combat elements engaged in a very fluid situation. There were six divisions in Corps at this time and all of them, for the most part, were on the line. Consequently there was a lull in laundry operations.
Pursuit through France and Belgium (16 August-18 September): During this period the 600th accomplished six moves, covering a total distance of 560 miles, and reached the German border. The length and frequency of these moves, with the added handicap of a gasoline shortage and the steady engagement of the 1st, 9th, and 3rd Armored Divisions, brought about a decline in total laundry production. The greater part, by far, of the output occurred during the last ten days of the period.
The Assault on the Siegfried Line (18 September-23 December): The pace of the Allied armies was slowed in order to regroup and strengthen for a knockout blow against the West Wall. The assembly of supplies, material, and reinforcements had to be built up with provision for adequate reserve power. This static period offered the laundry its first great opportunity to perform its mission on a large scale. It operated on a twenty-four-hour basis and brought its facilities closer to the troops to be served. Mud greatly delayed the process of evacuation, as tractors and trailers had to be pulled out of laundry areas by Ordnance wreckers. Yet, in spite of these delays, production totalled 2,462,864 pounds, with the following divisions receiving service at various times: the 1st, 4th, 8th, 9th, 83rd, 99th, and 104th Infantry Divisions, and the 3rd and 5th Armored Divisions.
The German Counterattack and the Battle of the Bulge (24 December-7 February): The company went fifty miles back into Belgium and set up to operate for any unit requesting service. Corps troops and divisions were too busy reducing the bulge to avail themselves of laundry facilities, and the first two or three weeks of this period were, as a result, marked by a decline in laundry operations. Yet it was necessary, in order to prevent the freezing up of equipment, to keep the laundry engine generators running constantly, even though work was not always on hand. The company moved south again in order to keep up with the rapid corps advances. Then As the situation became more stable, laundry began to flow in at an increasing rate. Again a peak of activity was reached as the company operated two twelve-hour shifts to service the 83rd and 84th Infantry Divisions, the 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions, and the usual corps troops and officers.
The Rhine Offensive (9 February-9 March): In the early part of this period, during which First Army made ready for the assault against the Rhineland, the 600th found its services once more utilized to the fullest extent. Many troops, in the line over an extended period of time during the Battle of the Bulge, welcomed the opportunity to change into clean clothing. Since the tactical situation was quite static during the early part of this period, transportation and time were available in which to carry laundry to the 600th. As a result the unit experienced one of its peaks of activity-this in spite of time lost when the trailers had to be pulled by means of a bulldozer and wreckers from a flooded area in Belgium. Six days elapsed before every trailer was again in operation at the new site in Germany.
The Trans-Rhine Campaign (10 March-29 March): This period found the 600th accomplishing two moves of forty-two and forty-seven miles respectively, the latter carrying it to the west bank of the Rhine. Prior to establishment of the first bridgehead on the east bank, the combat troops had ready access to the laundry. This was another high point in the history of its production services, with each of its sixteen trailers operating seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.
After March 30th the laundry was situated some distance from the troops serviced, as a result of the dynamic offensive again taken by the Allied armies, and a decided lull in laundry operations was already in evidence. However, as the ferocity of organized resistance continued to lessen, some elements were withdrawn from the line for more frequent utilization of the laundry's services.
Whatever the tactical situation, this laundry continues to "put out" day and night for those who are really putting out.
Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:
http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/oqmg/Professional_Bulletin/1996/Winter/shower.html
http://www.rowpu.com/lads.htm
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on January 29:
1688 Emanuel Swedenborg Sweden, religious leader (Angelic Wisdom)
1700 Daniel Bernoulli Basel Switzerland, mathematician (10 time French award)
1711 Giuseppe Bonno composer
1717 Jeffrey Amherst English Governor-General of America/field marshal
1737 Thomas Paine political essayist (Common Sense, Age of Reason)
1756 Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee (Republican/Governor-VA)/General/cavalryman
1761 Abraham AA "Albert" Gallatin Switzerland, US minister of Finance (1801-14)
1810 Earnest E Kummer German mathematician
1821 Isaac Ferdinand Quinby Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1891
1823 Franklin Gardner Major-General (Civil War-fought at Shiloh & Port Hudson)
1836 Benjamin Franklin Potts Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1887
1836 James Meech Warner Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1897
1843 William McKinley Niles OH, (R) 25th President (1897-1901)
1850 Lawrence Hargrave inventor (box kite)
1860 Anton Pavlovich Chekhov Tagarov Russia, playwright (Cherry Orchard)
1874 John David Rockefeller Jr Cleveland OH, philanthropist
1878 Barney Oldfield Ohio, daredevil
1880 W C Fields [William Claude Dukenfield] Philadelphia PA, actor (My Little Chickadee, Bank Dick)
1901 Allen B DuMont inventor (perfected commercial practical cathode ray tube)
1912 Professor Irwin Corey Brooklyn NY, comedian (Car Wash, Doc)
1913 Victor Mature Louisville KY, actor (One Million BC, The Robe, Samson & Delilah)
1918 John Forsythe New Jersey, actor (Bachelor Father, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty)
1923 Paddy Chayevsky [Sydney], US, dramatist (Marty, Hospital)
1929 William McMillan US, rapid pistol (Olympics-gold-1960)
1939 Germaine Greer Melbourne Australia, feminist/author (Female Eunuch)
1942 Katharine Ross Hollywood CA, actress (Graduate)
1945 Tom Selleck Detroit MI, actor (Lance-Rockford Files, Magnum PI)
1952 Tommy Ramone [Thomas Erdelyi], Budapest Hungary, rock drummer/bassist [Ramones-Rock & Roll High School)
1954 Oprah Winfrey Kosciusko MI, actress/TV host (Color Purple, Oprah)
1959 Paul McGann actor (Dr Who)
Deaths which occurred on January 29:
1559 Sir Thomas Pope English politician, benefactor, dies at about 52
1696 Ivan V co-tsar of Russia (1682-89), dies
1820 George III king of Great-Britain (1760-1820), dies at 81
1837 Aleksandr Pushkin poet/novelist/dramatist (Golden Cockeral), killed in a duel
1956 H L Mencken US essayist/critic/satirist (Smart Set), dies in Baltimore MD at 75
1963 Robert Lee Frost US poet (New Hampshire, 4 Pulitzers), dies at 88
1964 Alan Ladd actor (Shane), dies at 50 in Palm Springs CA
1970 Basil H Liddell Hart English military historian, dies at 74
1977 Freddie Prinze comedian/actor (Chico & the Man), shoots himself at 22
1986 Leif Erickson actor (John-High Chaparral), dies at 74
1992 Willie Dixon blues composer (I'm a Man, Backdoor Man, Spoonful, Little Red Rooster....), dies at 76
1994 Nick Cravat midget (Gremlin-Twilight Zone), dies of lung cancer at 81
2003 Frank Moss (b.1911), liberal Utah Democratic Senator
Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1966 BADOLATI FRANK N.---GOFFSTOWN NH.
1966 HODGSON CECIL J.---GREENVILLE TX.
1966 TERRY RONALD T.---NIAGARA FALLS NY.
[SHOTS HEARD]
1967 SILVA CLAUDE ARNOLD---MONTE VISTA CO.
1968 MILLS JAMES DALE---COMMERCE TX.
1968 MULLEAVEY QUINTEN EMILE---NORTH WOODSTOCK NH. [NOT ON OFFICIAL DIA LIST. REFNO 2057]
1968 WHITE CHARLES E.---BESSEMER AL.
["POSS DEAD, IMPALED"]
1969 CAMPBELL WILLIAM E.---MC ALLEN TX.
1969 HOLTON ROBERT E.---BUTTE MT.
1971 LINEBERGER HAROLD B.---AUSTIN TX.
1971 MIXTER DAVID I.---DARIEN CT.
POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.
On this day...
1523 Sermon of Constanz Zwingli defends 67 Schlussreden
1574 Sea battle of Reimerswaal - Admiral Boisot beats Spanish fleet
1676 Fjodor Aleksejevitsj becomes czar of Russia
1802 John Beckley of Virginia appointed 1st Librarian of Congress
1834 President Jackson orders 1st use of US troops to suppress a labor dispute
1845 Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" 1st published (New York City NY)
1850 Henry Clay introduces a comprise bill on slavery to US Senate
1856 Victoria Cross established to acknowledge bravery
1860 American College established in Rome by Pope Pius IX
1861 Kansas becomes 34th state
1863 Battle at Bear River WA US Army vs Indians
1864 Battle of Moorefield WV (Rosser's Raid)
1879 Custer Battlefield National Monument, Montana established
1886 1st successful gasoline-driven car patented, Karl Benz, Karlsruhe
1900 American League organized in Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee & Minneapolis
1900 Boers under Joubert beat English at Spionkop Natal, 2,000 killed
1912 Martial law declared in textile strike in Lawrence MA
1916 1st bombings of Paris by German Zeppelins takes place
1919 Secretary of state proclaims the 18th amendment (prohibition)
1920 Walt Disney starts 1st job as an artist; $40 week with Kansas City Slide Co
1924 Ice cream cone rolling machine patented by Carl Taylor, Cleveland
1929 Seeing Eye Guide Dog Organization forms
1942 German & Italian troops occupy Benghazi
1942 Peru & Ecuador sign Protocol of Rio (boundary determination)
1944 285 German bombers attack London
1948 Commissioner Happy Chandler fines the Yankees, Cubs, & Phillies $500 each for signing high school players
1949 Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand & Switzerland recognize Israel
1951 Liz Taylor's 1st divorce (Conrad Hilton Jr)
1953 1st movie in Cinemascope (The Robe) premieres
1958 Murderer, Charles Starkweather, captured by police in Wyoming
1958 Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward wed
1959 Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" released
1963 Jim Thorpe, Red Grange & George Halas elected to football hall of fame
1964 Most lopsided high-school basketball score-211-29 (Louisiana)
1964 Stanley Kubrick's"Dr Strangelove" premieres
1967 Branch Rickey & Lloyd Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1969 Jimi Hendrix & Peter Townshend wage a battle of guitars
1979 President Carter commuted Patricia Hearst's 7 year sentence to 2 years
1980 6 Iranian held US hostages escape with help of the Canadians
1984 President Reagan formally announces he will seek a 2nd term
1987 William J Casey, ends term as 13th director of CIA
1991 Battle for Khafji in Saudi Arabia (begins)
2003 Iraq responded to chief inspector Hans Blix's tough assessment of its disarmament, accusing him of misrepresenting its record of compliance, offering some new information and pledging continued cooperation.
2003 Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, signed an open letter calling on the peace camp, implicitly Germany, France and Russia, to rally to the U.S. standard against Iraq.
2004 Israel released more than 420 prisoners in a long-awaited swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah in exchange for an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers.
Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
New Zealand : Auckland Provincial Anniversary
Kansas : Admission Day/Kansas Day (1861)
US : Think Hawaii Day
National Be On-Purpose Month
Religious Observances
old Roman Catholic : St Francis of Sales, bishop of Geneva, doctor
Religious History
993 St. Ulrich, who lived c.890-973, and was Bishop of Augsburg from 923, was canonized at a Lateran Synod. With this action by Pope John XV, St. Ulrich became the first individual in Roman Catholic history formally elevated to sainthood.
1499 Birth of Katherine von Bora, the former German nun who became Martin Luther's wife in 1525 when he was 41 and she 26. During their 21-year marriage, Katie bore Martin 3 sons and 3 daughters. Her death in 1552 followed six years after her husband's in 1546.
1780 Pioneer American Methodist bishop Francis Asbury wrote in his journal: 'My soul is more at rest from the tempter when I am busily employed.'
1921 The Congregational Holiness Church was formally organized, following a split the previous year with the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Headquartered today in Griffin, GA, most CHC churches are located in the Southeast US.
1967 Pope Paul VI and Soviet President Nikolai Podgorny conferred at the Vatican in the first meeting in history between a Roman Catholic pontiff and the head of a Communist state.
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Thought for the day :
"Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end."
