Quartermaster Supply Operations - US Army Combined Arms Center ...

187. Allmances. The iqltial allowances of individual
and OrganiZational alothlng and equipent, as presoribed by
the War Department, are contained In appopkate tables of
organization and equipment, tables of basic allowanaes, and
table of equipment number 21.l The Canananding General, aro
ean Theater or OperatLons, authorized and published from
tine to time speoial aliowances, in addition to those presorib-
ed by the Uar Departmept, for troops in the European Theater
of Operations. Requests for additional Items, or for items
in excees of authorized allowanoes, were eubmitted through
oommand oharmeLs to the Colrmaa&inLGeneral, Communications
zone, for approval prior to issue.2
quacy of Allowanoes, The allowances a6 pesorib-
Department and as modiried in the i3uropean Theater
of 0 erations were generally adequate, .There was a need
for specfa1 it- required by speoial types of personnel suoh
as armored, airborne, and tank destroyer, and in addition, a
definite need for winter clothing. mny items of olothing and
equipment were in critical‘short supply at various thes due
to low priority. enemy aotion or to Laok of supply disaipline,
Some item were ooneietently in short supply, whioh indloated
either that the initial tqllowanoe wa8 too low or that produo-
tion or rei?eh facilities were inadequete. The most outstan&
ing oi these items were:3
Outfits, aookiq, one burner
Outfits, oookim& two burner
Outfits, aooking, 20-man
Field “34
Heater, water, immersion tyye
lkieess equipment, all tirpes
Tentage
Certaic items of combat aZothinG
“anter QlOthiq
Medessinc: equigment was often in short supply beaause bring
oambat operatione ults Were frequently split up into smaller
detaohments OP oombat groups. Organimtional allowances were
not adequate to permit the iesuanoe of this tne of equipment
to them detachments, Thia wa8 esgeoially notable among Mllitary
Polioe an8 similar unite whioh operated in small groups.4
Speoial and non-tariff sizes of olothing ~nbfootwear were ot’ten
dirrlault to cbtain in army areaa, althou there were eufi&-
oient stoaks oa the oontlnent. Units were u l t ~ t d author- l ~ ~
ized t o draw sgeoial and non-tarfif size olothisg ahd footwear
for storage in unit supply for issue as required.
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