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

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prescribe3 by the Var Departnent as being the stookage
necessary to provide for the replacement of the nomal supaly
rontine due to interruptions in transportation, enemy
aotJoc, and other unforeseen demds. The stookage of this
reserve in echelon provides for distribution and envisages
the asse-bly of adenuate supplies Lmediately behind coinbat
operetions to insure a aonstant flow in the event of an lnterrnption
In the nomal operatinR level.
b. The iinimum level is therefore governed by the
need to have levels spread frun the rear to forwar? areas,
and by the Quantities needed to iiaintain the supply pipe
line P'ratl ports md base depots to Pozward supTly install-
ations. The quantity In the suyply pipe line itself is
.governed by the length of the lines or commuttication and by
the transport an& handline fhcilities available. r'Jb.en the
pipe line is short, the field forces are supplied direct
frora base depots and levels are relatively easy to mintain.
ks the line lengthens, ana the time fnotor for dellvory increams,
Advance and Intwrmomte depots beoome neosssary. Kin.
&num* levels lnust be established and mintaimed at alldepts tin
order t9 mintaln a sufficient flow oT supplies to the field
foroes .O
16. Oparatinp Level. An ogerat!.ng level of supply~is
the quant~ty of supplies (in days) necessary to aintain an
overseas command duriQg the interval between recaipt of
shiprsents from the zone of interior.5 The operat ng level,
therefor%,is based on the frequency of sailings,lQ and on
the tirie reouired to wrfom the following:5
a. Initiate and forward a requisition to the Zone
of Interior,
b. Load and ship the supplies from the zone of
interior.
0. Unload Lhe supplies in the theater of operations.
(The number of days lnvolved from the initie.tlox of
the i:onuisitton to the receipt of the supplies in the thes-
ter is called the "order and ahippinp time1?$
17. lraximum Ieval. A maxi" level of supply is tne
maximum quantity of supply aermitted on 3and at my given
time in au overseas command, an& is th6 sum of the ninimum
and operating levels, expressed in terms of days of supply.5
18. Although naxhum, operating, and
minimum levels of supply were presoribea for the lhropean
5%-atar of Operations, all stocW of Qwrtermnstor supplies,
from the tlme of their arrival, were Considered to foru
part of a Siu@.Q leml. There was no physical segraplntion
of stock betiweex operating and ninimum love1 stocks. Depots
Woro not concerned with oporsting and milvrnun levels, but
were interested only in the total fiqurs, in assuring themselves
that requireQents For so nany days wcre availablo,
RGquisltions to the BOnQ of interior were based on so many
day6 of supply, and not on operating or minimum levels. ~ll
incoaiw %"crrnaster suplies formed one European Theater
stock pile, oontrolled and aistributed by the Chief Q,uartermastar,
Zlthoufih tho factors considered ir, the detQ2hIinotiOn
of tho rininwn and operating levels are essent5al to tho
final detomination of' the maxinzum level, tho suropem meater
of Operatione avoided confnsion and excessiv6 records by
confinin itself insofar as Quartermaster supplies were con-
cerned, &o only the one level.
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