ETO, Logistical Build-Up in the British Isles

BE 6 1 F. I C T E D
Service vas established within the SOS2, absorbiq tLe Area Petroleum
Off ice.
The activities of tlib &e& petrolem SerPico were cvwlappcd
to a significant extent by the POL section lster established in &A,
w: Better coordination \PBB finally effected d er the &en Petto
r01eu.m Officer.
The Chief Qertcmater, Sob, w s respo:isijle foi- the idmd
receipt, storage, and i&sucof all POL itrns except those fed directly
to installrtloae by POL pipelines, and uncomon ariation ?roducts! The
'&artemater Servico was r.l.80 reeuonsible for reconumbing the ?hnsing
into the TheRter of ell POX supplies. Since the 3ritish Erere hadling
all bulk gaeolinc, tho POL activities of tho Qarternaster Service in
the Britiah Isles were, for Lhc noat writ, linited to preparing & consolidating
POL requiremants (including tkoac for :he Continental opera-
tiion), etoogpiling pnoka~cdWL vrodv.otr, for the invpsion, end techmically
Bupervising retidl distribution. ,
Also bec~.usa of the BritlBh hmd3ling of 5ulk POL in the Uni-
ted Kingdom, the Engineer end Ormsportation Services vere not particularly
active in their POL reeponsibilitier of construction old tirnnport.
Imolved rdth the Lend-Lasso aapects of the petrolmu question
wre other United Stntes cgmcies including the Navy (conoerned with
t&er aovements and control), the Unitod Sbates Enbcosy Petroleum AttAchC
(represcnting the SBate Dapartncnt, the Petrolem Adninistrfition
for War, and tIhe Bmrd of Eoononic 'knfnre), the Harrinen ;9saion, a b
the General Purchasing Agent,
40. , The beretion of the Petroleun Suppl:? S:den *is6 ao:Jevhnt
corqliceted bjr tho numar of United States agonciai involved. This
co;l?lexity was to a Ear& extent tlic reeult of their >el% at tinea R
Q-4 staff both on the 60s a b tho Thceter level. Hed thcre been onlr
one GL?,md that on R Thea'jer level, it would have been feasible for
it, toge:hor with the Cparterwester bervice, to hovo absorbEd the work
of the Area PetroLBuu Office.
me actue.1 efficiencg of petrolem suprly in bhrr British J e l ~
was dependent, of course, h-galy on the British, who wen responsible
for the entire bulk handling. The British bid a gond job; thrafore
the qply of petrolew wn8 vary aatiefectory,
From a planning ?olnt of vim thoro waa coiieiderable &plication
between the C$.extenmater Senice, the SOS @, md the &en Petrol-
Office. A concreto divieion of reepousibilitg was nevcr decided
upon. . This duplication WEB gonowhat Juatifioblc, however, as it provided
detailed double-ohccks on planning for one of the iiiost vital war ccmoditios.
To some extent it imfi neccsaai'y bcoause of the m y serdcea thet
were to be involved in acco:.iplishing petroloug 61ply on the Continent,
A significant British action, during the SimilGr Of 1$3, which
made tho joint aupaly of nctrnlem ppoducts fcnsible in the British Isles,
NRB the st&tdardlaal;icn of all 3rltiSh petrolnu ?roducta, S O e p t tllosc
Of tho RAF, and the yoduction of their nunbcr frm 342 toll&
It i8 neccsecry to voint out that the expcricnoe:in tho Sritish
1818~did not, because of the lnrgc part played by the Bdtiatl.
furnish 8 baeie for QValmting the arcper division of responsibility and
Contro~ of POL 8qply flow ketqcen the 605 0-4, %he ~rter;lle.SCBr
&XTiCe, and the Enginccr and Tr~eportRtion Services. Later, On thha
2. @a933, ETO, 27 !lay 1943.
R-&6-f-X-I-C-I-IE-D
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