US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

388 Amphibians C~me To Conqner
. .
.’ 1
TurnerCollection
A ccvgo of Quonset buts and ~refabvicated wavebouses and buts unloaded
(in the wrong way) at Munda.
It appears for the first time in modern warfare that supplies have arrived
with or immediately behind the Assault Troops. A good example is the air-
strip at Segi, There, bulldozers were clearing a strip forty (4o ) minutes after
the first echelon LST had beached. The flow of supplies to the front has been
greater than the Advanced Bases could handle. All have requested that the
flow of supplies be reduced.”
Enemy action, grounding and modified plans had forced many changes
in the ships and landing craft originally designated for specific supporting
echelon tasks. The important lesson from all this was that in order for
logistic support to be delivered by amphibious ships and craft on time, a
large excess of ships and craft is required over the computed space require-
ments for the total of personnel and tons of equipment to be moved.
For the TOENAILS Operation 36 LSTS, 36 LCIS, 72 LCTS and 28 APCS
had been scheduled to be available. Fortunately plans were not based on
* Commander Landing Craft Flotillas to COMPHIBFORSOPAC FE 2S–2/A3/Ser 002 of 13 Jul.
1943, subj: Performance of Landing Craft.