Quartermaster Corps

The United States Army Quartermaster Corps was one of the main logistical branches of the US Army during World War II, responsible for the general supply, transport, storage, and distribution of goods necessary for the functioning of the armed forces. When the United States entered the war in December 1941, the corps expanded rapidly to support the mobilization and deployment of millions of soldiers across multiple theaters of operation.

During the conflict, the Quartermaster Corps was responsible for supplying food, clothing, personal equipment, fuel, lubricants, drinking water, and many essential services such as depot management, road and sea transport, field baking, laundry, and funeral services. In the United States, it oversaw a vast network of storage centers, ports, and logistics bases, ensuring the preparation and delivery of equipment to combat zones.

In overseas theaters of operations, Quartermaster Corps units were deployed in North Africa, Italy, Western Europe, the Pacific, and Asia. In North Africa and the Mediterranean, they supported Allied operations from 1942 onwards, supplying forces engaged in difficult climatic conditions. In Europe, starting in 1944, the Quartermaster Corps played a central role in providing logistical support for the Normandy landings, notably by organizing supplies from the beaches, managing forward depots, and operating captured ports.

During the Allied advance through France, Belgium, and Germany, the Quartermaster Corps established and maintained logistical lines of communication, organizing the transport of fuel, food, and equipment over long distances, including through road convoys and temporary pipelines. In the Pacific, it supported amphibious and land campaigns by establishing logistics bases on conquered islands and supplying forces engaged in isolated areas.

After the German surrender in May 1945 and the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Quartermaster Corps was engaged in missions to support the occupation forces, repatriate troops, redistribute or dispose of surplus stocks, and manage military funeral services related to war casualties.

The US Quartermaster Corps' service record during World War II covers all American theaters of operations, including North Africa, the Mediterranean, Western Europe, the Pacific, and Asia, as well as the large-scale logistical support provided from the United States between 1941 and 1945.