The Services of Supply (S. O. S.) was the support chain of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was disbanded on August 31, 1919, in France.

Organization

The Services of Supply of the

was established under the designation "Line of Communications," on July 5, 1917. The Line of Communications was judged by senior officers, including Colonel

Johnson Hagood Johnson Hagood may refer to: *Johnson Hagood (governor) (1828–1898), American Civil War soldier and Governor of South Carolina, 1880–1882 * Johnson Hagood (1873–1948), American World War I general See also *Johnson Hagood Stadium Johnson ...

, who was in charge of the advance section, to be incompetent. It was re-designated "Service of the Rear" on February 16, 1918 to March 12, 1918. It was finally designated as "Services of Supply" on March 13, 1918. Its headquarters was in

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

, France. S. O. S. consisted of base sections, which provided seaport and receiving services; an intermediate section, which provided storage and services; and an advanced section, which also stored supplies and issued them to line forces. Services of Supply remained in operation until July 19, 1919; some of its sections were transferred to American Forces in France and American Forces in Germany On September 7, 1917, General

John Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

directed that a ninety-day reserve of all classes of supplies be maintained by monthly shipments to reduce the impact of possible German submarine attacks. The goal was to have reserves stockpiled as follows in the established sections (see below): *Forty-five days near ports in the base sections. *Thirty days in the Intermediate Section. *Fifteen days in the Advance Section.

Commanders

Commanders of the S. O. S. were: *Colonel David S. Stanley (interim), July 5–24, 1917 *Brigadier General (later Major General) Richard M. Blatchford, July 25 – November 1, 1917 *Brigadier General Mason M. Patrick (interim), November 2–27, 1917 *Major General Francis J. Kernan, November 28, 1917 – July 28, 1918 *Major General James G. Harbord, July 29, 1918 – May 26, 1919 *Brigadier General William D. Connor, May 27 – August 31, 1919

Sections

Sections were area commands primarily located in France, but also in Italy, England, and Belgium.

Advance Section

Initially commanded by John F. Madden, the Advance Section, headquartered at Neufchâteau, France, distributed supplies to the zone of operations. After U.S. units entered combat, depots in the Advance Section made up railroad trains which moved the supplies to division railheads; from there on, supplies were the responsibility of the divisions. Advance Section area included the French Departments of Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Somme,

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...

, Aisne, Ardennes, Marne,

Aube Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),Meurthe-et-Moselle Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a department in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. It had a population of 733,760 in 2019.Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

, Haute-Marne, Cote d'Or,

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Territoire de Belfort The Territoire de Belfort () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. It had a population of 141,318 in 2019.Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais. It is sou ...

, France; its territory covered all of France not included in the Advance Section or in any of the base sections. This section stored and classified supplies. Among the commanders were Colonel (later Brigadier General) Arthur Johnson, Brigadier General Charles Gerhardt, and Major General William H. Hay.

Base Section Number 1

Base Section Number 1 was established on August 13, 1917 with headquarters in St-Nazaire, France. Its area comprised the French Departments of

Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...

, Côtes-du-Nord,

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019.

Loire-Inférieure Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...

, Maine-et-Loire,

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019.

, and

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.American Forces in France. Troops and cargo moved through the ports in this section. Base Section Number 1 used St-Nazaire, Nantes, and Les Sables-d'Olonne as its ports, which handled troops and cargo. Approximately 200,000 soldiers entered France through the two ports and cargo handling reached 350,000 tons a month in October 1918. Its activities included training for engineer officers, artillery, and aerial observation. It had hospitals able to handle 35,000 sick and wounded. Among the commanders were Colonel (later Major General) Louis H. Bash, Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen (U.S. Marine Corps), Brigadier General Robert D. Walsh, Colonel (later Major General) Ulysses G. McAlexander, Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach, and Colonel (later Brigadier General) Casper H. Conrad Jr.

Base Section Number 2

Base Section Number 2 was established on August 13, 1917. This base section, headquartered at

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, France, included the French Departments of Charente-Inferieure, Gironde, Landes,

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

, and Charente. Section 2 processed more than 50,000 incoming personnel and 25% of all cargo that entered France for the American Expeditionary Forces. Base Section Number 2 was discontinued on September 30, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to American Forces in France. Its base port was at

. Commanders included Brigadier General Charles H. Cole, Brigadier General William S. Scott, Brigadier General William D. Connor, Brigadier General Robert D. Walsh, and Major General Charles D. Rhodes.

Base Section Number 3

Base Section Number 3 was established on November 27, 1917 with headquarters in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England by separating it from Base Section Number 4. Base Section Number 3 was discontinued on June 15, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Headquarters, Services of Supply. Troops being deployed to France through England typically debarked at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, were transported by rail to the British coast on the English Channel, and embarked at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and Dover for transportation to

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, Cherbourg, and Calais. All U.S. personnel in England are under the command of this station. The Murmansk Expedition was deployed through Base Section Number 3. Commanders included Major General George T. Bartlett, Major General John Biddle (three times), and Brigadier General Charles B. Wheeler

Base Section Number 4

Base Section Number 4 was established as Base Section Number 3 on August 13, 1917 in

, France. Its territory was the French Department of Seine-Inferieure with a subordinate element in England. It was re-designated as Base Section Number 4 on November 27, 1917 when the element in England was detached and designated as Base Section Number 3. The section's port was

; that port was the first to receive U.S. troops. Between establishment and the Armistice, 700,000 tons of materiel were received and shipped onward. Commanders included Brigadier General William Lassiter, Brigadier General Richard Coulter Jr., and Brigadier General John B. Bennett Base Section Number 4 was discontinued on April 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to the Intermediate Section.

Base Section Number 5

Base Section Number 5 was established on November 27, 1917 with headquarters in

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French m ...

, comprised the French Department of

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

. The section's ports were at Brest (the only deep water port available to the U.S.) and Cherbourg. The ports could handle over 6,000 tons daily and more than 30,000 troops in 12 hours. Through the port at Brest, Section Number 5 was the major path to repatriation for U.S. troops. On December 31, 1919, Base Section No 5 was discontinued as a port of embarkation. Among the commanders were Colonel (later Brigadier General) Nathaniel F. McClure, Brigadier General George H. Harries, Major General Eli A. Helmick, and Colonel (later Brigadier General) Asa L. Singleton.

Base Section Number 6

Base Section Number 6 was established on June 28, 1918 with headquarters in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

(

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

), France. The section's territory covered the French Departments of Bouches-du-Rhone, Var, Alpes-Maritimes, Basses-Alpes,

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Ardèche,

Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

, Tarn, Aude, Pyrenees-Orientales, Herault, and Gard. The section's two ports were at Marseille and

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. The ports primarily processed freight and could handle 3000 tons daily. Base Section Number 6 was discontinued on June 15, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to the Intermediate Section.The section's only two commanders were Colonels Melvin W. Rowell and George McDougall Weeks.

Base Section Number 7

Base Section Number 7 was established on June 28, 1918 with headquarters in

La Pallice La Pallice (also known as ''grand port maritime de La Rochelle'') is the commercial deep-water port of La Rochelle, France. During the Fall of France, on 19 June 1940, approximately 6,000 Polish soldiers in exile under the command of Stanisła ...

, France in the French Department of Charente-Inferieure, which was the only department in the base section and had previously been a part of Base Section No 2. It had ports at La Pallice,

Rochefort-sur-Mer Rochefort ( oc, Ròchafòrt), unofficially Rochefort-sur-Mer (; oc, Ròchafòrt de Mar, link=no) for disambiguation, is a city and commune in Southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a subprefecture of the Charente-Maritime de ...

, and Marans. It received and forwarded almost 1,500,000 tons of cargo during 1917 and 1918. Base Section Number 7 was discontinued on April 25, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Base Section Number 2. Commanders included Brigadier General Charles Gerhardt

Base Section Number 8

Base Section Number 8 was established on November 4, 1918 with headquarters and only port in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, Italy. The base section provided administrative control of all U.S. troops in Italy, including the 332nd Infantry Regiment. Base Section Number 8 was discontinued on May 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Headquarters, Services of Supply. Brigadier General (later Major General) Charles G. Treat was its only commander.

Base Section Number 9

Base Section Number 9 was established on April 8, 1919 with headquarters and sole port in Antwerp, Belgium. The section supported the forces occupying Germany. On August 15, 1919, the section was transferred to American Forces in Germany. Its two commanders were Colonels John B. Sewell and William Kelly.

Independent districts

The District of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and the Arrondissement of

, although lying within the Intermediate Section, were exempted from the control of that section and directly administered by Headquarters, Services of Supply.

Subordinate elements

Army Service Corps

On August 22, 1918, the Army Service Corps was established to operate units in the Services of Supply. Eventually, more than 400 organizations would fall under the control of the Army Service Corps, including: *Headquarters Battalion, S. O. S. *Headquarters Detachment, Renting, Requisition, and Claims (RR&C) Service, and RR&C companies *Cement mills companies *Headquarters Detachment, Central Prisoners of War Enclosure and prisoners of war escort companies **236th Prisoner of War Escort Company *Administrative labor companies *The Labor Bureau *The War Risk Section *Graves registration units *Fire trucks and hose companies

Transportation Corps

* Stevedore operations, American Expeditionary Forces * Railway operations, American Expeditionary Forces

Units

No one source document seems to list all the units of the Services of Supply. This list is incomplete. *332nd Butchery Company *363rd Butchery Company *301st Stevedore Regiment *302nd Stevedore Regiment *303rd Stevedore Regiment *701st Stevedore Battalion *702nd Stevedore Battalion *Engineer Service Battalions, numbered from 505th to 550th, inclusive. *Labor Battalions, numbered from 304th to 348th, inclusive (excluding the 316th, 327th and 328th) and the 357th. *Labor Companies, numbered from 301st to 324th, inclusive. *Pioneer Infantry Battalions numbered 80lth to 809th, as well as the 811th and 813th to 816th, inclusive. Also there were 207 US Army labor battalions in France during the war, but nothing is known of their designations.

Deployment of stevedore units

*Intermediate Section: One company *Base Section Number 1: Six battalions *Base Section Number 2: Five battalions *Base Section Number 3: One detachment *Base Section Number 4: One company *Base Section Number 5: Two battalions *Base Section Number 6: One battalion (less two companies) *Base Section Number 7: Elements of two battalions

References

External links

Black Soldiers Matter''S.O.S. America's miracle in France'', by Isaac F. MarcossonBase Section No. 1 (St. Nazaire), Arrival and Unloading of Troops (1917)

US National Archives The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

Base Section No. 1 (St. Nazaire), Prominent Visitors (1918-1919)

BASE SECTION NO. 1 (ST. NAZAIRE), HOSPITALIZATION (1918)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Services of Supply, American Expeditionary Forces 1917 establishments in France 1919 disestablishments in France American Expeditionary Forces Military history of the United States during World War I Military units and formations established in 1917 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations of the United States in World War I