{{Short description, Aspect of military theater of war operations Theater of operations

Communications Zone is a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

term which describes a part of the theater of war operations. The Communications Zone is the rear part of theater of operations (behind but contiguous to the combat zone) which contains the lines of communications, establishments for supply and evacuation, and other agencies required for the immediate support and maintenance of the field forces.Chapter VII: Prewar Army Doctrine for Theater
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Communications Zones

*WWII Communications Zone, European Theater of Operations. This began in May 1942 as part of the U. S. Army

Services of Supply The Services of Supply or "SOS" branch of the Army of the USA was created on 28 February 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department" and War Department Circular No. 59, dated 2 March 1942. Services of Supp ...

. SOS commander Lt. Gen.

Brehon B. Somervell Brehon Burke Somervell (9 May 1892 – 13 February 1955) was a general in the United States Army and Commanding General of the Army Service Forces in World War II. As such he was responsible for the U.S. Army's logistics. Following his death, ' ...

recommended Maj. Gen.

John C. H. Lee John Clifford Hodges Lee (1 August 1887 – 30 August 1958) was a career US Army engineer, who rose to the rank of lieutenant general and commanded the Communications Zone (ComZ) in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. A gra ...

, then commanding the

2nd Infantry Division (United States) The 2nd Infantry Division (2ID, 2nd ID) ("Indianhead") is a formation of the United States Army. Its current primary mission is the pre-emptive defense of South Korea in the event of an invasion from North Korea. There are approximately 17,000 so ...

in Texas to Army Chief of Staff Gen.

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S ...

who gave the assignment to Lee; Somervell had served under Lee in the

89th Infantry Division (United States) The 89th Infantry Division, originally known as the "89th Division," was an infantry formation of the United States Army that was active during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. History World War I The 89th Division was official ...

in WWI. Lee spent two weeks in Washington selecting key staff and planning the Operation Bolero buildup of men and materiel in Britain. This work continued through the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and on 6 June 1944 the SOS-ETO was abolished, becoming the Communications Zone, ETO. Lee commanded the largest single unit in WWII; over 900,000 men and women by V-E Day, 8 May 1945, delivering over 41 million tons of arms and supplies to the continent. * Korean Communications Zone (KCOMZ)

Communications Zones

References

Further reading