Montgomery would have been staggered had he listened in at Lutes' final interview with Bedell Smith, who told him: `No one can say supply has failed. At the front it is OK.'

Wrote Graham Dominick and Shelford Bidwell in their book Coalitions, Politicians and Generals. The Americans were concealing from the British what their true situation was, and that was not nothing because it was those same American Allies that were then on the receiving end of the incredibly powerful German Ardennes surprise offensive with problems that Montgomery could only guess at from what he or his liaison officers observed in the 1st and 9th US Armies that had been temporarily placed under his command.

Tag words: Field Marshall Montgomery; Bedell Smith; Graham Dominick; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; Ardennes offensive; ComZ; ammunition; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; General JCH Lee; Bradley; Hodges; Patton; LeRoy Lutes; Henry Aurand; Lieutenant-General Robert Littlejohn; General Eisenhower; Somervell; Marshall; President Roosevelt; ETOUSA; General Sir Harold Alexander; OVERLORD; Brigadier-General Moses; ETO; SHAEF; John Kennedy Ohl; Supplying the Troops; Major General Harold R. Bull; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants;

Bradley, Patton and Hodges had rattled the cages of Somervell’s command in Washington about what they said were failures by General Lee’s ComZ to issue their armies with adequate supplies of ammunition. This was now blowing up in the press in the United States, and was getting dangerously close to putting Eisenhower’s job on the line – not the intended result. Bedell Smith first got rid of one of Somervell’s men, Aurand. Now his replacement had arrived at SHAEF headquarters – a second chance to get rid of Lee – but there was a huge danger – unthinkable to the Americans. Was there the need to appoint the ground forces commander that Field Marshall Montgomery had been unrelenting in pushing for.

Tag words: Bradley; General Patton; Hodges; Lieutenant General Brehon Somervell; General Lee; ComZ; Eisenhower; Bedell Smith; Beetle Smith; Aurand; Major General LeRoy Lutes; Field Marshall Montgomery; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; Everett Hughes; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; DR Crosswell; SHAEF; General Sir Humfrey Gale; General George Marshall; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; LeRoy Lutes; John Kennedy Ohl; General Ewart G Plank; General Simpson;

On 9 March 1942 the US Army underwent its greatest organisational change. It implemented the wishes of General Marshall, the Army’s Chief of Staff. It was to give order to and clean up and simplify the command structure of the American Army at the very top. Only 3 men would report directly to Marshall. Lesley J. McNair was made the head of the Army Ground Forces. Henry Arnold was made the head of the Army Air Forces, and Brehon Somervell was made the head of logistics and everything else. These 4 men were as close to being the gods of the US Army as was possible.

In late 1944, as a result of a seemingly never ending stream of complaints reaching Washington from the European Theatre of Operations about the shortage of critical ammunition supplies that were preventing the winning of the war in 1944, Somervell despatched one of his personal advisers to investigate and fix whatever, or whoever, was the problem. That man was Major-General Henry Aurand. He left America and landed at Orly airport at the end of October.

Then about three weeks later this incredible thing happened, as described by David Irving in his book The War Between the Generals:

On November 19, Bedell Smith sent for Aurand, received him coldly, and handed him a terse note that Hughes had written Smith that day. Aurand, it said, had expressed such vehement and indiscreet disapproval of the setup in Europe that he was unfit to be part of it.

"You will be sent back," said Smith, "in your permanent rank of colonel."

"But what about my ammunition report?" asked Aurand.

"It is evident that you are prejudiced," Smith replied. "A more competent officer will do the job."

What had just happened?

Tag words: General Marshall; Brehon Somervell; European Theatre of Operations; ETO; General Henry Aurand; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Bedell Smith; Eisenhower; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; COMZ; Brigadier General Raymond Moses; General JCH Lee; General Bradley; Ninth Army; General Simpson; General Hodges; General Patton; Carlo d’Este; Eisenhower – A Soldier’s Life; Major General Everett S Hughes; Kay Summersby; General Littlejohn; Sayler; ETOUSA; Twelfth Army Group; SHAEF;

… if it became known that American logistics and American strategy had been instrumental in bringing the autumn campaign to a standstill and, what was more, prolonging the war, a political row would ensue just at the time of the presidential elections.

…

Back in Washington, when [Marshall] had set in train the investigation into logistics in the European Theatre of Operations … , he sent a signal to Brooke expressing his confidence that Eisenhower would be able to finish the war in 1944. Brooke wrote to Montgomery expressing his amazement:

Discussed with planners the wonderful telegram from Marshall in which he seems to consider that if we really set our heart on it we ought to be able to finish the war before the end of the year.

Despite that piece of Marshall window-dressing, Somervell had despatched Major-General Lucius Clay to sort out the Normandy Base Area and Major-General Henry Aurand to investigate the ammunition supply in France.

So wrote Dominick Graham and Shelford Bidwell in their book Coalitions, Politicians and Generals

Tag words: General George Marshall; European Theatre of Operations; Major-General Henry Aurand; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; Carlo d’Este; General Dwight D Eisenhower; Eisenhower – A Soldier’s Life; Russel Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; SHAEF; Martin Creveld; Supplying War; COMZ; General JCH Lee; Patton; POL; ammunition; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Bradley; General Somervell; John Kennedy Ohl; Supplying the Troops; Beetle Smith;

The Normandy invasion was without doubt the most ambitious amphibious operation in military history, involving thousands of ships ferrying hundreds of thousands of men across a treacherous water passage against a hostile shore. There were serious concerns that it would be a disaster, and the logistics were the key element. Lee handled it superbly.

Once the invasion of France was launched there was in fact a huge logjam of supplies piled up around Omaha Beach, and those supplies were not reaching the troops in combat. A major reason for this imbroglio was Bradley's repeated refusal to cede control of the beaches to Lee, as he was supposed to do. This recalcitrance kept the supply situation in flux much longer than should have been the case, to the detriment of the troops. The only reason offered by Bradley for this peculiar action was his personal distaste for Lee. It was unprofessional conduct to say the least.

So wrote Hank H Cox in his biography of General JCH Lee, The General Who Wore Six Stars.

Tag words: General JCH Lee; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; Omar Bradley; General George Patton; D-Day invasion; Eisenhower; General Somervell; Beetle Smith; Carlo d’Este; Eisenhower – A Soldier’s Life; Marshall; Major General Charles H "Pete" Corlett; Kay Summersby; He Was My Boss; Winston Churchill; ComZ; Service of Supplies; SOS; General Devers; Operation Dragoon; DKR Crosswell; Hughes; Omaha; Utah; Seine River; Ernie Pyle; SHAEF; Normandy campaign; World War II; Cherbourg;

After Aurand [Colonel Henry S Aurand – a consultant to the US Army world logistic supply supremo, General Brehon Somervell] had delivered his report and taken command of the Normandy Base Section in December, he recorded that he despatched a train of PX (Post Exchange) goods for the front. A platoon of infantry, part at the rear and part at the front, was to ensure that at long halts and in shunting yards, agents of the black-market would not get on board and rifle the wagons. That train disappeared, troops and all, he said, and was never seen again. Aurand wrote that he had no doubt that the men had joined the growing number of deserters living on the black-market, where a packet of American cigarettes was worth … 200 [Francs]. The size of the deserter population was not something to be advertised, either. It may have been an open secret but anyone who arrived from outside and commented on it loudly and in public would be in trouble.

This incident is recounted in the book Coalitions, Politicians and Generals by Dominick Graham and Shelford Bidwell.

Tag words: Colonel Henry S Aurand; General Brehon Somervell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; General JCH Lee; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; sos; Service of Supply; Rick Atkinson; The Guns at Last Light; Jesus Christ Himself; European Theater of Operations; ETO; Communications Zone; ComZ; General Dwight D. Eisenhower; Lt-General William Pagonis; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; Red Ball Express; Carlo d’Este; Eisenhower A Soldier’s Life; Bradley; Patton; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Bedell Smith; black market; pilfering; Prodigal wastage; railway system; Constipation; Major-General Appleton; SHAEF;

Carlo d’Este, in his biography of Eisenhower wrote:

The only air plan that existed for Overlord in January 1944 vaguely proposed minimal measures for air support during a two-to-three-week period before D-Day in order to knock out coastal defenses and soften the way for the invasion force. When first briefed on air operations in January 1944, Eisenhower and Spaatz were shocked by Leigh-Mallory's prediction that it was still uncertain if the Allies would even gain air superiority before Overlord was launched.

…. 

The gravest danger surrounded not the D-Day landings themselves but German reinforcements sped to Normandy to seal off the Allied beachhead with greater numbers of forces than the Allies could insert across the English Channel.

What was the nature and dimension of this problem? And what does it have to do with General JCH Lee’s infuriatingly controversial decision to move his staff into Paris in August 1944?

Tag words: Carlo d’Este; Eisenhower A Soldier’s Life; Overlord; D-Day; Eisenhower; Spaatz; Leigh-Mallory; General JCH Lee; Paris; Normandy; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; Mulberries; GMC trucks; Russell Weigley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; Red Ball Express; Transportation Plan; SNCF; French national railway; Churchill; General Pierre Koenig; USSTAF; Bradley; A Soldier’s Story; Tom Clancy; SHAEF; 12th Army Group; Christopher C Gabel; The Lorraine Campaign; David Irving; The War Between the Generals; Everett Hughes; Dominick Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; rail; COMZ; Beetle Smith; Bedell Smith;

In 1944/1945 General JCH Lee, was the Supremo of supply in the European Theatre of Operations under both Eisenhower, as the theatre commander, and under the great overlord of American logistics, General Brehon Somervell, who sat directly, alongside the Army commander and the Army Air Force commanders, under General Marshall, the Chief of Staff.

There was no more a controversial figure in Eisenhower’s command than General Lee – no, not even George Patton. Stephen Ambrose, in his book Citizen Soldiers, wrote about what is probably Lee’s most villified exploit:

Lee's best-known excess came . . . at the height of the supply crisis. Eisenhower had frequently expressed his view that no major headquarters should be located in or near the temptations of a large city, and had specifically reserved the hotels of Paris for the use of combat troops on leave. Lee nevertheless, and without Eisenhower's knowledge, moved his headquarters to Paris. His people requisitioned all the hotels previously occupied by the Germans, and took over schools and other large buildings. More than 8,000 officers and 21,000 men in sos (“the Service of Supply”) descended on the city in less than a week with tens of thousands more to follow. Parisians began to mutter that the U.S. Army demands were in excess of those made by the Germans.

Was this a fair comment? It looks to be a pretty cut and dry point of view when you look at what many of the most respected historians wrote about this incident in Part 37 of this series, condemning Lee’s move.

Tag words: General JCH Lee; Eisenhower; General Brehon Somervell; General Marshall; George Patton; Stephen Ambrose; Citizen Soldiers; Paris; sos; Service of Supply; Carlo d’Este; Geoffrey Perret; Raoul Nordling; Choltitz; FFI; de Gaulle; Major General Jacques Philippe Leclerc; French 2ndArmoured Division; Koenig; Bedell Smith; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; President Roosevelt; FDR; Russell Weigley; Rommel; Dominic Graham; Shelford Bidwell; Coalitions, Politicians and Generals; SHAEF; Nigel Hamilton; The Battles of Field Marshal Montgomery; Montgomery; Alan Brooke; Is Paris burning; Bradley; Third Army;

Logistics is the ball and chain of armoured warfare said General Heinz Guderian – and that was definitely a topic that he was qualified to speak on.

Tag words: Logistics; General Heinz Guderian; Somervell; John Kennedy Ohl; Supplying the Troops; General Brehon Somervell; ETO; European Theater of Operations; SOS; Service of Supplies; Russell Wegley; Eisenhower’s Lieutenants; General JCH Lee; General Marshall; Major General James E Chaney; Carlo d’Este; Bolero; Roundup; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; US Army Air Corps; Larkin; Eisenhower; General Clark; Lord Leathers; Operation Torch; General Jacob Devers;

The formidable Nazi war machine was powerless to stop the build up in Britain of Allied troops shipped from the USA and Canada. But in early 1943 Doenitz was winning the Battle of the Atlantic against that other, essential, component that those troops needed, being transported in very vulnerable slow or just plain vulnerable, fast merchant ships. As Paul Kennedy wrote in his book Engineers of Victory:

The increasing flood of U.S. and Canadian troops to Britain was transported by an entirely different method — the great liners of Cunard, which, when stripped inside to the bone, could each carry 15,000 GIs at a speed that even a fleet destroyer couldn't keep up with, let alone a U-boat. But, to repeat an earlier question, what would two to three million fresh soldiers do in the United Kingdom if they lacked food, fuel, and munitions?

Tag words: Doenitz; Battle of the Atlantic; Paul Kennedy; Engineers of Victory; Cunard; Hitler; Fortress Europe; John Kennedy Ohl; Supplying the Troops; Somervell; U-Boat campaign; Third Reich; HX 229; SC 122; Operation Bolero; Operation Sledgehammer; Operation Roundup; Operation Overlord; General JCH Lee; WSA; War Shipping Administration; Lord Leathers; full and down; Operation Torch; The Center Task Force; Hank H Cox; The General Who Wore Six Stars; sos; Service of Supplies; C.S. Lewis; Chronological Snobbery; Gulf War; Operation Desert Storm; OPD; War Department General Staff, Operations Division; Victory Program;