Engineer Memoirs
outrun our supply lines, and we were engaged in reorienting our supplies and
developing a supply route from the Dutch ports. There had been the excursion into the
Rhine plain in the Netherlands, which had further diverted supplies and efforts, even
though not overly successful
My own experience, as I returned from the hospital through the replacement system,
had impressed on me the problems in the supply and transportation systems. I went
through at least four replacement depots after leaving England, and finally ended in one
near Etampes, about
miles from Paris. I was delayed there several days by
of whether I was medically fit to return to duty. I finally was allowed to
leave.
My trip to the front was another experience. Thirteen hundred replacements were
placed on a train made up of cargo box cars without any provisions for food and water
other than cases of cold C-rations placed in each individual car. There were about 40
cars; and, as the train was being loaded, an individual came up to me and asked me to
sign a paper. I asked him, "For what?" He said, "You're the train commander and these
are the records which require a signature for this replacement group."
He had no roster of men in the group and said we were designated to go to another
replacement unit somewhere in Belgium. The "somewhere" was literal. They really
didn't know where it was but said we were supposed to be on the train about24 hours.
We actually spent 72 hours before arriving at Huy.
The major problems resulted from the fact that there were no kitchen cars and the train
crew was French. There was no real information as to where we were or when we
would get to our destination. For instance, we sat in the rail yards, in the outskirts of
Paris,
about
at night until about 5 :00 the next morning simply waiting for a
train crew and a change of locomotives.
By that time, the water that individuals had brought in their canteens was somewhat
low. I tried to make provisions for water as we finally began to move north. We came
into Compiegne, where I had been promised some water. Sure enough, there were two
tank trucks. However, there was no way to canteens other than through one over-
sized hose connection on the back of each tank truck. With some difficulty and
considerable delay, we finally got several
bags set up. This gave some opportunity
during a relatively short stop to provide water, but it was a very unsatisfactory and
performance.
I returned to the division, there was an IG [Inspector General]
Not long
investigation of the replacement system, and it was changed to provide travel crews and
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