Services of Supply, American Expeditionary Forces

Services of Supply (also referred to in the singular as Service of Supply) was the support chain of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, England, Italy and the Netherlands during World War I. It was activated on July 5, 1917 and inactivated on August 31, 1919.

Organization
Services of Supply (SOS) of the American Expeditionary Forces was established under the designation "Line of Communications," on July 5, 1917. 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, France. SOS consisted of base sections, which provided seaport and receiving services, an intermediate section, and an advanced section. 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 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 SOS 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
The Advance Section, headquartered at Neufchateau, 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, Aisne, Ardennes, Marne, Aube, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Haute-Marne, Cote d'Or, Vosges, Haute-Saône, and Doubs and the Territoire de Belfort.

Intermediate Section
The Intermediate Section stored and classified supplies.

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, Côtes-du-Nord, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Inférieure, Maine-et-Loire, Vendee, Deux Sevres, and Vienne. Base Section Number 1 was discontinued on October 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to American Forces in France. Troops and cargo move through the ports in this section. Base Section Number 1 used St-Nazaire and Nantes as its ports, which handled troops and cargo. Approximately 200,000 soldiers entered France through the two ports and cargo handling reaches 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.

Base Section Number 2
Base Section Number 2 was established on August 13, 1917. This base section, headquartered at Bordeaux, France, included the French Departments of Charente-Inferieure, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne, and Charente. Base Section Number 2 was discontinued on September 30, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to American Forces in France.

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

Base Section Number 4
Base Section Number 4 was established as Base Section Number 3 on August 13, 1917 in Le Harve, 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. 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, comprised the French Department of Finistère. On December 31, 1919, Base Section No 5 was discontinued as a port of embarkation.

Base Section Number 6
Base Section Number 6 was established on June 28, 1918 with headquarters in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), France. The section's territory covered the French Departments of Bouches-du-Rhone, Var, Alpes-Maritimes, Basses-Alpes, Vaucluse, Ardeche, Lozere, Aveyron, Tarn, Aude, Pyrenees-Orientales, Herault, and Gard. Base Section Number 6 was discontinued on June 15, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to the Intermediate Section.

Base Section Number 7
Base Section Number 7 was established on June 28, 1918 with headquarters in La Pallice, 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. Base Section Number 7 was discontinued on April 25, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Base Section Number 2.

Base Section Number 8
Base Section Number 8 was established on November 4, 1918 with headquarters in Padua, Italy. Base Section Number 8 was discontinued on May 20, 1919; its personnel and units were assigned to Headquarters, Services of Supply.

Base Section Number 9
Base Section Number 9 was established on April 8, 1919 with headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium.

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

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

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, SOS
 * 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
 * Administrative labor companies
 * The Labor Bureau
 * The War Risk Section
 * Stevedore regiments
 * Graves registration units
 * Fire trucks and hose companies

Stevedore regiments and battalions
Stevedore regiments were organized by the Stevedore and Labor Branch, Administrative Division, Quartermaster Corps; the branch was originally managed by Colonel William G. Austin and later by Colonel Carey E. Goodwyn.

Stevedores unloaded supplies at American port facilities established in Brest, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles (all in France).

301st Stevedore Regiment
The 301st Stevedore Regiment (Quartermaster Corps) was organized at Camp Hill, Virginia in September 1917. In October 1917 the regiment moved to the port of Embarkation in Hoboken, New Jersey. The regiment had an authorized strength of 127 Officers, 858 Enlisted Men (White), and 6121 Enlisted Men (Colored). The 301st Stevedore Regiment was transferred to the Transportation Corps in September 1918.

302nd Stevedore Regiment
The 302nd Stevedore Regiment (Quartermaster Corps) was organized at Camp Hill, Virginia in October 1917. In December 1917 the regiment moved to the port of Embarkation in Hoboken, New Jersey. The regiment had an authorized strength of 127 Officers, 858 Enlisted Men (White), and 6121 Enlisted Men (Colored). The 302nd Stevedore Regiment was transferred to the Transportation Corps in September 1918.

303rd Stevedore Regiment
The 303rd Stevedore Regiment (Quartermaster Corps) was organized at Camp Hill, Virginia in October 1917. In December 1917 the regiment moved to the port of Embarkation in Hoboken, New Jersey. The regiment had an authorized strength of 127 Officers, 858 Enlisted Men (White), and 6121 Enlisted Men (Colored). The 303rd Stevedore Regiment was transferred to the Transportation Corps in September 1918.

304th Stevedore Regiment
The 304th Stevedore Regiment ( also known as the 304th Training Regiment) was organized at Camp Hill, Virginia in October 1917. The regiment had an authorized strength of 59 Officers, 286 Enlisted Men (White), and 2469 Enlisted Men (Colored). The regiment was demobilized in February 1918 at Camp Hill.

305th Reserve Stevedore Regiment
The 305th Reserve Stevedore Regiment, Newport News, Virginia, had an authorized strength of 76 officers, 3556 Enlisted Men (White), and no Enlisted Men (Colored).

Stevedore battalions

 * 701st Engineer Battalion (Stevedores) was organized at Camp Alexander, Virginia in September 1918 and moved to the port of embarkation at Newport News, Virginia in October 1918. It was converted to a Transportation Corps unit in December 1918.
 * 702nd Engineer Battalion (Stevedores) was organized at Camp Alexander, Virginia in October 1918 and moved to the port of embarkation at Newport News, Virginia in November 1918. It was converted to a Transportation Corps unit in December 1918.
 * A provision existed for the 1st through 800th Stevedore Battalions, but these units were not organized.
 * The 801st through the 815th Stevedore Battalions (Transportation Corps) were organized from the 301st through the 303rd Stevedore Regiments (Date of authorization: September 16, 1918). Which regiments were sources of which battalions varies by reference.

External

 * Black Soldiers Matter
 * The Unknown Soldiers
 * S.O.S. America's miracle in France, by Isaac F. Marcosson