The Quartermaster Field Reports

A few years ago I came across a collection of reports that documented almost every aspect of Quartermaster activities on the front and rear lines between Fall of 1944 and Late-Winter of 1945. Among these reports were the opinions, habits and modifications of various clothing and equipment by troops fighting in the ETO during that time. This collection has been one of the most valuable finds of source material I have come across, especially when paired with photos in the same areas of operation as described in the reports.

Traditionally, Tables of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) are a good reference for what was issued on a unit level. TO&E forms can be helpful in theory, but they only go so far as to describe the what troops of certain roles should be given in an ideal situation. In practice, especially as the war went on, troops rarely ended up with what the TO&E said they should have been issued. This Quartermaster Report is effectively the missing link of what troops in the ETO wound up with, made, repurposed, or generally found no use for in combat.

The following are the reports in full. The reports and catalogue are separated for file size reasons.