Note 20 — Chapter XI · Logistics and Civil Affairs

By 20 November General Krueger’s program for hospital construction was far behind schedule. Of the eight hospitals planned for the area only one was as much as 34 percent complete, and one was only 5 percent complete.20 The lack of hospital facilities, which continued throughout December, was somewhat offset by the rate of evacuation and the use of hospital ships and LST’s operating under naval medical procedure. Next to airfields and roads the construction of hospitals was given priority. But “an adequate number of engineer battalions ... to do justice to the original requirements” was not available. At the same time General Krueger ordered that the hospitals be given first priority on structural materials and on portable buildings. No lumber, including ship dunnage, could be used in constructing quarters for either officers or enlisted men until the hospitals were completed.21 All units that could be spared from airdrome and road construction were used to build either hospitals or port and POL (petrol, oil, and lubricants) installations.