Supplying the troops

In World War II, the United States mounted a military effort of unprecedented magnitude and complexity. With more than 11 million soldiers to be armed, fed, clothed, and transported, logistics - including the design, procurement, distribution, and movements of supplies and the transportation of troops - became big business. General Brehon B. Somervell, a brilliant military-industrial manager, led the army's wartime logistical operation. Sometimes criticized as a big spender, he understood well the decisive role of superior material and mobility. As America's chief wartime logistician, he…