WWI "Salvage Units"

[Uniforms of the Day]

A forum colleague reached out to me recently to inquire about some items he had acquired that were attributed to a man in a numbered "Salvage Unit" of a specific U.S. Infantry Division (which hapoens to be my focus). I think he is going to write something here, in the near future, about his items so I will avoid specifics. But, his inquiry raised a broader question about Salvage Units in general. So far, research suggests that Salvage Units were developed in WWI. The AEF may have adopted the SU concept from the British. The SU's responsibilities included things like: caring for the packs and other equipment left behind by units on offensive operations; caring for their parent unit's canvas; salvaging government property in the field; salvaging enemy equipment on the field; passing salvaged items on to divsion or corps as appropriate; etc. I have since found a picture of doughboys searching for useable items in the  30th Division "Salvage Dump". I think that SU personnel worked under the supervision of the Quartermaster section of their respective outfit, but am not sure. It sounds like some SUs were company sized units. What I am curious about is whether or not the Salvage Unit personnel had a collar disk of their own? I am curious about anything related to the structure of U.S. Salvage Units at the corps, division or lower level, and whether they had any sort of unique insignia. I do not see any numbered (or unnumbered for that matter) Sakvage Units mentioned in the many WWI regimental or division unit histories I have. Thanks for any help!

[Rhscott]

Really nice video on YouTube showing the work they are doing at a higher level.  Amazing the effort that went into this.

 

 

 

 

[themick]

Great film.  I love the part where they are reconditioning the field hats (campaign hats) and shoes.  The accelerated pace of the film make it look like every one is on a coke or coffee high.  lol

Thanks for sharing this!!

 

Steve

[GWS]

Yes, thanks for posting this, very interesting film! I actually turned down the volume control before starting it! Duh! No need on this one! Force of habit I guess.  Is there any indication of where this facility was? Thanks for posting.

 

   Steve

[Rhscott]

30 minutes ago, GWS said:

Yes, thanks for posting this, very interesting film! I actually turned down the volume control before starting it! Duh! No need on this one! Force of habit I guess.  Is there any indication of where this facility was? Thanks for posting.

 

   Steve

Title says in the USA.  I have no idea as that stuff could have been from here in the USA at training bases. The campaign hats lead me to think here.  I also suspect a good number of the Soldiers are just detailed to do those task.  End of war…. Recovered wounded?  No idea but that is a good chunk of manpower.

i have another filmed in Europe post WW2 using POW labor if interested.

[Uniforms of the Day]

Fascinating! Thanks for this. Interestingly, my colleague's gasmask is named and marked to his numbered Salvage Unit. 

[bertmedals]

The AEF Order of Battle (CMH Pub 23-5, Volume 3 Part 3 Zone of the Interior: Directory of Troops, pages 1525-1526, QMC Special and Technical Units) identifies 22 QMC Salvage Units that are listed as Service of Supply (SOS) troops.  19 of these units appear to have been organized and trained in the US then deployed to France.  Those 19 units returned the US from June-September 1919.  Three were organized in the US but never deployed and were demobilized in December 1918. 

 

The OB also identifes 26 Salvage Squads that were organized and operated in theater all in the SOS.  All but one of the Salvage Squads were returned to the US from May-September 1919 except for one which was deactivated in theater.

 

Dennis

[Uniforms of the Day]

Thanks Dennis. Does it mention any unit numbers? Or if they were allocated to divisions, or corps, etc?

[Robin v]

Hello,

I don't know how useful or useless it will be but here's a few Signal Corps official pictures of salvages dump on the field.

All of those were taken near Fismes during Summer 1918.

 

[bertmedals]

8 hours ago, Uniforms of the Day said:

Thanks Dennis. Does it mention any unit numbers? Or if they were allocated to divisions, or corps, etc?

Accoring to the OB, the Salvage Units were numbered consecutively from 301to 322.  It appears to me that units 320, 321, and 322 did not deploy.  The Salvage Squads were numbered consecutively from 1-26.

 

There is nothing in the OB that indicates how these units operated.  Volume 15 of the official history (available for download on the CMH website) describes how the salvage system worked in the SOS.  This is just a guess and I have nothing to back it up, but I suspect that the salvage "units" were involved with reclamation and refurbishment of salvaged items and the "squads" were involved with recovering and stockpiling salvageable material from the battlefield.

 

The OB Volume 1 (General Headquarters, Armies, Army Corps, Services of Supply, and Separate Forces) gives an accounting of where the salvage units/squads were at any given time.  Suffice it to say, they were distributed across the SOS, e.g., Advance Sector, Intermediate Sector, etc., and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies and at least one corps (VI).  You can search the OB and find them.  The AEF was in constant growth and reorganization so you will likely find, as I did, that the units/squads appear under the control of different tactical headquarters at different times. Sometimes the terminology is confusing as the words "unit" and "squad" are often used interchangeably, and some salvage organizations listed do not appear elsewhere in the organization of the AEF. 

 

OB Volume 2 (Divisions) indicates some divisions were assigned salvage missions following the Armistice but it appears the missions were performed by division organizations and not salvage units per se.

 

Finally, it appears that some ordnance repair units were also given salvage responsibilites.  There are some instances of ordnance units including the word "salvage" in their titles even though they do not appear that way in the OB.  This was particularly true among the tank repair units.

 

Good luck with the research, BTW!

Dennis

[bertmedals]

The caption to the next to last photograph in the thead above (#22561) illustrates both the issue with terminology and the differing roles of salvage "units" vs "squads".  The caption for that photo is:

 

"Pile of salvage at Ration Dump H of Seventy-seventh Division and several men from Salvage Unit No 18, Quartermaster Corps, who handle the salvage brought into this dump on ration carts. Near Mareuil-en-Dolc, France. September 9, 1918."

 

There is no "Salvage Unit No. 18" in the OB, but there is a "Salvage Squad No. 18".  The "squad" is collecting material close to the action and presumably will forward it to a salvage unit further back in the rear area for refurbishment. 

[Uniforms of the Day]

Amazing research gentlemen. Thank you for this help!!

[GWS]

8 hours ago, bertmedals said:

The caption to the next to last photograph in the thead above (#22561) illustrates both the issue with terminology and the differing roles of salvage "units" vs "squads".  The caption for that photo is:

 

"Pile of salvage at Ration Dump H of Seventy-seventh Division and several men from Salvage Unit No 18, Quartermaster Corps, who handle the salvage brought into this dump on ration carts. Near Mareuil-en-Dolc, France. September 9, 1918."

 

There is no "Salvage Unit No. 18" in the OB, but there is a "Salvage Squad No. 18".  The "squad" is collecting material close to the action and presumably will forward it to a salvage unit further back in the rear area for refurbishment. 

 

   Collecting material close to the action must have been a pretty grisly job at times!  Not a cake walk at all. Thanks for the additional information, this topic is not often seen or appreciated.

 

            Steve

[bertmedals]

5 hours ago, Uniforms of the Day said:

Amazing research gentlemen. Thank you for this help!!

My pleasure.  I learned some interesting things I didn't know as well.

[bertmedals]

1 hour ago, GWS said:

 

   Collecting material close to the action must have been a pretty grisly job at times!  Not a cake walk at all. Thanks for the additional information, this topic is not often seen or appreciated.

 

            Steve

My pleasure.

[atb]

Just acquired this RIA 1917 M1910 Haversack today. Marked to the 321st Salvage [Unit]. The OOB shows the UN t as active September 1918 - December 1918, but apparently not going to France.

 

[GWS]

Nice find and very timely!  So 321st Salvage Unit (stateside) and 12th salvage squad or?  Thanks for posting this.

 

 

Steve

[atb]

59 minutes ago, GWS said:

Nice find and very timely!  So 321st Salvage Unit (stateside) and 12th salvage squad or?  Thanks for posting this.

 

 

Steve

"12" is the individual soldier's number within his organization for accountability of issued equipment (as opposed to his Army serial number). All of his equipment would be marked with his number.

[GWS]

That makes sense. I can't ever remember seeing a piece  of equipment marked as salvaged. Are they rare or just more hard to find than normally used gear? Thanks!

 

 

Steve

[atb]

27 minutes ago, GWS said:

That makes sense. I can't ever remember seeing a piece  of equipment marked as salvaged. Are they rare or just more hard to find than normally used gear? Thanks!

 

 

Steve

It's not a salvaged piece of equipment. The Army called for units to mark their equipment. I have haversacks marked to a Bakery Company, an Engineer Battalion, Infantry Regiments, an Artillery Regiment, etc. The one I posted was issued to a soldier of the 321st Salvage Unit.

I don't know about WW1, but in WW2 salvaged and reconditioned equipment was labeled or marked as "Combat Serviceable" or "CS."

[CAC1901]

I like the QMC addition as well. 

 

[atb]

14 minutes ago, CAC1901 said:

I like the QMC addition as well. 

 

I guess a stencil for the QMC branch insignia wasn't available.