Author Description

This historical study details the U.S. Air Service's logistics operations at home and abroad in an attempt to determine the relationship between the process and more recently established logistic principles. The information in the study was collected through an extensive review of both first hand accounts and historical compilations of the nature of World War I aviation logistics. Information regarding the production of the De Haviland DH-4 and Liberty Engine serve as the primary case examples of the operation of the logistics system. The established principles required for comparison were extracted from the writings of a number of expert military logisticians. After a careful review of the information, it seems that the production, transportation and supply aspects of the Air Service's logistics system are in accordance with established principles while the area of domestic production was not. The establishment of a satisfactory domestic transportation infrastructure and a depot system allowed for flexible and timely logistics support. The initial lack of a viable production system nearly grounded the air effort. The Air Service was able to design a fully functioning logistics system in less than two years, and the experiences in World War I provided U.S. military aviation leaders with the knowledge needed to prepare itself for future military engagements.