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In honor of Veterans Day on Saturday, we’ve compiled a collection of photographs from the National Archives and the U.S. Army Center of Military History. While logistics jobs may not be the first thought of in times of war, they are vital to any war campaign.
Check out some of the most interesting photos of wartime logistics below and thank our veterans for their service.
World War I
A shipment of Christmas mail arrives in Bruvans, France, during World War I in 1917. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
Soldiers in World War II open a shipment of holiday packages around a small Christmas tree. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
World War II
On Sept. 8, 1943, a jeep assembly line works to finish the making of military jeeps for World War II in just three minutes. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
Normandy
Artillery equipment is loaded onto landing craft tanks (LCTs) at an English port to prepare for the invasion of Normandy, France, in June 1944 during World War II. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
A port in England prepares for Normandy and transports jeeps onto LCTs while larger trucks and ducks enter landing ship tanks (LSTs) in June 1944. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
An ambulance is loaded onto an LST. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
These antiaircraft halftracks are loaded onto an LCT in preparation for the attack, specifically for the first wave of assault from the German military on Normandy Beach. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
On June 6, 1944, Normandy Beach was loaded with supplies. (Photo: Signal Corps/National Archives)
The Korean War
On Sept. 16, 1950, two trucks cross a river by an underwater bridge, eight miles northwest of Taegu, Korea, on their way to the front line. (Photo: Fort Leonard Wood/Engineer History Office)
Cranes load landing craft mechanized with gas during the Korean War at the Inchon inner harbor. (Photo: Fort Leonard Wood/Engineer History Office)
On June 12,1951, troops of the 532nd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment unload supplies at the harbor in Inchon. (Photo: Fort Leonard Wood/Engineer History Office)
On May 23, 1953, a helicopter of the 6th Transportation Helicopter Company, U.S. Eighth Army, delivers C rations to the 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th U.S. Infantry Division, near the former village of Panmunjom. (Photo: Fort Leonard Wood/Engineer History Office)
In November 1953, the 13th Engineer Combat Battalion loads a truck for lumber transportation. (Photo: Fort Leonard Wood/Engineer History Office)
On March 4, 1952, an aerial tramway transports supplies and wounded during the Korean War. (Photo: Fort Leonard Wood/Engineer History Office)
Vietnam
A helicopter prepares for a resupply mission during the Vietnam War in December 1967. (Photo: National Archives)
On Nov. 25, 1967, a group of men from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines take a break while they construct a bunker during the Vietnam War. (Photo: National Archives)
The Gulf War
On Feb. 8, 1991, a 6,000-pound rough terrain forklift moves supplies at a logistical base in northern Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. (Photo: PFC John F. Freund/XVIII Airborne Corps History Office)
More rough terrain forklifts operate at the forward landing strip at Logistical Base Charlie. (Photo: PFC John F. Freund/XVIII Airborne Corps History Office)
(Photo: PFC John F. Freund/XVIII Airborne Corps History Office)
On Nov. 8, 1990, the 129th Postal Company unloads mail at the “Dragon City” compound near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: PFC John F. Freund/XVIII Airborne Corps History Office)
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