1930 US ARMY “HANDBOOK FOR QUARTERMASTERS” – ONE
OF THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MANUALS OF THE DAY - DETAILING
A WIDE RANGE OF EQUIPMENT TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE WAGONS,
SADDLES AND HARNESS IN USE AT THE TIME – AN EXTREMELY
VALUABLE REFERENCE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION: This
1930 printing of the Handbook For Quartermasters,
printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington,
D.C., details the full range of equipment necessary for
transporting, housing, feeding, and supplying the
soldier. Published in the period of transition when the
cavalry was still mounted on horses and much of the army
was supported by horse drawn vehicles, the manual does
provide instructions and standards for maintaining the
mechanized vehicles in service as well.
While well circulated in its time, these Handbook For
Quartermasters are not common, and when they are
found, often present in very rough condition, evidence
that they were regular use. I found the copy I have in
my library many years ago and have used it regularly
ever since.
The information contained in the over 1100 pages of this
manual not only details the equipment, with accompanying
photographs, but the text provides excellent insight
into what information was available at the time, what
priorities the army placed on the issues of quality,
proper storage, maintenance, and repair. Countless
photographs and diagrams with detailed captions not only
supplement the text, but provide excellent reference for
collectors – many of the images unavailable from any
other source. Saddles, wagons, harness, bridles,
tentage, cots, stoves for heating and cooking, ovens,
cook sets, field kitchens, tool kits, forges, etc. are
featured in the detailed photographs and numerous
diagrams and blueprints detail the construction of every
imaginable building to be found on an army post, water
and sewerage systems, and plans for laying out the post
– whether it was to be built of hard sided buildings or
tents.
The condition of the manual is excellent with minimal
signs of use. The hardboard covers and binding are
secure and all the pages and plates are intact. The
name of the officer who owned this manual, a 1st
Lieutenant Wallace Browning, is written in ink inside
the front cover.
Overall, this is an excellent example of an important
Quartermaster Corps manual, and one that you really
cannot afford not to have in your library.
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