USAAF - IARC codes SOXO, GLUE etc.

[Leendert]

Code SOXO on an USAAF Individual Aircraft Record Card generally means assigned to 8th AF en GLUE to 9th AF.

I gathered however that these codes, together with BANG and UGLY, originally meant the zone in England and Northern Ireland the goods (incl. aircraft?) were to be shipped to.

Did SOXO and GLUE change into exclusively 8th and 9th AF along the way? Or were the UK reception centers for 8th and 9th AF a/c in zone SOXO (Northern England) and GLUE (Bristol and London)?

Thanks for info.

Regards,
Leendert

[Alex Smart]

Just Europe and North Africa i think.
India and Australia and Far East codes were different.

[Leendert]

Alex,
Question really is: did 8th AF and 9th AF at some point 'monopolize' the use of SOXO and GLUE, or did these codes keep their original meaning of the areas (ports) in England equipment etc. was to be shipped to?

Regards,
Leendert

[Stig Jarlevik]

Leendert

Interesting question!
I have also heard something like that in the past.
Not impossible, since the IARC indicates aircraft assignments pretty quickly.

However I cannot believe this really mattered upon dispatch. Aircraft assigned to both 8th and 9th AF ought to have been onboard the same ships across the Atlantic. That in turn ment aircraft for both AFs arrived to the same place. Since I have never tried to study individual aircraft in such details, I don't know if this is correct or not. Did 8th and 9th AF use separate delivery vessels?

When Europe had been invaded vessels started to arrive directly into Allied held ports on the continent and their assigned codes were thus different, such as Wildflower and Wipe.

I presume you have the Masterlist with these codes? If not, send me a PM.

Cheers
Stig

[Leendert]

Some text about original idea behind SOXO, GLUE and more here: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA...istics1-3.html

Scroll down to page 144.

I believe there's a book by Robert A. Mann about the ins and outs of IARCs, not in my possession.
Use of codes likely changed as war progressed.

Regards,
Leendert

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Leendert

I thought these codes were only for the USAAF, but the site you give makes it clear they were also for the US Army.
None of my sources indicate something like that.

Without reading the whole logistic part of the war, I confess it was a bit surprising to find out that....:

BTW the Mann book is OK even if the destination codes are very superficially covered.

Cheers
Stig

[Alex Smart]

Don't know if this is from the same document.

UNITED STATES ARMr IN WORLD WAR II
The Technical Services
THE TRANSPORTATION CORPS:
OPERATIONS OVERSEAS
by
Joseph Bykofsky
and
Harold Larsoll
CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
UNITED STA TES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C. , 1990

File to big sorry.

Page 96

Throughout 1942 cargovessels were loaded simply for NABOB(Northern Ireland) and/or WILDFLOWER(Great Britain). Early in 1943, at the sug-gestion of the British Ministry of WarTransport, Colonel Ryan proposed a planwhereby Great Britain was to be dividedinto areas to which specific U.S. Armyshipments would be sent. The suggestionwas favorably received in Washington,and it was put into effect as soon as theaterapproval of a plan had been obtained.81The new zoning plan was designed tosimplify the diversion of incoming cargovessels and to help relieve the strain onBritish railways by eliminating wastefulcrosshauls. As set up in April 1943, Zone Icomprised the United Kingdom north ofa line of county boundaries drawn throughLondon and Banbury; Zone II consistedof the area south of this line, including theport of London. Provision was also madefor a possible Zone III in Northern Ire-land. Zones were to be served by portswithin their area, although most cargoentering the Clyde in Zone I had to be for-warded by coaster to ports in Zone II. Asmany ships as practicable were to be load-ed in the United States with cargo re-quired in a single zone. The change beganwith the July 1943 requisitions.82The shipping designator UGLY (GreatBritain) was to be employed when thezone of destination was unknown or im-material. The shipping designator forZone I was Soxo, for Zone II, GLUE. InOctober 1943, when Zone III was estab-lished in Northern Ireland, it becameknown as BANG. Normal allocations ofcargo were: 41 percent to Zone I, 53 per-cent to Zone II, and 6 percent to Zone III.83.

[Alex Smart]

Just came across this while looking through some old papers. Have no idea as to any reference.

SOXO = 8 AAF
GLUE = 9 AAF
DUKO = 12 AAF
OHAM = 15 AAF

Alex

[JohanSWE]

This is what i also found:


SOXO = 8 AAF
WILDFLOWER = 8 AAF

ACHE = 9 AAF LIBYA, MTO 1942 (Not confirmed but a guess due to which A/C was shipped to 98th BG / 376th BG at the time / location, that moved around in MTO vs info in the IARC
GLUE = 9 AAF ETO (NOT SURE BUT APPROX 1943-1945?)
DUKO = 12 AAF, Italy
HEATH - 9AAF, EGYPT
ELMS = 12 AAF MTO, ALGIERS, ALGERIA
GLEN /GLENN = 12 AAF MTO ORAN ALGERIA
OHAM - 15 AAF BARI, Italy
FAD?
BUD?
BERRY? BERRY AIRPORT, NASHVILLE, TN? Staging port for overseas shipment / replacement a/c crew?



Best Regars
JohanSWE