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Imagine hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting for months and months out of reach behind enemy lines.
How did those soldiers get their paychecks or their cash (if they were paid at all) ?
Did they have any time to buy anything?
Question applies to all warring factions.
I dont know the answer but I do know the US troops got paid more then the British troops as I have read stories about that in WWII how it ticked off some of the British. Ron
I dont know the answer but I do know the US troops got paid more then the British troops as I have read stories about that in WWII how it ticked off some of the British. Ron
I heard US troops were paid more money than Australian troops too.
First, your notion that Americans were "fighting behind the lines for months " is untrue.
Now for the reality. American military units were paid, in cash, on a regular basis. Ever hear of the Pay Corp ? That was their job, to calculate and provide the money required to pay the men. The men lined up and received their pay from a officer, and they had to sign for it.
When in the USA, the pay was in US dollars. When in the UK, they were paid in UK pounds. When the US military was in Europe, they were paid in the currency of the country that they were in.
Every service man had the option to send a portion of their pay home, as a form of enforced savings, to support their family and or children. Each man had a $10,000 life insurance policy, provided by the US Government.
For every man who was in a combat unit, there were at least 7 others behind him, providing the logistics and support that were required to feed, equip, arm, and supply him with all the things that he needed to do his job. One of those support services was the Pay Corps.
First, your notion that Americans were "fighting behind the lines for months " is untrue.
Now for the reality. American military units were paid, in cash, on a regular basis. Ever hear of the Pay Corp ? That was their job, to calculate and provide the money required to pay the men. The men lined up and received their pay from a officer, and they had to sign for it.
When in the USA, the pay was in US dollars. When in the UK, they were paid in UK pounds. When the US military was in Europe, they were paid in the currency of the country that they were in.
Every service man had the option to send a portion of their pay home, as a form of enforced savings, to support their family and or children. Each man had a $10,000 life insurance policy, provided by the US Government.
For every man who was in a combat unit, there were at least 7 others behind him, providing the logistics and support that were required to feed, equip, arm, and supply him with all the things that he needed to do his job. One of those support services was the Pay Corps.
I am guessing by "behind the lines" it is meant units actually engaged on payday and it would be tough to send the finance officer and his military police escort into the zone. In which case the service held on to the cash until a soldier and his unit could be reached. Either the paymaster would stick around to sign out the cash or he would sign it over to the local commander who would disburse it. I am guessing if anyone was caught cheating he would have gotten out of prison in time to see the Vietnam War.
If the local economy and political structure were smashed to a certain point or the commanders did not want to introduce more local cash either for the locals or to keep their own troops away from things like prostitutes the service would pay in special military cash called scrip. The Pay Corp became the Finance Corp in time for Korea and in Korea and Vietnam later pay was usually in scrip
The slang term "bought the farm" is in reference to in return for a soldier's sacrifice that life insurance payment would pay off the mortgage on the family's farm/home. I don't see the allotment program as much as enforced savings as a way of keeping a young man connected to his family back home as he remitted part of his pay to their current support.
My father, a Navy veteran, from World War II described the process of "payday" well. It apparently really stood out for him. I gather--from what he said--that it was a sort of crazy experience. He described the process as something like this:
1. A table would be set out in the open and several officers would be assigned to see that everyone was paid.
2. Stacks of money, or "greenbacks" would be laid on the table.
3. A .45 automatic pistol would set on the table, I suppose as a deterrent to robbery.
4. All men being paid were required to complete a written form that indicated how much they were to be paid.
5. It was unclear to me whether the men were called to the table individually, or whether they lined up and it was "first come, first serve".
6. The first officer would review the form handed him by each man. Unless the form was absolutely perfect, the man would get no pay that month (the extra pay would be held until the following month) This sounds harsh, but you have to remember that they were trying to get literally hundreds of people paid and they couldn't tolerate long delays.
7. There were some unpleasant situations when the officer forced men who had not completed their form properly to step out of line and let t he next man come forward.
8. If a form was completed properly, the man than stepped over to the officer making payment (who was right next to the .45 semi automatic pistol). The officer would loudly count out the amount of the man's pay in greenbacks and hand it him. Everyone knew exactly how much everyone else was being paid.
I am told that to this day, if the soldiers are in a place where this is no bank close by that payment is always made in cash.
Imagine hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting for months and months out of reach behind enemy lines.
How did those soldiers get their paychecks or their cash (if they were paid at all) ?
Did they have any time to buy anything?
Question applies to all warring factions.
US enlisted troops were paid in cash until the Vietnam war ended.
During WWI and WWII, the Germans stopped all pay once an individual became a POW (perhaps as an incentive to keep fighting). Meanwhile UK and US troops held as POWs were still paid, and the ones being held at more accomodating Stalag camps could even order in extra food and approved creature comforts via a Swiss catalog company. The Germans allowed the practice because they liked to pilfer the arriving packages.
Nearly all soldiers could find time to buy something. Though spending sprees in Paris were rare for combat troops, even the most forward combat troops were approached by friendy or "friendly" civilians offering to sell things (usually manufactured items, but also undoubtably including brief and not so private moments of uhhm.... "intimate companionship" in exhange for very desirable US dollars.
Location: "Silicon Valley" (part of San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359
I am told that to this day, if the soldiers are in a place where this is no bank close by that payment is always made in cash.
Well I was on submarines in the USN and we got direct deposit. This was 1999 to 2003.
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This was 1999 to 2003. 
