Communications zone

Communications zone is a US Army and NATO term which describes a part of the theater of war operations.

A communications zone is the rear part of theater of operations (behind but contiguous to the combat zone) which contains the lines of communications, establishments for supply and evacuation, and other agencies required for the immediate support and maintenance of the field forces.

Communications Zone, European Theater of Operations
This began on 3 May 1942 as part of the U. S. Army Services of Supply. SOS commander Lieutenant General Brehon B. Somervell recommended Major General John C. H. Lee, then commanding the 2nd Infantry Division (United States), in Texas, to Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall, who gave the assignment to Lee; Somervell had served under Lee in the 89th Infantry Division (United States) in WWI. Lee spent two weeks in Washington selecting key staff and planning the Operation Bolero buildup of men and materiel in Britain. This work continued through the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and on 6 June 1944 the SOS-ETO was abolished, becoming the Communications Zone, ETO. Lee commanded the largest single unit in WWII outside the United States; over 900,000 men and women by V-E Day, 8 May 1945, delivering over 41 million tons of arms and supplies to the continent.

Korean Communications Zone (KCOMZ)
The Korean Communications Zone, abbreviated to KComZ or KCOMZ, was operated by the United States military during the Korean War.