I
On one Pacific island near Vanuatu, a U.S. storage facility for war materiel in 1943, contained the mind-boggling value (in 1943 dollar terms) of US$9M worth of new stores and spares.
However, a very large part of this huge stores and spares stockpile was reduced to worthlessness - firstly, by poor storage in the open - and secondly by the fact that the U.S. troops had leap-frogged so far ahead of the island, it became nearly useless as a supply base - and it was more efficient for shipping to bypass the island, and deliver new supplies and spares to up near the front lines, that were by now, a long way away.
To supply the problems in the PTO: in Late '44 Joe Forster flew a 800 mile returning flight with only one engine of his P-38 working.
Details from the story is that to reach the target at eastern Borneo they had to refuel at a primitive landing-strip 800 miles from the target, wich was the same he returned to on the single engine. Though not having much more than minor damages no mechanics were at hand at the refuelling-strip and the P-38 couldn't take-off on only one engine efter refuelling, hence after Joe Forster managed to be flewn back to his sq, his P-38 became standing unrepaired until a point where it simply was dozed into the sea whilst the parked plane was a danger for the users of the airfield.
The story shows partly a surprisingly neglectance of keeping aircrafts in the air, and partly that the supply of new aircrafts had to be more than sufficient :-/
The story is to read at:
P-38