During WWII, the War Department created a system for the prioritization of movement, known as POM -
Preparation for Overseas Movement, for the shipping of large amounts of equipment, while maintaining the
individual unit equipment integrity. A code system of three colored bars and numeric system was initiated
and implemented which allowed units to quickly identify their equipment for shipping and collecting at the
final destination. The POM system was first used in North Africa during WWII. The coding system was
updated and modified for every amphibious operation from North Africa to Europe.
The three colored bars were allotted a color number system of: 1 Buff, 2 Olive Drab, 3 Yellow, 4 Green, 5
Gray, 6 Blue, 7 Maroon, 8 Red, 9 White and 0 Brown. The final two digits of the POM number correspond to
these color codes, with the top and bottom bar color matching. A POM color code for the North Africa
Campaign, for example: 4426-A, will be Olive Drab/Blue/Olive Drab. The final two digits of the POM code
correspond to the bar colors listed above. For the POM code 4426-A, 2 Olive Drab and 6 Blue, the third bar
color is a repeat of the first color, in this example Olive Drab. The first and third color are repeated so that
the code could be viewed from either direction without confusion. Each of the three colored bars were
painted approximately 1" by 4" and are often painted over a white background for ease of identification.
The POM system can now assist the historian with the identification of individual equipment or period
photographs, to an exact unit of use during WWII.