NAAFI / EFI with the 8th Army in Austria, 1945 (three-part series)

Hello all,

I’ve been researching NAAFI and EFI activity alongside British forces during the final stages of the war and the early occupation period, particularly the movement of 8th Army units into Austria in 1945.

One aspect that’s interested me is how NAAFI/EFI followed the advance north from Italy, establishing canteens and welfare services very quickly after liberation. Austria provides a clear example of large-scale post-combat deployment alongside the Army, with services expanding rapidly as occupation arrangements settled.

I’ve pulled the Austrian material together as a three-part, interlinked research page, beginning with the initial advance and early occupation period, and then moving through locations, canteen sites, and later developments. The first part is here, with links through to the subsequent sections:

The Sutlers Supreme

I’d be very interested to hear from anyone who has come across references to NAAFI or EFI activity with 8th Army units in Italy or Austria — diaries, photographs, unit histories, or personal recollections in particular.

Best regards,
Keith

 

Keith,

Welcome. An online search with: "NAAFI" + "Austria" site:ww2talk.com id'd a small number of threads, at a glance some do not help. One id'd when using "EFI" but appears to be wrong.

 

Don't know if there is anything of interest here:
Every Night Something Awful | WW2Talk