Hi
Valery was faster. I knew it was french, but not all the infos to it. Thanks Valery for sharing this info. 
Here are some history portions: (source, www.usarmygermany.com)
THE ORIGIN OF COM Z
The Need for a Change
In 1945 United States troops in Germany received their supplies almost entirely through our Bremerhaven line of supply. The port of Bremerhaven is on the North Sea at the mouth of the Weser River. Bremerhaven, with its excellent port facilities and lines of communications to the south, across the flat plains of North Germany, was quite adequate for our needs in times of peace, or when no apparent threat from the East existed.
But these flat plains, with no mountain barriers to protect them, have from the earliest times been the natural route of invaders from the East, who swept across them through the Low Countries (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg) to the sea, where they could control Atlantic seaports.
The Bremerhaven supply line to our forces in Germany is right in the path of these historic invasions. It is a long line and a thin one, and it could easily be cut in the event of a strong attack from the East.
The Communist blockade of Berlin in 1948-49, which was defeated only by the magnificent Berlin Air Lift operated around-theclock by American and British airmen, made clear the necessity for larger supply channels and alternate routes of supply.
In November 1950, when Soviet activities made it apparent that Communist pressure would relentlessly continue against the West, the French and American governments reached an agreement under which the United States is permitted to organize and maintain a line of communications (LOC) in France. This line of communications is COM Z.
Why COM Z Is In France
The reasons leading to the choice of France as the USAREUR Communications Zone are these:
A defense force such as ours must naturally be stationed as near to the zone of threatened attack as possible. Since 1948 -- or even before that yea -r -the only threat to the free European nations has been from the East, from behind the Iron Curtain countries. This, in turn, has required strong defense forces in Germany. It must also be pointed out that the new German Federal Republic, without any means of defending itself, and at a time when it was struggling to win back its economic health, was faced with another threat --from East Germany. The Soviets had set up their customary puppet government in East Germany, and to support it established a German "police force." A "police force" armed with machine guns, rifles, mortars and even tanks!
In view of the Communist record in Korea, where the Soviettrained North Korean army opened its aggression against the free Republic of South Korea in 1950, there could be no guarantee that similar aggression might not spring from the same source in Europe -- Communism -- and throw Central Europe again into war, with West Germany the first victim.
For those reasons, it will be seen why the bulk of our strength in Europe must be stationed where it is.
Forces at the front not only need supplies in vast quantities, but also a constant flow of supplies and equipment. The roads over which these supplies travel must be kept open. They must be, if possible, located to the rear of any battle line so that they cannot easily be cut off by the enemy.
France is the ideal location for the communications zone that serves our forces. All of its neighbors, with the exception of Switzerland and Spain, which are neutral, are partners with us in NATO.
France's 2,000 miles of coastline have many excellent harbors bordering the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean in the north and in the west, and the Mediterranean in the south. Winters, which are seldom severe, never block French ports, and in the south, along the Mediterranean, the climate resembles that of Florida.
France's excellent port facilities are a vital factor in building a good supply line. They are on well-established shipping lines and so numerous that, without complete mastery of the Atlantic Ocean, an enemy would never be able effectively to deny our fleets access to them.
France's land area is slightly smaller than Texas. Through the central part of the country unbroken plains range to the northern borders.
Over these plains stretch some 85,000 miles of highways and 55,000 miles of railroads. World War Il destroyed a considerable part of France's highways and bridges, but within four years after the close of the war almost every damaged bridge in the country had been rebuilt and dense traffic was again proceeding over the highway network. The task of restoring the nation's transportation system was all the more remarkable because of the lack of road-building supplies and equipment after the war.
I'd love to know more about the French patch design and who came up with it first. Valery, do you have more info on this?
best regards,
Phil
