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215:, activated December 1942, was sent to the Red Ball from August through December 1944. The early beginnings of the battalion are commemorated on the distinctive unit insignia, with two red balls on a diagonal line of yellow, with a field of green behind (green and gold are the colors of the U.S. Army Military Police).
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The highways in France are usually good, but are ordinarily not excessively wide. The needs of the rapidly advancing armies, consequently, promptly put the greatest possible demands upon them. To ease this strain, main highways leading to the front were set aside very early in the advance as "one
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that would create the port had been brought from
England and had, by the end of June, unloaded 170,000 vehicles, 7.5 million US gal (28 million L) of fuel and 500,000 tons of supplies. Some 28 Allied divisions needed constant resupply. During offensive operations, each
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Conceived in an urgent 36-hour meeting, the convoy system began operating on August 25, 1944. Staffed primarily with
African-American soldiers, the Express at its peak operated 5,958 vehicles that carried about 12,500 tons of supplies a day. It ran for 83 days until November 16, when the port
127:", was in charge of gathering two drivers for every truck, obtaining special equipment, and training port battalion personnel as drivers for long hauls. Able-bodied soldiers attached to other units whose duties were not critical were made drivers. Almost 75% of Red Ball drivers were black.
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way" roads from which all civil and local military traffic were barred. Tens of thousands of truckloads of supplies were pushed forward over these one way roads in a constant stream of traffic. Reaching the supply dumps in the forward areas, the trucks unloaded and returned empty to
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The Red Ball was at the center of a number of other named supply tracks. The Green
Diamond operated in the region of Cherbourg; the White Ball from Le Havre to Paris; the Lions Express between Bayeux and Brussels; and the ABC Express eastward from Antwerp.
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but by 1944 German air power was so reduced that even these tempting and typically easy targets were rarely attacked. The biggest problems facing the
Express were maintenance, finding enough drivers, and lack of sleep for the overworked truckers.
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At the time of the landing, traditional French ports were mostly inoperable and, after supporting the troops of the Allied invasion, the
Normandy beaches needed to then become the makeshift port that would supply the march toward Germany. The
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The most problematic natural enemy of the
Express was mud. The trucks used 11-inch (28 cm) wheels that could be easily overwhelmed, and efforts to escape could burn out transmissions while dried mud could immobilize their brakes.
750:
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Only convoys of at least five trucks were allowed, escorted in front and behind by a jeep. In reality, it was common for individual trucks to depart
Cherbourg as soon as they were loaded. It was also common to disable the engine
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began using it to refer to express shipping for priority freight and perishables. Such trains and the tracks cleared for their use were marked with red balls. The term grew in popularity and was extensively used by the 1920s.
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in June 1944. To hobble the German army's ability to move forces and bring up reinforcements in a counter-attack, the Allies had preemptively bombed the French railway system into ruins in the weeks leading up to the
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138:. The Dodge trucks had a reputation for reliability. The GMCs were prone to breakdown, but were available in greater numbers. The larger concept of the Express and its routing would be the work of General
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division consumed about 750 tons of supplies per day (about 100 pounds per man) totaling about 21,000 tons in all. The only way to deliver them was by truck – thereby giving birth to the Red Ball
Express.
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in 1944. To expedite cargo shipment to the front, trucks emblazoned with red balls followed a similarly marked route that was closed to civilian traffic. The trucks also had priority on regular roads.
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and the lesser landing places by way of other one way highways. Even the French railroads were, to some degree, operated similarly, with loaded trains moving forward almost nose to tail.
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At its peak, it operated 5,958 vehicles and carried about 12,500 tons of supplies per day. Colonel Loren Albert Ayers, known to his men as "Little
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161:. The northern route was used for delivering supplies, the southern for returning trucks. Both roads were closed to civilian traffic.
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Over 36 hours of planning, 132 already existing military trucking operations were combined into a truck force composed primarily of
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Use of the term "Red Ball" to describe express cargo service dated at least to the end of the 19th century. Around 1892, the
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142:, based on a French model (and would be an influence in Eisenhower’s role in the development of the U.S.
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82:, were opened, enough French rail lines were repaired, and portable gasoline pipelines were deployed.
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Soldiers of the 4185th
Quartermaster Service Company loading Red Ball Express truck,
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The need for such a priority transport service during World War II arose in the
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To keep supplies flowing without delay, two routes were opened from
Cherbourg (
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39:
684:
48 Million Tons to Eisenhower: The Role of the SOS in the Defeat of Germany
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608:
The European Theater of Operations: Logistical Support of the Armies Vol 1
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158:
67:
662:
The Road to Victory: The Untold Story of World War II's Red Ball Express
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79:
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698:
515:"African Americans Gain Fame as World War II Red Ball Express Drivers"
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467:"The Clarence Ketterman Memorial Red Ball Express Information Page"
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forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the
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Red Ball Express trucks moving through a Regulating Point, 1944
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Allied logistics in the Western European Campaign (1944–1945)
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To control traffic and provide security for the route, the
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Military history of the United States during World War II
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The Real History of World War II: A New Look at the Past
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to travel faster than 56 miles per hour (90 km/h).
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African-American history of the United States military
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For Want of a Nail: The Influence of Logistics on War
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For Want of a Nail: The Influence of Logistics on War
550:. Casemate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC.
311:, a 1952 film loosely based on the Red Ball Express
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447:(8). The Railroad Gazette: 184–. August 25, 1905
239:A Red Ball Express truck stuck in the mud, 1944
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583:Dutch Children of African American Liberators
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581:Kirkels and Dickon, Mieke and Chris (2020).
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199:Convoys were a primary target of the German
492:, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008,
681:Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Leigh (1945).
687:. Washington: The Infantry Journal Press.
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46:and sign posted along the Red Ball route
631:. New York: Whittlesey House. pp.
435:"Handling Fast Freight on the Santa Fe"
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217:
271:Commemorative stone in the village of
27:Allied truck convoy system during WWII
746:Western European Campaign (1944–1945)
302:Military history of African Americans
7:
547:Sherman: The M4 Tank in World War II
519:United States Department of Defense
513:Rudi Williams (February 15, 2002).
741:United States Army in World War II
731:Military logistics of World War II
612:US Army Center of Military History
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544:Esteve, Michael (July 30, 2020).
413:. Da Capo Press. pp. 76–77.
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264:
244:
232:
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378:U.S. Army Transportation Museum
338:"Red Ball Express | HistoryNet"
213:793rd Military Police Battalion
1:
606:Roland G. Ruppenthal (1995).
652:General and cited references
374:"The Red Ball Express, 1944"
153:since 2016) to the forward
104:Allied invasion at Normandy
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625:Daniel, Hawthorne (1948).
585:. McFarland Publications.
182:(1948) by Hawthorne Daniel
29:
704:December 2, 2008, at the
144:Interstate Highway System
117:temporary piers and docks
102:following the successful
658:David P. Colley (2000).
32:Red Ball Express (film)
407:Eisenhower, John S. D.
185:
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473:on November 22, 2004.
273:La Queue-lez-Yvelines
151:Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
132:2.5 ton GMC “Jimmy’s”
58:system that supplied
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440:The Railroad Gazette
294:United States portal
140:Dwight D. Eisenhower
18:The Red Ball Express
384:on January 26, 2018
736:Military transport
610:. Washington, DC:
525:on October 1, 2020
342:www.historynet.com
54:was a famed truck
48:
44:Military policeman
666:. Potomac Books.
502:978-1-4027-4090-9
92:Santa Fe railroad
16:(Redirected from
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699:Red Ball Express
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490:Alan Axelrod
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563:January 21,
168:Arromanches
66:beaches in
715:Categories
316:References
409:(1995) .
321:Citations
201:Luftwaffe
194:governors
172:Cherbourg
155:logistics
111:landing.
702:Archived
529:June 17,
347:April 3,
280:See also
177:—
159:Chartres
157:base at
68:Normandy
641:1296750
633:270–271
451:June 4,
257:Belgium
86:History
80:Belgium
76:Antwerp
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259:, 1944
125:Patton
60:Allied
56:convoy
253:Liège
109:D-Day
64:D-Day
668:ISBN
637:OCLC
587:ISBN
565:2022
552:ISBN
531:2017
494:ISBN
453:2015
415:ISBN
390:2013
349:2017
134:and
50:The
488:by
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517:.
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