Conceived in an emergency, the Red Ball Express was an express trucking-supply service that allowed Eisenhower’s armies to keep their foot on the gas at a crucial point during World War II. It is no overstatement that these unsung heroes helped to win the war.
As the theater commander, Eisenhower had some unique, first-hand experiences with army logistics and movement in his years rising up the ranks. His first occurred in 1919, when the young officer was part of a logistical effort to cross the United States in a military convoy. https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-eisenhower-interstate-system-did.html
The Express initially started with 67 truck companies, which ballooned four days later into 132 companies with 23,000 drivers and mechanics. This easy transition to truck transport was due in part to the industrial might of the United States, which produced over two million of the heavy haulers during the war.
Although the Transportation and Quartermaster Corps ran the operation, many branches were needed to make the operation run effectively.
FYI, Steve just told me that Louis L'Amour was a Lt with the 362nd Quartermasters Co. He is one of my favorite authors.
After the invasion, Louis was an officer in a Quartermaster Truck Company, delivering fuel all over Europe, chasing advancing and occasionally retreating armies through France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. When the war ended he was sent back to France, eventually to become the Company Commander of a unit with little to do except facilitate the return of American troops to the U.S. and be on call for the support services that were helping to clean up the mess that the war had made. It gave him a good deal of time on his own, time to explore the countryside and experience Paris.
Military police played the role of traffic cops, engineers helped to maintain the roads and bridges, and ordnance teams repaired disabled vehicles. Army tactics and doctrine prior to the war emphasized mobility and maneuver, which were put to effective at a time when the German army still relied on horse-drawn transport to ferry some of its equipment.
Eisenhower decided to deploy the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions around Bastogne, Belgium, and, once again, the Red Ball Express came to the rescue by transporting thousands of troops into the battle, including the above-mentioned paratroops.
The speed with which these men were moved into the fighting proved to be decisive. The quick action, availability, and speed of the Red Ball Express was a powerful tool that helped to turn the tide of battle.
Three out of four of the men of the Red Ball Express were African American. This was no accident and reflected the deliberate effort by the military during World War II—with a few notable exceptions—to keep African Americans in non-combat and service-related roles.
At its peak, the Red Ball Express operated nearly 6,000 vehicles that carried over 12,300 tons of supplies a day.
Eisenhower decided to deploy the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions around Bastogne, Belgium, and, once again, the Red Ball Express came to the rescue by transporting thousands of troops into the battle, including the above-mentioned paratroops.
The speed with which these men were moved into the fighting proved to be decisive. The quick action, availability, and speed of the Red Ball Express was a powerful tool that helped to turn the tide of battle.
Three out of four of the men of the Red Ball Express were African American. This was no accident and reflected the deliberate effort by the military during World War II—with a few notable exceptions—to keep African Americans in non-combat and service-related roles.
At its peak, the Red Ball Express operated nearly 6,000 vehicles that carried over 12,300 tons of supplies a day.
What the Red Ball Express achieved was nothing short of a landmark in the history of military logistics. Initially scheduled to have lasted only two weeks, the service they provided was so crucial to Allied success that it went on for 82 days and delivered over 400,000 tons of gas, oil, lubricants, ammunition, food, medical supplies, and other necessities to supply points near the front lines.
From 1973-1974, a short-lived CBS TV series entitled Roll Out, based on the Red Ball Express, highlighted the daily grind and adventures of the fictitious 5050th Quartermaster Truck Company of the U.S. Third Army. Intending to capitalize on the success of M*A*S*H, the series was designed to be a commentary on race relations during World War II, but only 12 episodes were broadcast.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/red-ball-express-to-the-rescue/
This is just another example of the sort of thing I have never heard of during the annual "black history month" publicity blitz, and I post whatever, when ever, without arranging to hold off until some history month or calendar event. I remember some years ago listing the many posts I've made that are distinctly black history, yet cover people and events that I've never seen brought up during the history month blitz
My old neighbor was a driver in the Red Ball Express. We'd talk about how my grandfather was in the infantry and he'd say how he felt sorry for those guys. At least he had heat and could sleep out of the mud. And yeah, they did over 35 MPH quite often!
ReplyDeleteWherever possible, they used separate routes for traffic toward the front and returning from it, to reduce congestion and confusion.
ReplyDeleteThats true, almost all of their routes were declared one way, which was safer and faster, they used one road for the loaded trucks going to the front and a different road for the empties returning to the ports. and I think i remember the signs they used were red circles with an arrow , at the intersections and turns.
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