The Red Ball Express was a enormous convoy system created by Allied forces to supply their forces moving through Europe following the breakout from the D-Day beaches in Normandy. The term "Red Ball" was a railroad phrase referring to express shipping. The service lasted only three months, from August 25 to November 16, 1944, when the port facilities at Antwerp were opened.

The French railway system had been destroyed by Allied air power prior to the invasion in order to deny their use to the German forces, but thereby leaving trucks the only way to move supplies forward. After the breakout and race to the Seine River there were twenty-eight Allied divisions in the field. For offensive operations each division would burn about 700-750 tons a day, a total of about 20,000 tons. At its peak the Red Ball operated 5,958 vehicles, and carried about 12,500 tons of supplies a day.

In order to keep the supplies flowing without delay, two routes were opened from Cherbourg to the forward logistics base at Chartes . The northern route was used for moving supplies forward, the southern for returning trucks. Civilian traffic was denied use of both roads. Convoys of no less than five trucks were allowed, to be escorted in front and behind by a jeep. In reality it was not uncommon for individual trucks to move off as soon as they were loaded. It was also common to disable the engine governors to allow higher power for climbing hills.

The convoys were a primary target of the Luftwaffe. However by 1944 their strength was so reduced that even these tempting and typically easy targets were rarely set on. The biggest problems were maintenance, sleep, and finding enough drivers. Most Red Ball drivers were African Americans, able-bodied soldiers who were denied front-line service but had been attached to various units for other duties.

External links

Red Ball Express

African Americans Gain Fame as World War II Red Ball Express Drivers

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