Following the D-Day Landings in June 1944, more than a million Allied soldiers moved into France. After breaking out of Normandy in July, troops began advancing across the countryside—sometimes covering as much ground as 80 miles a week. This created a logistical challenge for officials trying to supply this moving army across a country where many roads, bridges, and rail lines were damaged or destroyed. Military officials devised a solution they called the “Red Ball Express,” a specially designated supply route only open to military vehicles. Over the next 82 days, the Red Ball Express delivered an estimated 12,000 tons of supplies daily, allowing Allied forces to advance and eventually liberate France.

The successful invasion of Allied forces on D-Day brought more than a million American, Canadian, and British troops ashore in Normandy. Intense fighting in the hedgerows left Allies wedged in a relatively small area 50 miles wide and 20 miles deep. On July 25, 1944, the First US Army, under the command of Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, broke through as part of Operation Cobra. Allied troops poured through the opening in German lines and were soon joined by the US Third Army, under the direction of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. The Allies had previously destroyed French rail lines to prevent Germany from bringing reinforcements. Now, US military officials realized the need for supplies, particularly gasoline, was critical to keep the army moving across France. The only way to supply the troops was by road.

Almost overnight, the Red Ball Express was born. The Red Ball Express was a trucking convoy route system named after the red dots commonly used to identify priority express trains in the United States. It operated 24 hours a day and consisted of one-way routes designated for military traffic only. Military supplies arrived at the French port of Cherbourg and were loaded onto trucks. Supplies were then transported to the Chartres area and unloaded. Empty trucks then returned to Cherbourg.  

Thousands of military personnel received quick training to become drivers. Seventy-five percent were Black Americans, most with no previous experience driving trucks. They often worked in two-man teams, driving the 54-hour round-trip route from Cherbourg to Chartres, switching off drivers when one became too fatigued.

One of those drivers was James A. Baysmore. Baysmore was 19 when he enlisted in the US Army. He was assigned to the 3717 Quartermaster Truck Company and drove a truck on the Red Ball Express. “We didn’t think about what we were doing much because it was our job,” said Baysmore in a 1997 interview. “We carried gas, all kinds of supplies and even hauled bodies back to take to the cemetery,” he said.

Austin Powlis served in the 3902 Quartermaster Company and was a rifleman and a truck driver in the Red Ball Express. In an interview before his death in 2017, he recalled the bumpy narrow roads, dodging landmines, sniper fire, and aerial bombardment. “We’d drive and be fired upon at the same time. It’s still ringing in my ears,” he said.

At the height of operations, nearly 6,000 trucks were transporting supplies across France on the Red Ball Express. The Express remained open for 82 days until November 13, 1944, when enough French rail lines had been repaired, and the port facilities at Antwerp, Belgium, were reopened, alleviating the need for the highway. Military officials agreed that the Allies could not have reached Germany without the Red Ball Express. If you want to learn more about the Red Ball Express, search Fold3® today.