Red Ball Express: The WWII Truck Convoy That Fueled the Allied Advance

The Red Ball Express was a massive truck convoy operation launched by the US Army on August 25, 1944, to supply Allied forces advancing through France after the D-Day invasion. Operating 24/7 for 83 days until November 16, 1944, it used nearly 6,000 trucks—primarily GMC 2½-ton "Deuce" vehicles—to deliver fuel, ammunition, food, and medical supplies from the port of Cherbourg to front-line units over 400 miles of road. The Express was created because Allied bombing had destroyed French railways and German defenses made capturing ports difficult. African American soldiers made up three-quarters of the drivers, overcoming discrimination to keep supplies flowing. At its peak, the Express delivered 412,000 tons to the US First and Third Armies. The operation ended when French railways were repaired, new supply routes opened, and the port of Antwerp became available. General Patton praised the gas deliveries, saying, "My men can eat their belts, but they can't eat their tanks."