Don Stivers Keep 'Em Rolling'In any war, there are two tremendous tasks. That of the combat troops is to fight the enemy. That of the supply troops is to furnish all the material to insure victory. The faster and farther the combat troops advance against the foe, the greater becomes the battle of supply.'
-- D. D. Eisenhower, Oct. 1944
On the heels of the invasion of Normandy, the momentum of the Allies Forces to push across France and on to Germany became of paramount importance. An extensive aerial bombardment on the 23rd of July, 1944 allowed Gen. Omar Bradley's First Army to break through enemy lines, quickly followed by three Armored Divisions. They fanned out rapidly, creating a tremendous new front with the goal of moving fast, and striking hard. What the generals hadn't anticipated was the difficulty of maintaining their race across France, and they quickly found they were outrunning their lines of supply. Though armies of the past may have traveled on their stomachs, during a mechanized war, fuel was the most valuable commodity. Patton was overheard saying to Eisenhower 'my men can eat their belts, but my tanks gotta have gas.'
Knowing that the troops' supplies were all but exhausted and railway use was impossible, the Transportation and Quartermaster Corps devised and implemented the Red Ball Express. Red Ball, being a railroading term for priority freight, they essentially created a non-stop convoy of trucks (at one point almost 6,000) working 24 hours a day transporting gasoline, ordnance and supplies from well-stocked depots to the fighting front. Any soldier whose duties were not considered essential to the immediate war effort was recruited to man the trucks. Because African-Americans were not allowed to serve combat roles, they comprised most of the drivers and mechanics used in this effort. They were stationed at all the major checkpoints providing security, directing traffic, monitoring civilian traffic and posting daily tonnage targets on hand-painted signs. For the better part of three months, convoys drive the grueling 54-hour, round-trip route, spanning some 400 miles, transporting more than 500,000 tons of supplies. Regardless of inclement weather, break downs or enemy fire, they delivered their precious cargo to the First Army and Thundering Third, and the Allied Forces were able to keep Hitler's armies on the run.
Due to the tireless efforts of these dedicated servicemen, the Red Ball Express firmly wheeled their way into history as being a vital part of the campaign in the European Theater.