The Red Ball Express and the Women Who Ran It
Soldiers fill lines of Jerry Cans in France during the Red Ball Express, 1944. Courtesy of the U.S. Army Transportation Museum (V1213).
Priority Supplies
Fuel, ammunition, water, and food were all supplies transported on the Red Ball Express, but it was fuel that was probably the most important. Carried in 5-gallon Jerry Cans, the Red Ball Express delivered up to 800,000 gallons (or 160,000 individual Jerry Cans) a day when at its height. However, without a reliable way to return empty Jerry Cans, this system proved not to be sustainable. Patton's Third Army was rendered stationary when fuel delivery dropped from 400,000 to 31,000 gallons a day.
Luckily, two pipelines were laid as Allied armies advanced, lessening the dependence on Jerry Cans. The 4-inch and 6-inch pipelines pumped fuel into fuel dumps, meaning trucks no longer had to carry fuel the entire length of the supply route.
