The Red Ball Express and the Women Who Ran It
Cpl. Maxine Vaught of the 29th Traffic Regulating Group awaits the order to christen the new Army locomotive, the WAC Blazer, November 1944. Pictured in the foreground are Lt. Col. Anna Wilson, WAC Director in the ETO, and Maj. Gen. Frank Ross, Chief of Transportation in the ETO.
WAC Recognition
The contribution of the women of the 29th Traffic Regulating Group was recognized with the christening of a 75-ton locomotive at the Paris Railroad Yards in November 1944 following the end of the Red Ball Express. Newspapers claimed that the 29th Traffic Regulating Group had been "working at the biggest transportation job in history, desk jobs which kept the wheels of trains, trucks, and millions of TC vehicles moving toward the front with the stuff it takes to win a war." The locomotive, given the name the WAC Blazer, was entrusted during the christening to uphold the same immaculate efficiency record currently held by the Transportation WACs of the 29th Traffic Regulating Group. Lt. Col. Anna Wilson, WAC Director in the European Theater, proclaimed the unit to be the "best trained WAC group ever sent to Europe."
While the 29th Traffic Regulating Group was instrumental in the Red Ball Express, rail, marine, and truck operations still needed coordinating in theater. The unit would continue to do so behind the scenes from Paris, supporting the post war demobilization with the same efficiency they used to help win the war. The first group of women were reassigned back stateside in November 1945 with the rest of the unit following in March 1946. Overall, they had spent 18 months ensuring the smooth operation of the Transportation Corps.
To learn more about the Red Ball Express and many more incredible Army Transportation stories, visit the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
