The Red Ball Express

The Milford Museum American History Series will celebrate Black History Month with a program titled The Red Ball Express presented by Dante Brizill on Saturday, February 14, 1:00 p.m. at the Milford Public Library in Milford, Delaware. Following the D-Day invasion of World War II, the United States Army and its allies needed a reliable transport service to carry the tons of supplies, food, and munitions needed to equip the troops who were fighting their way across Europe to destroy the German war machine. Because aircraft was needed for combat duties, truck transportation was the only option available. Taking its name from a 19th century American priority railroad service known as “Red Ball,” this new mission became known as the Red Ball Express. The drivers for this operation, key to the Allied victory, were almost 75% African American.

Caption for attached photograph: Soldiers from the 4185th Quartermaster Service Company (left to right), Pvt. Harold Hendricks, Staff Sgt. Carl Haines, Sgt. Theodore Cutright, Pvt. Lawrence Buckhalter, Pfc. Horace Deahl, and Pvt. David N. Hatcher, load trucks with rations bound for frontline troops September 1944 in Liege, Belgium. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army)