Jackson advocate., 1944-10-07
GIVE AWAY RATIONS

The smiling soldiers gave away
much OF their precious rations TO
French urchinS and pretty lasses
who lined the Streets, waving to
them and throwing kisses.
This was one of the regular trips
of this unit in its work on the
newly inargurated Red Ball Line,
over which many Negro and white
trucking companies operate round
the-clock. This route is the out
growth of the swift pace set by
the First and Third Armies in
their drives toward German terri
tory, and became necessary in or
der to maintain the lengthening
supply line now stretching more
than 300 miles from the beaches
and the great port of Cherboug.
It is a highway, with one
way traffic on a road over which
nothing but Red Ball. trucks
travel. These trucks are Identified
by the familiar red disk on the
front and rear.
This convoy section was in
charge of Staff Sergeant Clifford
o. Ryals, 632 West 36th Street,
Savannah, Georgia, husband of
Mrs. Omega r. RyalS. He expects
to become a father next month.
Ryals had charge of the convoy
from the Leachhead to a point 65
miles away, at which place his
company commander took owe I
for the rest of the trip.
CROSS TWO OTHERS
Crossing the Seine and Marine
rivers at several points, the unit
passed over bridges put into place
by U. S. engineers from the same
kind of material which they were
hauling. These bridges had had
their original spans cleanly knock
ed out by u. S. dlve-bombsrS.
After reaching their dump and
unloading, they learned that there
was a newly established dump a
few miles farther on, which indi-
Gated how fast the positions of
supply dispersal points change in
this war.
AT the point where the Bailey
bridges were unloaded, the Ameri-
can Spearhead had passed only
two days before, and the drivers
were at h closest point to the
spearhead which, even then, was
PROTECTING itself into Luxembourg
In the distance was heard the
rumble of heavy artillery fire.
This bridge was hauled by a
company which had distinguished
itself in continuous work at the
beachhead, during the time when
the u. S. forces were striving Wig
orcllsly to root the Germans out,
from st. Lo ST. Marie du Pont, st.
Mere -Eglise, Wire, Carentan, La
Haye du Puts. and other points
of bitter struggles.
"a HOURS A Day
During those necJIc days, using
relief drivers every "a hours, this
Company operated 48 trucks "a
hours a day, for ten straight days
without having a single truck fall
out for even minor repair. We
hicles requiring maintenance were
repaired on the move by Techni-
cal Sergeant Walter Lawrence, of
Reserve, Louisiana, the company
sergeant, who devised a lighting
system In order to enable him to
work on his vehicles at night. 1t
is said that this company hauled
more materials in that particular
period than any other two truck
ing companies combined, and the
unit was cited by the group COM
mander.
In its functioning on the new
Red Ball Highway" the unit had
made two trips since the route was
begun a week ago, and totalled
approximately one thousand miles
of hauling In those two trips.
The outfit arrived in England
in February, 1914, following Its
activation and basic training at
Camp Mccain, Miss, and came to
France In June.