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Histoire de notre écusson
English 
A new badge for Caen Côte de Nacre Chapter
The Caen Côte de Nacre Chapter has been pondering over the creation of a new badge for quite a long time.
The Basse-Normandie has numerous assets: From ”les planches de Deauville”, to the Mont Saint-Michel, a world famous architectural work of art, from the wind beaten Irish like cliffs of “La Hague” to the « Pays d'Auge » and its romantic thatched cottages, without forgetting “le Bocage” a wooded and granite surfaced area or what we call the “Suisse Normande” for its hilly and neat landscape.
Normandy is plunged into History. It was the land of William the Conqueror who fared to the coasts of Great Britain with his fleet and its beaches were the threshold of one of the most important event of the twentieth century. That is: the D.DAY.
" When a French or foreign chapter chooses Normandy as a destination, the D-Day beaches come first on his agenda! " After a lot of deliberations and having met a specialist of Norman History, Stéphane Lamache, it became obvious that we had to highlight the importance of the Red Ball Express Highway.
We all know about what is called “La voie de la liberté” (Liberty Way). It starts from Ste Mére Eglise (Normandy) and ends in Bastogne, a village in Belgium 1 145 kms further.
It used to be controlled by the Military Police riding Harley motorbikes, the Red Ball Express Highway, a road used by trucks driving from Cherbourg to Chartres through Saint-Lô and Dreux. In war time, it was used to soldiers on the frontlines with food and amunitions. The whole organization was controlled by the Allied Forces after the breakthrough which followed the landing in Normandy. This system worked from August 25th, 1944 to November 16th, 1944.
The French railway network having been destroyed by the allied bombardments, the road was the one and only solution to meet the needs of the armies as they changed place. Food, amunitions, and fuel were then transported to the 28 allied divisions involved. They needed about 700 to 750 tons of supplies per day, which made a total of 20 000 tons.
From 1 6th of June 1944 until the 8th of May 1945, 7 442 529 tons of goods had been shipped to Normandy !
Two main roads between Cherbourg and Chartres, where big allied logistic bases had settled, were requisitionned. The road farther in the North was used by trucks loaded with goods. Those trucks returned empty on the Southern road.To have a smooth road traffic, reduce accidents and airplane attacks, special regulations were enforced.
· Traffic was forbidden to non military vehicles
· No more than 5 trucks per convoy escorted by jeeps were allowed
· A gap of 60 meters between all trucks was compulsary
· Overtaking vehicles was forbidden.
· Speed limited to 40 km/h
The Red Ball Express Highway was signposted with huge billboards conjuring up the image of American advertizing billboards. These billboards were meant to prevent drivers from getting lost. They also showed the tonnage of lorries and thus the achievements of drivers so as to motivate them. There was a ceaseless day and night traffic. A total of 5 958 vehicles was used and from 12 to 500 tons of goods were transported on a daily basis.
The main problems met by drivers were engine breakdowns, tiredness, the “disappearance” and the wearing out of equipments which, in the long term, caused several accidents Most drivers of the Red Ball were Afro-Americans.
more informations on:
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