Red Ball Express is a 1952

1952 in film

The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....

 World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 war film

War film

War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...

 directed by Budd Boetticher

Budd Boetticher

Oscar "Budd" Boetticher, Jr. was a film director during the classical period in Hollywood most famous for the series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.Known for their sparse style, dramatic rocky locations near Lone Pine, California, and recurring stories of...

 and starring Jeff Chandler

Jeff Chandler (actor)

Jeff Chandler was an American film actor and singer in the 1950s.-Early life:Chandler was born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Anna and Phillip Grossel. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of many stage and film personalities...

. The film is based on the real Red Ball Express

Red Ball Express

The Red Ball Express was an enormous truck convoy system created by Allied forces to supply their forward-area combat units moving through Europe following the breakout from the D-Day beaches in Normandy. The term "Red Ball" was a railroad phrase referring to express shipping...

convoys that took place after the D-Day

D-Day

D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

 landings in Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 in June 1944. The tag line for the movie is "From beachhead to battlefront! They carry the ammo for Patton's Tanks!"

Plot synopsis

August 1944: proceeding with the invasion of France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Patton's

George S. Patton

George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...

 Third Army has advanced so far toward Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 that it cannot be supplied. To keep up the momentum, Allied HQ establishes an elite military truck route. One (racially integrated) platoon of this Red Ball Express encounters private enmities, German resistance, minefields, and increasingly perilous missions.

Cast

• Jeff Chandler
  Jeff Chandler (actor)
  Jeff Chandler was an American film actor and singer in the 1950s.-Early life:Chandler was born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Anna and Phillip Grossel. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of many stage and film personalities...
  
   - Lt. Chick Campbell
• Alex Nicol
  Alex Nicol
  For the Distinguished Service Cross recipient, see Alexander Nicol.Alex Nicol was an American actor and director. Nicol appeared in many Westerns including The Man from Laramie...
  
   - Sgt. Red Kallek
• Charles Drake
  Charles Drake
  Charles Drake was an American actor.-Biography:Drake was born as Charles Ruppert in New York City. He graduated from Nichols College and became a salesman. In 1939, he turned to acting and signed a contract with Warner Brothers. He wasn't immediately successful...
  
   - Pvt. Ronald Partridge/narrator
• Judith Braun - Joyce McClellan
• Sidney Poitier
  Sidney Poitier
  Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
  
   - Cpl. Andrew Robertson
• Jaqueline Duval - Antoinette Dubois
• Bubber Johnson - Pvt. Taffy Smith
• Davis Roberts - Pvt. Dave MCord
• Hugh O'Brian
  Hugh O'Brian
  Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
  
   - Pvt. Wilson
• Frank Chase - Pvt. Higgins
• Cindy Garner - Kitty Walsh
• Gregg Palmer
  Gregg Palmer
  Gregg Palmer, originally Palmer Lee is an American actor, known primarily for his prolific work in television westerns...
  
   - Tank Lieutenant
• John Hudson - Tank Sergeant Max
• Howard Petrie
  Howard Petrie
  Howard Alexander Petrie was an American radio, television, and film actor.-Early life:Howard Petrie was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on November 22, 1906...
  
  - Maj. Gen. Lee Gordon