History of the Clubmobile - Part 2

Episode 5 of "Masters of the Air" gives us only a quick glimpse of the Red Cross Girls serving doughnuts to the men as they head out to the flight line. So I've decided to use this space this week to expand a bit more on the history of the clubmobiles. 

Clubmobile Convoy attached to General Patton's Third Army advancing into Germany in early 1945. Photo credit: Ollie Atkins for the American Red Cross (US National Archives)

The GMC truck models pictured above were first introduced in North Africa and would become the primary Clubmobile used in continental Europe following the D-Day landings in summer 1944. This model was suited to rougher terrain than the Green Liner bus model used in the UK. 

Red Cross Girls assigned to Clubmobile groups slated to follow the invasion forces in summer 1944 receiving training on how to extricate the Clubmobile from a mud-filled shell crater outside London. Photo credit: Margaret Zaines, Red Cross Correspondent (US National Archives)

The women assigned to the Clubmobile groups that followed the invasion forces across the Channel in summer 1944 were given a driving course (and instruction in basic maintenance and repairs) around London. It was fairly typical for each 3-woman crew to designate a primary driver, but they all took the course, and as pictured here, were expected to understand how to navigate muddy roads. 

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The bus model interior was narrow, which affected their ability to navigate around one another easily. You can't see it in this photo, but the bus model also allocated a small amount of space for a lounge area, where some of the men could gather and play cards, read magazines or change out the records.

By contrast, the interior of the GMC truck model was more compact, but it was efficiently designed. As you can see, the doughnut machine is situated at the far rear right-hand corner. A large galvanized coffee urn is pictured at the front left. Loaded with all the supplies of doughnut mix, coffee, and the extras the women served (gum, candy, comic books, etc.), the interior would have been more cramped than it might appear here. While the Clubmobile groups deployed on the continent included one or two supply trucks, the interior space was often stocked with extra bags of doughnut flour, coffee, and other cooking supplies when the women made a longer-distance serving run. 

Both models included a sink with running water, the doughnut machine, coffee urns, storage space for coffee mugs, the wire trays to hold the doughnuts, and counter work space. They both featured a fold-down serving counter, which we've seen in "Masters of the Air." Below you'll see a better view of the interior of the bus model with the doughnut machine in use!

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I'll continue providing additional photos and details about the Clubmobiles and their service around the world in later blogs. Next up will be a closer look at the arrival of the Clubmobiles and their crews on the beaches of Normandy in summer 1944 and some details and photos of them in active service -- as one Clubmobiler noted, "we moved through Normandy like the Army -- fast and in the field."