Early CMPs in NW Europe

[Lang]

Thanks for all that Phil.

I think, like many things, the black-out regulatons were a disorganised shambles throughout the war and the reasons for subjecting vehicles to such dangerous and inconvenient restrictions were illconceived.

I can understand restricted TOTAL blackout on vehicles positioning troops, guns etc for night attacks or say crossing areas under the direct field of fire of the enemy but convoys in rear areas???? The oft quoted protection from aircraft is a myth. During WW2 low level strafing on anything other than a full moonlit night (or the light of a burning city) was a quick way to a pilot's grave. Of course that has changed now and trucks may as well drive with spotlights given the night vision capability of modern aircraft.

I am sure the Red Ball Express and similar operations dis not crawl along blacked out. Blackout operations seem to be a particular fetish of the British as there appears to be much more about this in Commonwealth information and photos than American.