Coloured armoured units in WWII ?

As far as I know, the U.S. Army had two tank battalions ( 761st and 784th ) and two tank destroyer battalions ( 614th and 827th ) made up of black GIs. I believe they were all part of Pattons 3rd Army. Patton himself was not a great fan of coloured soldiers, but seems to have accepted them; "I don´t care what colour you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sons-of-bitches". The 761st received a Distinguished Unit Citation in 1978 ( !? ).

Were there more coloured units, for example in the MTO or in the Pacific ?

What equipment did they use ?

What was their combat history ?

Didn´t the U.S. Army have a few integrated units at the end of the war ?

 

The U.S. had three "colored' divisions druing WWII. The 2nd Cavalary Division, the 92nd Infantry Division in the MTO, and the 93rd Infantry Division in the PTO.
See the following link for more on colored troops in the U.S. Army:
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/ww ... power.aspx

 

The 761st Tank Bn "Black Panthers" was actually one of the most succesful tank units in ETO and well deserved their unit citation. It recieved its M4(76)s in the autumn of 1944, which is surprising as the background untis supplied by the US usually didn't exactly get the best...

 

Beuase of heavy combat losses during the Ardennes fighting, colored troops were "allowed to volunteer" for comabt duty, mostly in the infantry. Eisenhower, somewhat quietly, had these men integrated with the white troops. It is a testament to the American ideals that so many African Americans were willing and eager to fight for a countrythat still had totally to grips with their freedom.

 

Well let's see...

The Germans used grey or feldgrau
Sometimes they used a desert scheme.

The Russians used greens and OD

The Americans and Brits used OD and sometimes desert camo.

Plane colors were another story ...

:kill:

 

Perhaps there is a small misunderstanding here...

 

Sounds like it.

In the Pacific, the US Seabees (the US naval construction engineers) were consisted mostly of black americans and native americans. They are one of the most respected units of the Pacific campaign because it was their job to build the countless airfields and ship ports used to defeat Japan.

 

Indeed. They did particularly well with the 45th Infantry Division, IIRC.

 

Black Americans also made up most of the Red Ball Express, the supply line the US used in France to supply tanks and troops.

 

Yep. There was even a short-lived television series (a comedy) about them, using The Red Ball Express as the show's title.

 

Can of Worms

Sorry guys, but I can't let it pass.

I always have an issue when people start using the terms such as "Black Americans" or "African Americans". The simple fact is, you are either an American, or you are not, period.

I don't care about race, religion, or sexual preference, but I have real issues when any American feels they have to qualify their citizenship by adding a prefix to their citizenship.

You can be an American citizen or an African citizen. You cannot be both unless you are one of the few to have dual citizenship. You can be an American with African ancestry or an American with Asian ancestry but to use terms such as African American or Asian Americans is a conflict in terminology.

Also, weren't these units called something else during this period of history? I have never understood why people think "Negro" is a dirty word.

Nuff said.

:smok:

 

Well said.

Brave.

Foolish perhaps.

But well said.

 

Same here.

 

I agree.
I was gonna rant about Political Correctness, but that would not be a good alley to go down. :roll:

 

Re: Can of Worms

You are either with us or against us? Seriously, a good post. But there has to be some way to indicate that we are talking about negroes (considering this a dirty word actually. Holland has a rich history in slave trade). What would you suggest?

 

Re: Can of Worms

The term in use at the time, colored. PC be damned. Still, the fact is that these men fought for America at a time when many people stil didn't consider them "real" Americans. But depending on the time frame you could use the same argument for Irish, or German, or ..., immigrants and their descendents.

 

Hmm, but colored would suggest that us white people aren't colored? I look at my skin and think, this is definitely a color

Yes, I'm making it hard for you on purpose.

 

How about "melanin rich persons"! :lol:

 

Re: Can of Worms

Completely agree.

From a 100% Brit.

 

"Bothers in Arms - The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WW II's Forgoteen Heroes" co-authored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Walton, vividly captures what men manning tanks endured.

Prior to going into action, on 2.11.44, George Patton, the Third Army's commanding general, addressed the men of the Battalion. His words were recorded by Trezzvant Anderson, a reporter assigned to the 761st: "Men, you are the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the American Army. I would never have asked for you if you weren't good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don't care what color you are, so long as you go up there and kill those kraut sonsabitches. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you. Most of all, your race is looking forward to your success. Don't let them down, and, damn you, don't let me down!"

On 24th January 1978, thirty-three years after the end of the war in Europe, President Carter signed the ordera and awarded the 761st Tank Battalion the Presidential Citation for Extraordinary Heroism.

Both well written and documented, the book is recommended.