Black History: WWII & Racism
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Fighting to Go to War: Facing Racism in the Military
On April 1, 1942 the United States army activated the 761st Tank Battalion and it eventually became one of the first all-Black combat forces in the US military. Beginning their training at Clairborne, Louisiana and then moving to Camp Hood, Texas the 761st, who eventually adopted the nickname “the Black Panthers,” faced unique challenges even before landing on the beaches of Europe. America was still a deeply racist, divided nation and the army was no different. The military still enforced its policy of segregation, which meant that Black and white soldiers would remain separated throughout the war effort. Despite claiming all were “separate but equal,” Black soldiers were treated as second-class citizens and had to fight for their right to protect the nation. The following resources discuss the racism that existed in the military and society at the beginning of the war to demonstrate some of the unique challenges the men in the 761st faced even before going to Europe.
This article focuses heavily on the obstacles that the 761st Tank Battalion fought both on the Front but also back home in America. Providing an overview of the racist sentiments that shaped their initial military service, and inspired their nickname of “Black Panthers Unit,” this article also includes examples of activism by soldiers including Jackie Robinson. After following the battalion’s progress through the war, the article includes a moving poem titled, “The Black Messiah,” written by Sonia Schreiber Weitz after the 761st liberation of Gunskirchen subcamp of the Mauthausen concentration camp. The article concludes by focusing on the advocacy efforts the battalion faced when continuing their fight against anti-black racism after the conclusion of the war.
If you would like to focus on the racism faced by the unit both before and after the war, or the impacts on the soldiers and the Holocaust survivors after they liberated the concentration camp this is a great resource.
This website holds an incredible wealth of information on the 761st. This website celebrates the united efforts of the battalion to fight against racist assumptions in the American military at the beginning of the war and their several successful efforts throughout their time in the war (Oct 1944- May 1945). This website includes several spotlights on the heroes who fought in the 761st including Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson and war hero Warren Crecy to name a few. The website also contains an amazing gallery filled with pictures of the battalion, the soldiers and their tanks, as well as artwork done by and for the soldiers.
The 761st Tank Battalion: Fighting The Enemy, Beating Stereotypes
With references from Adbul-Jabbar’s amazing book, Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes, as well as official army documents, this article celebrates the success the Black Panther battalion found on the battlefield. Despite entering the war with so many obstacles and racist assumptions by their fellow soldiers, the 761st performed exceptionally and earned praise from several generals their time at the training camp in Camp Hood, Texas to their time on the battlefield in Europe.
Read this article if you are interested to learn about the tank battalion’s performances in training and battle from primary sources.
World War II: 761st Tank Battalion
This article provides an important and detailed exploration of the racism that shaped the military and American society before and during WWII by including the opinions and perspectives of several leading generals, politicians, and civil rights organizations. Despite allowing Black soldiers to fight in the military (rather than only work in supportive or non-combative roles) the segregation within the military emphasized the racism that persisted. This is highlighted by Jackie Robinson’s story of defiance and then his eventual court-martial trial while enlisted with the 761st Tank Battalion. There were several other stories of heroism within the 761st including the story of 1st Sgt. Samuel Turley as told by correspondent Trezzvant Anderson.
For those interested in the battle against racism in America just to allow the soldiers to fight, this article highlights these obstacles, those who fought against it including Jackie Robinson, as well as those who fought with bravery on the field.
The History of Blacks in the Military
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