African-Americans
have contributed greatly to the history of the US military despite great
obstacles and setbacks they managed to carve their way into history. Based on
his personal experiences during WWI, Col. James A. Moss, Commander of the 367th
Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division said, “As fighting troops, the Negro must be rated as second-class material,
this primarily to his inferior intelligence and lack of mental and moral
qualities.” Col. Perry L. Miles, Commander of the 371th Infantry
Regiment, 93rd Division said something very similar: “In a future war, the main use of the Negro should be in labor
organizations.” And General George S. Patton, Jr. in a letter written to
his wife wrote her and said, “a colored
Soldier cannot think fast enough to fight in armor.” So from the time these
and men like them enlisted to fight for a country that was still suppressing
them, they would soon find themselves fighting on two separate fronts, home and
soon in Europe.
As with many within
the services fought against African-Americans serving, one General was a
pioneer and saw what allowing them to fight could do for the country and the
military as a whole. That Officer was Lieutenant General Leslie J. McNair, who
was serving as the chief of the U.S. Army ground forces. His voice became the
major proponent in support of African Americans serving within the armored
corps. He believed that as a nation we could not afford to exclude African
Americans as he viewed them as an important source of manpower. The black
press, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the
Congress of Racial Equality also placed increasing pressure on the War
Department and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration to allow black
soldiers to serve on an equal footing with white soldiers.
The 761st Tank Battalion was an independent tank battalion of the
United States Army during World War II. The 761st was made up primarily of
African-American soldiers, who by federal law were not permitted to serve
alongside white troops; the military did not officially desegregate until after
World War II. They were known as the Black
Panthers after their unit's distinctive insignia; their motto was
"Come out fighting". The battalion received a Presidential Unit
Citation for its actions. In addition, a large number of individual members
also earned awards, including one Medal of Honor and 11 Silver Stars.
Before and during World War II,
American military leaders had reservations about using African American
soldiers in combat. General Lesley J. McNair, the commander of Army
Ground Forces, successfully argued that "colored" units should be
employed in combat. At McNair's suggestion, the US Army began to experiment
with segregated combat units in 1941; the program was supported by, and given
national exposure in, Life magazine. The 761st was constituted on 15
March 1942, and activated 1 April 1942, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. The
battalion began training in M5 Stuart light tanks. They learned how to
maneuver, mount, dismount, and maintain the vehicle's 37 mm main gun and .30
caliber machine guns. Final training was at Fort Hood, Texas, where they were
upgraded to the M4 Sherman medium tank, which had a 75 mm main gun, two .30
caliber machine guns, a .50 caliber machine gun, and a two-inch smoke mortar.
Most of the black tankers had to
train in bases located in deep Southern states such as Kentucky, Louisiana, and
Texas. In the days before the civil rights advances made in the 1960s, black
people were still treated harshly in the South and often considered an inferior
race. The men of the 761st trained for almost two years, conscious of the fact
that white units were being sent overseas after as little as two or three
months.
There were many acts of racism,
including murder, against all the black battalions by soldiers from nearby Camp
Polk and Camp Livingston who visited Alexandria, Louisiana on weekend leave. In
March 1943, several members of the unit were severely beaten and one was killed
and found dead on the train tracks in Alexandria. Several members of the 761st
vowed to retaliate. They commandeered six tanks and a half-track but were persuaded
by Lieutenant Colonel Bates who promised to straighten the situation out.
The most famous
member of the 761st was First Lieutenant Jack Robinson. During the 761st's
training, a white bus driver told Robinson to move to the back of the bus, and
Robinson refused. Although his battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Paul L.
Bates, refused to consider the court-martial charges put forward by the
arresting military policemen, the base commander transferred Robinson to the
758th Tank Battalion, whose commander was willing to sign the insubordination
court-martial order. Robinson was eventually acquitted of all charges, though
he never saw combat. After the war he was instrumental in desegregating
professional baseball.
As the 761st was about to enter
combat, Patton reviewed the battalion and made a speech to the men which
offered a guarded vote of confidence in their abilities:
“Men,
you're 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 as long as you go up there and kill those
Kraut sonsofbitches. 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! They say it is patriotic
to die for your country. Well, let’s see how many patriots we can make out of
those German sonsofbitches.”
However, like most American military
officers of the era, Patton expressed his doubts about using black men in
combat. On returning to headquarters following the review, he remarked,
"They gave a good first impression, but I have no faith in the inherent
fighting ability of the race." He only put this sentiment aside and accepted
the 761st when he desperately needed all the ground power he could get. Even
after the war, Patton was not inclined to reform his perception of black
soldiers. In War As I Knew It, he relates the interaction described
above, and comments, "Individually
they were good soldiers, but I expressed my belief at the time, and have never
found the necessity of changing it, that a colored soldier cannot think fast
enough to fight in armor."
Tank commander
Sergeant Warren G. H. Crecy came
to the aid of his men on 10 November 1944, and fought through enemy positions
until his tank was destroyed. He eliminated an enemy position that had knocked
out his tank by commandeering a vehicle armed with only a .30-caliber machine
gun. He then eliminated the German forward observers who were directing
artillery fire on the US positions.
After manning a
replacement tank, Crecy's new vehicle lost traction in heavy mud and he was
forced to exit the tank under fierce machine gun, antitank, and artillery fire
to free the tracks. When attacked by German infantry, he had to abandon his
salvage efforts to man the .50-caliber machine gun, effectively holding off the
advancing enemy, then forcing them to withdraw.
Described as a
baby-faced, "quiet, easy-going, meek-looking fellow", Crecy had
destroyed an antitank position and a number of German machine gun positions
armed only with a machine gun and without regard for his personal safety, under
heavy fire. His men reportedly experienced difficulty getting the machine gun
away from him after the action.
Crecy was
nominated for the Medal of Honor and received a battlefield commission,
eventually retiring with the rank of major. His heroic actions earned him the
title "Baddest Man in the 761st" from his comrades.
While serving
with Company A of the 761st, the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to
Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers in 1997.
His Official
Citation read:
“For extraordinary heroism in action during the
15–19 November 1944, toward Guebling, France. Though severely wounded
in the leg, Sergeant Rivers refused medical treatment and evacuation, took
command of another tank, and advanced with his company in Guebling the next
day. Repeatedly refusing evacuation, Sergeant Rivers continued to direct his
tank's fire at enemy positions through the morning of 19 November 1944. At
dawn, Company A's tanks began to advance towards Bougaktroff [sic, correct name is Bourgaltroff],
but were stopped by enemy fire. Sergeant Rivers, joined by another tank, opened
fire on the enemy tanks, covering company A as they withdrew. While doing so,
Sergeant River's tank was hit, killing him and wounding the crew. Staff
Sergeant Rivers' fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to
his unit and exemplify the highest traditions of military service.”
The battalion first saw combat on 7
November 1944, fighting through towns such as Moyenvic, Vic-sur-Seille and
Morville-lès-Vic, often at the leading edge of the advance. The unit endured
183 days of continuous operational employment.
In November 1944 the unit had suffered 156 casualties; 24
men killed, 88 wounded, and 44 non-battle. The unit also lost 14 tanks and
another 20 damaged in combat. In December, the battalion was rushed to the aid
of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. From December 31, 1944, to February
2, 1945, the 761st took part in the American counteroffensive following the
Battle of the Bulge. In a major battle at Tillet, Belgium, the 761st operated
for two continuous days against German panzer and infantry units, who withdrew in
the face of the Black Panthers' attack. The operations of the 761st in the
Bulge split the enemy lines at three points–the HouffalizeBastogne road, the
St. VithBastogne highway, and the St. VithTrier road–preventing the resupply of
German forces encircling American troops at Bastogne.
After the Battle of the Bulge, the
unit opened the way for the U.S. 4th Armored Division into Germany during an
action that breached the Siegfried Line. During this time the 761st captured
seven German towns, more than 400 vehicles, 80 heavy weapons, 200 horses and
thousands of small arms. During that three-day period, the battalion inflicted
more than 4,000 casualties on the German army and it was later realized that
the 761st had fought against units belonging to at least 14 German divisions.
In the final days of the war in Europe, the 761st was one of the first American
units to reach the Steyr in Austria, at the Enns River, where they met with
Ukrainians of the Soviet Army.
A documentary, which was touted as
historically accurate, claimed that the 761st Tank Battalion, attached to the
71st Division, liberated one of the Nazi concentration camps, Dachau. Veterans
who participated in the liberation of these camps deny that the soldiers of the
761st Tank Battalion were there, and the US Army does not recognize the 761st
as liberators of any of the Nazi camps. Many attest this to the mindset of the
times; though they were fighting to help free the Jews from racism and
discrimination, much like they experienced back home. These men still executed
their missions in Europe where not only were they in danger of the Nazis but
some of their fellow Americans who felt they had no right or business to be
there themselves.
The 761st was deactivated 1 June 1946 in Germany. But
throughout their participation they more than lived up to their motto, “Come
Out Fighting.”
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