Comments on: African American Platoons in World War II http://www.historynet.com/african-american-platoons-in-world-war-ii.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:31:52 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Andrew http://www.historynet.com/african-american-platoons-in-world-war-ii.htm/comment-page-1#comment-64202 Andrew Sat, 23 May 2009 13:38:39 +0000 #comment-64202 My father served as a lst Lieutenant in the 9th Army in World War II. He command an all African-American unit. I discovered some letters to his family and in one of them was this very interesting quotes: "You have no doubts been wondering what Army I'm in. Up until a short while ago it was a deep dark secret but the other day we heard a rumor that we could let it out. So here is that big secret, shh, shh, shh, its the 9th, you know the one that has been practically winning the war all by its lonesome." Further on in the letter he asks his family to send him any newspaper articles on his unit and he goes on to state "As ours is the only colored combat outfit in the 9th Army we have become pretty famous in our particular area. There are dozens of negroes in quartermaster transportation corps outfits at the rear eschelons who have put in applications for transfer to our outfit. One quartermaster sergeant is willing to be broken down to a private in order to get in with us." Does anybody know anything about this unit. I can tell you my dad was not bigoted in the least. When I was young moved from New York City to Virginia (around 1968) and I have never heard a racial epithet used in my house, but my new friends in Virginia used them all the time and one time at the dinner table my dad was commenting on the some of the civil rights activity going on at the time and I said "who cares they are nothing but a bunch of . . ." I won't repeat the word, but I had just put a forkful of potatoes in my mouth, when suddenly and totally unexpectedly my gave me the back of his hand with enough force to cause the potatoes to coming flying out of my mouth onto the table and floor and it hurt. He had never hit my like that before and said "You will never use a term like that again, do you understand me!!" I was practically in tears. But I got the message. Racial intolerance would not be tolerated in his house. He didn't share alot of his war experiences with me. Of course, I didn't ask until later in life. He has since passed away and these letters have opened up a whole new world that he experienced. Anything, anybody can share with me on this African-American Unit in the 9th Army would be greatly appreciated. I know that he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. My father served as a lst Lieutenant in the 9th Army in World War II. He command an all African-American unit. I discovered some letters to his family and in one of them was this very interesting quotes:

“You have no doubts been wondering what Army I’m in. Up until a short while ago it was a deep dark secret but the other day we heard a rumor that we could let it out. So here is that big secret, shh, shh, shh, its the 9th, you know the one that has been practically winning the war all by its lonesome.”

Further on in the letter he asks his family to send him any newspaper articles on his unit and he goes on to state

“As ours is the only colored combat outfit in the 9th Army we have become pretty famous in our particular area. There are dozens of negroes in quartermaster transportation corps outfits at the rear eschelons who have put in applications for transfer to our outfit. One quartermaster sergeant is willing to be broken down to a private in order to get in with us.”

Does anybody know anything about this unit. I can tell you my dad was not bigoted in the least. When I was young moved from New York City to Virginia (around 1968) and I have never heard a racial epithet used in my house, but my new friends in Virginia used them all the time and one time at the dinner table my dad was commenting on the some of the civil rights activity going on at the time and I said “who cares they are nothing but a bunch of . . .” I won’t repeat the word, but I had just put a forkful of potatoes in my mouth, when suddenly and totally unexpectedly my gave me the back of his hand with enough force to cause the potatoes to coming flying out of my mouth onto the table and floor and it hurt. He had never hit my like that before and said “You will never use a term like that again, do you understand me!!” I was practically in tears. But I got the message. Racial intolerance would not be tolerated in his house.

He didn’t share alot of his war experiences with me. Of course, I didn’t ask until later in life. He has since passed away and these letters have opened up a whole new world that he experienced. Anything, anybody can share with me on this African-American Unit in the 9th Army would be greatly appreciated. I know that he fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

]]> By: African-American Troops During WWII - World War II Forums http://www.historynet.com/african-american-platoons-in-world-war-ii.htm/comment-page-1#comment-21744 African-American Troops During WWII - World War II Forums Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:16:48 +0000 #comment-21744 [...] African-American Troops During WWII (I don't think this link has been posted before so I shall share it here.) ************* The American soldiers hemmed in on the east bank of the Rhine River were desperately protecting their tenuous Remagen bridgehead, resisting repeated German attempts to infiltrate their perimeter. Fighting throughout the night, sometimes hand to hand, the men doggedly held their position, firing flares, hurling grenades and shooting wildly at shadowy figures as the enemy counterattacked repeatedly up the deep-cut draws and forested ridges above the town of Erpel, directly across the Rhine from Remagen. For the men of K Company, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, the situation was dire enough on the night of March 13, 1945, for them to call in friendly artillery on their positions in an effort to shake off their tormentors. Almost immediately, fire from American 155mm and 105mm batteries on the west bank of the river lit the blackened sky like distant lightning, the shells? thunderous concussions reverberating up the steep ravines to the ridgeline where K Company was dug in. . . . . African American Platoons in World War II ? HistoryNet [...] [...] African-American Troops During WWII (I don’t think this link has been posted before so I shall share it here.) ************* The American soldiers hemmed in on the east bank of the Rhine River were desperately protecting their tenuous Remagen bridgehead, resisting repeated German attempts to infiltrate their perimeter. Fighting throughout the night, sometimes hand to hand, the men doggedly held their position, firing flares, hurling grenades and shooting wildly at shadowy figures as the enemy counterattacked repeatedly up the deep-cut draws and forested ridges above the town of Erpel, directly across the Rhine from Remagen. For the men of K Company, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, the situation was dire enough on the night of March 13, 1945, for them to call in friendly artillery on their positions in an effort to shake off their tormentors. Almost immediately, fire from American 155mm and 105mm batteries on the west bank of the river lit the blackened sky like distant lightning, the shells? thunderous concussions reverberating up the steep ravines to the ridgeline where K Company was dug in. . . . . African American Platoons in World War II ? HistoryNet [...]

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