Fort Bliss Monitor

Blacks fight for World War II combat chance

Paul Efaw
Special to The Monitor

African Americans had to fight prejudice and racism on the home front for the opportunity to get into combat during World War II, but once there they did quite well and shattered many racial stereotypes in the process.

Civil rights activists (in the early 40s) were determined to eliminate the segregationist practices of the 1917 mobilization and to win a fair representation for Negroes in the Army. The traditionalists of the Army staff, on the other hand, were determined to resist any radical change in policy, Army historians said.

The opportunity to defend America came about grudgingly late in the war and then was due to a shortage of manpower, and it occurred during one of the cruelest winters (1944-45) to hit Europe in decades.

One of the first outfits was the 969th Field Artillery Battalion, a segregated, all-black unit that had been fighting since Normandy.

During Bastogne, the 969th, one of the heavy (155mm) artillery units, was joined by a few howitzers and survivors of the segregated 333rd FAB.

They entered the defense of Bastogne by chance. It had been assigned to support the 28th Division and had been ordered to move west. When the enemy broke into the open, the battalion was already moving out of the Bastogne sector, one Army writer said.

Dec. 21, under heavy fire, it moved a half mile west of Bastogne where it manned the guns another unit had abandoned. A decisive factor in the defense of Bastogne rested in the artillery support of the surrounded town,” according to Norman S. Lichten-feld, who is very active in helping preserving the legacy of the African-American Soldier in World War II combat in Europe.

Later the importance of the contribution of the 969th was pointed out by the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division for its efforts in combat.

“As 3rd Army widened its hold on the area to the south of the Bulge and as the siege of Bastogne was broken, Maj. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor wrote to the commander of the 969th Battalion:

“The officers and men of the 101st wish to express to your command their appreciation of the gallant support rendered by the 969th FAB in the recent defense of Bastogne, Belgium. The success of this defense is attributable to the shoulder-to-shoulder cooperation of all units involved. This division is proud to have shared the battlefield with your command.”

“There were nine black field artillery battalions, a few anti-aircraft battalions and six tank and tank destroyer battalions,” Laurie Hansen wrote in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

There were some African-American riflemen about this time, but that was due to shortages of infantry rifle replacements the European theater had been experiencing since July 1944.

This shortfall accelerated after the Battle of the Bulge, and “the only untapped source of manpower and readily available was African-American service units then serving in European Theater of Operations,” Army historians said.

Five thousand responded to the call, but the number was kept at 2,500 since the Army feared their exodus would disrupt service duties. On the whole, their record in combat was excellent.

African-American units that captured the attention of the public included the Tuskegee Airmen and some know of the 761st Tank Battalion and the Red Ball Express.

However, the majority of the black GI’s in World War II, 260,000 in the European Theatre of Operations, were not forgotten to history, they were simply never acknowledged, Lichtenfeld said.

They are the ‘invisible’ Soldiers of World War II. They include 11 young artillerymen of the 333rd FAB who were murdered by the SS, after surrendering, during the Battle of the Bulge.

Lichtenfeld and three Belgian citizens have embarked on a task of creating a fitting memorial to these men and additionally to honor all black GI’s of World War II. It was dedicated in May 2004.

Before, there weren’t maps or signs on roadways near Wereth, Belgium, to commemorate the massacre site. There are now road signs indicating the location of the memorial, and the Belgium Tourist Bureau lists it in the 60th Anniversary Battle of the Bulge brochures.

Licthenfeld, a medical doctor in Mobile, Ala., is the son of an American Soldier who was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	February 17, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Blacks fight for World War II combat chance Paul Efaw Special to The Monitor African Americans had to fight prejudice and racism on the home front for the opportunity to get into combat during World War II, but once there they did quite well and shattered many racial stereotypes in the process. Civil rights activists (in the early 40s) were determined to eliminate the segregationist practices of the 1917 mobilization and to win a fair representation for Negroes in the Army. The traditionalists of the Army staff, on the other hand, were determined to resist any radical change in policy, Army historians said. The opportunity to defend America came about grudgingly late in the war and then was due to a shortage of manpower, and it occurred during one of the cruelest winters (1944-45) to hit Europe in decades. One of the first outfits was the 969th Field Artillery Battalion, a segregated, all-black unit that had been fighting since Normandy. During Bastogne, the 969th, one of the heavy (155mm) artillery units, was joined by a few howitzers and survivors of the segregated 333rd FAB. They entered the defense of Bastogne by chance. It had been assigned to support the 28th Division and had been ordered to move west. When the enemy broke into the open, the battalion was already moving out of the Bastogne sector, one Army writer said. Dec. 21, under heavy fire, it moved a half mile west of Bastogne where it manned the guns another unit had abandoned. A decisive factor in the defense of Bastogne rested in the artillery support of the surrounded town,” according to Norman S. Lichten-feld, who is very active in helping preserving the legacy of the African-American Soldier in World War II combat in Europe. Later the importance of the contribution of the 969th was pointed out by the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division for its efforts in combat. “As 3rd Army widened its hold on the area to the south of the Bulge and as the siege of Bastogne was broken, Maj. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor wrote to the commander of the 969th Battalion: “The officers and men of the 101st wish to express to your command their appreciation of the gallant support rendered by the 969th FAB in the recent defense of Bastogne, Belgium. The success of this defense is attributable to the shoulder-to-shoulder cooperation of all units involved. This division is proud to have shared the battlefield with your command.” “There were nine black field artillery battalions, a few anti-aircraft battalions and six tank and tank destroyer battalions,” Laurie Hansen wrote in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. There were some African-American riflemen about this time, but that was due to shortages of infantry rifle replacements the European theater had been experiencing since July 1944. This shortfall accelerated after the Battle of the Bulge, and “the only untapped source of manpower and readily available was African-American service units then serving in European Theater of Operations,” Army historians said. Five thousand responded to the call, but the number was kept at 2,500 since the Army feared their exodus would disrupt service duties. On the whole, their record in combat was excellent. African-American units that captured the attention of the public included the Tuskegee Airmen and some know of the 761st Tank Battalion and the Red Ball Express. However, the majority of the black GI’s in World War II, 260,000 in the European Theatre of Operations, were not forgotten to history, they were simply never acknowledged, Lichtenfeld said. They are the ‘invisible’ Soldiers of World War II. They include 11 young artillerymen of the 333rd FAB who were murdered by the SS, after surrendering, during the Battle of the Bulge. Lichtenfeld and three Belgian citizens have embarked on a task of creating a fitting memorial to these men and additionally to honor all black GI’s of World War II. It was dedicated in May 2004. Before, there weren’t maps or signs on roadways near Wereth, Belgium, to commemorate the massacre site. There are now road signs indicating the location of the memorial, and the Belgium Tourist Bureau lists it in the 60th Anniversary Battle of the Bulge brochures. Licthenfeld, a medical doctor in Mobile, Ala., is the son of an American Soldier who was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.