During the War
The Army
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African Americans have fought in every war in the US Army’s history, often with distinction. But at the start of World War II, the Army regarded black soldiers was deep distrust. Partially to blame was the Army's WWI experience with the African American 92nd Infantry Division, which (poorly trained and reluctantly led by white officers) had performed poorly in combat. Though other black divisions did well at the same time, the Army used the 92nd as justification to bar black soldiers from future combat roles.
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Vernon Baker describes the action for which he was ultimately awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997 From the Collection of The National WWII Museum.
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In the post–World War I report The Employment of Negro Man Power in War, the Army recommends barring African Americans from combat roles. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY.
In the post–World War I report The Employment of Negro Man Power in War, the Army recommends barring African Americans from combat roles. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, NY. -
Thousands of African American Army officers were commissioned during the war, including these newly-minted second lieutenants at Fort Benning, Georgia, in May 1942. National Archives, 111-SC-137679. -
Dr. Rothacker Smith describes his work as a combat medic in the 92nd combat, being wounded and captured in December 1944, and his time as a Prisoner of War. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum.
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The critical need for manpower forced a gradual relaxation of the Army's exclusionary policy, andseveral black combat units were active during the war, including the 92nd and 93rd divisions. Still, the overwhelming majority of the 900,000 African Americans that served in the Army during the war were limited to logistical jobs.
Red Ball Patch and Driver Specialty Badge
The shoulder insignia of the Transportation Corps featured a red ball, a railroad term for an express train. It recognized the efforts of the mostly black truck companies that kept the US Army moving across France in fall 1944. The National WWII Museum, 2015.076.002
Red Ball Patch and Driver Specialty Badge
The shoulder insignia of the Transportation Corps featured a red ball, a railroad term for an express train. It recognized the efforts of the mostly black truck companies that kept the US Army moving across France in fall 1944. The National WWII Museum, 2015.076.002
Red Ball Driver Specialty Badge
This proficiency badge was a military honor awarded to Red Ball Express drivers. For most recipients, it was the only military honor they would receive. The National WWII Museum, 2015.076.003
Red Ball Driver Specialty Badge
This proficiency badge was a military honor awarded to Red Ball Express drivers. For most recipients, it was the only military honor they would receive. The National WWII Museum, 2015.076.003
Theodolite
This precision instrument for measuring angles was used in surveying and laying out roadways. African American engineering battalions used theodolites in building the Alcan Highway and Ledo Road, two of the most difficult construction projects of the war. The National WWII Museum, 2015.076.005
Theodolite
This precision instrument for measuring angles was used in surveying and laying out roadways. African American engineering battalions used theodolites in building the Alcan Highway and Ledo Road, two of the most difficult construction projects of the war. The National WWII Museum, 2015.076.005 -
Red Ball Express drivers, like these men from the 666th Quartermaster Truck Company, drove more than 20,000 miles while supporting the advance of US forces across France. National Archives, 208-AA-32P-3. -
Members of the 97th Engineer Battalion construct the Alcan Highway, a 1,387 mile-long road connecting Alaska to the northwest United States. They completed the road in seven months. Library of Congress, LC-USW33-000938-ZC. -
Members of the Women’s Army Corps’s 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in England helped streamline the mail system in Europe, greatly improving soldiers’ morale. National Archives, 111-SC-200791.
An African American mortar crew in the 92nd Infantry Division fights near Massa, Italy, in November 1944. National Archives, 208-AA-47U-6. -
Before serving in combat with the 86 Division, white officer William Winter trained African American soldiers at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He described their treatment in the Army and noted that segregation was just as bad in the Army as it was in his native Mississippi. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum.
