![]() ![]() Roosevelt’s administration to allow black soldiers to serve on an equal footing with white soldiers. 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. He believed his nation could ill afford to exclude such a potentially important source of manpower. Army ground forces, was the main reason African Americans were allowed to serve in armored units. Their valiant efforts were recognized by the French government, who awarded the coveted Croix de Guerre to three of the four regiments and to a company of the fourth, as well as to the 1st Battalion, 367th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division. ![]() These commanders overlooked the fact that during World War I, four regiments of the 93rd Division had served with the French. The armed forces embraced these beliefs even though African Americans had fought with courage and distinction in the Revolutionary War and every other war ever waged by the United States. ![]() Patton Jr., in a letter to his wife, wrote that “a colored soldier cannot think fast enough to fight in armor.” Miles, commander of the 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, voiced a similar opinion: “In a future war, the main use of the Negro should be in labor organizations.” General George S. Moss, commander of the 367th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division, stated, “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.” Colonel Perry L. Referring to his World War I experiences, Colonel James A. Many military men and politicians believed that blacks did not have the brains, quickness or moral stamina to fight in a war. The 761st “Black Panther” Tank Battalion was the first African American armored unit to see combat.īefore and during mobilization for World War II, officials in Washington, D.C., debated whether or not African American soldiers should be used in armored units. How Patton's All-Black Tank Battalion Took the Fight to the Nazis Close ![]()
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