761st Tank Battalion (United States): Difference between revisions

761st Tank Battalion
761st Tank Battalion
Active	1942 – 46 (segregated unit) ; 1947 – 55 (integrated unit)
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Type	Separate tank battalion
Nickname(s)	Black Panthers
Motto(s)	Come Out Fighting
Engagements	World War II Moyenvic; Vic-sur-Seille; Morville; Battle of the Bulge;
Decorations	Presidential Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Lt. Col. Paul L. Bates

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Revision as of 15:26, 30 October 2013

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 Army 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”.

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Deployment

General Ben Lear, Commander of the U.S. Second Army, rated the unit "superior" after a special review and deemed the unit "combat ready". After a brief deployment to England, the 761st landed in France via Omaha Beach on 10 October 1944. The unit arrived (with six white officers, thirty black officers, and 676 black enlisted men) and was assigned to General George Patton's US Third Army at his request, attached to the 26th Infantry Division.

After World War II

Returning soldiers of African-American units (the 761st had been the first of many segregated combat units, including the 92nd Infantry Division and the famous Tuskegee Airmen) often did not receive a warm welcome home as most white units did. Their unequal treatment was a source of much disappointment and discouragement. However, the distinguished service of many black combat units helped convince the government, now under President Harry S. Truman, to finally desegregate the US Armed Forces soon after the war ended.

On 24 November 1947, the 761st was reactivated (as an integrated unit) at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and assigned to the Regular Army, where it served until again deactivated on 15 March 1955.

Permanent monument

A monument dedicated to the 761st Tank Battalion was unveiled at Fort Hood, Texas during a ceremony attended by surviving veterans on 10 November 2005, as a permanent tribute to soldiers who have served and continue to serve throughout the world for liberty, honor and democracy. The monument features four black granite tablets surrounding a life-size marble sculpture of a 761st Tank Battalion fighter kneeling atop a black granite pedestal engraved with a tank on the front and a panther on the back.

The monument is located on 761st Tank Battalion Drive.

Awards

CAMPAIGN STREAMERS: Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.
Silver Star: 11
Bronze Star: 69

Countries: France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria.

Attachments

Third Army:
- 4th Armored Division (United States)
- 1st, 26th, 71st and 87th Infantry Divisions
- 17th Airborne Division (United States)
- 17th Armored Group
Seventh Army:
- 1st and 103rd Infantry Divisions
Ninth Army:
- 79th and 95th Infantry Divisions
- XVI Corps

Commanding Officers
(1 April 1942 – 1 June 1946)
Lt Col Edward E. Cruise	1 April 1942 – 21 November 1942
Maj John R. Wright, Jr.	22 November 1942 – 3 July 1943
Lt Col Paul L. Bates	4 July 1943 – 8 November 1944
Lt Col Hollis E. Hunt	9 November 1944 – 23 February 1945
Lt Col Paul L. Bates	24 February 1945 – 1 June 1946

Dramatizations ad portrayals

In 1992, a documentary titled Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II was produced. The documentary depicted the battalion's liberation of concentration camps during 1945, but was criticized for misidentifying the precise units and camps involved.^[1] ^{[citation needed]}

Notes

^ Treaster, Joseph B. (12 February 1993). "Film Halted On Blacks Freeing Jews". The New York Times.

References

Sasser, Charles W. (2004). Patton's Panthers : The African-American 761st Tank Battalion In World War II. New York: Pocket Books.
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; Walton, Anthony (2004). Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761St Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes. New York: Broadway.
Anderson, Trezzvant W. (1945). Come Out Fighting: The Epic Tale of the 761st Tank Battalion. Salzburg, Austria: Salzburger Druckerei.
Wilson, Jr., Joseph E. (1998). Black Panthers Go To Combat in World War II. New York: World War II Magazine.
Lee, Ulysses (1966). The Employment of Negro Troops. Washington D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 11-4.
Weigley, Russell (1981). Eisenhower's Lieutenants: The Campaign of France and Germany, 1944–1945. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

External links

[1] Treaster, Joseph B. (12 February 1993). "Film Halted On Blacks Freeing Jews". The New York Times.

[1]

@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 |}
-==Dramatizations and portrayals==
+==Dramatizations ad portrayals==
 In 1992, a documentary titled ''[[Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II]]'' was produced. The documentary depicted the battalion's liberation of [[concentration camps]] during 1945, but was criticized for misidentifying the precise units and camps involved.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE4DD1238F931A25751C0A965958260 | work=The New York Times | title=Film Halted On Blacks Freeing Jews | first=Joseph B. | last=Treaster | date=12 February 1993}}</ref> {{Reference necessary|text=There was speculation{{Who|date=April 2011}} that the movie was intended to reduce [[Crown Heights Riot|tensions between the Jewish and African-American communities]].|date=April 2011}}
-Most recently, Steven A. White executive produced an independent, feature length, high definition documentary on the 761st Tank Battalion. The film, entitled ''761st'' is written, produced, and directed by [[Pete Chatmon]] and produced by 761st Tank Battalion unit historian, Wayne Robinson. It features interviews with eleven combat veterans of the 761st and is narrated by Andre Braugher.<ref>www.761st-movie.com.</ref>
-Several of the later episodes of [[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]] series ''[[Patton 360]]'' featured 761st veteran William McBurney who related his experiences with the battalion in the Lorraine Campaign, the Battle of the Bulge, and in the ultimate conquest of the German homeland.
-A 1993 episode of ''[[Law & Order]]'' titled "Profile" featured a 72 year-old assault victim played by [[Joe Seneca]] who credited his experiences with the 761st for saving his life.
-In an episode of ''[[The Cosby Show]]'', Cliff Huxtable and some male friends are discussing their military experiences and one of them describes in detail his World War II exploits as a member of the 761st Tank Battalion.
-Actor [[Morgan Freeman]] and [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] are co-producing a new movie about the 761st, based on Jabbar’s and co-writer Anthony Walton's 2004 book, ''Brothers in Arms''. On 15 December 2006, Freeman discussed the film and working with [[Will Smith]], and possibly [[Denzel Washington]], on it in the near future.<ref>''[[Studio 360]]'' interview by [[Kurt Andersen]] from the [http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2006/12/15 the 2006/12/15 episode].</ref>
-In the science-fiction novel, ''The Light of Men'' (2008) by Andrew Salmon, the 761st liberate the fictional concentration camp of ''Gutundbose'' in which the story is set.
-In the 1981 police mystery ''[[Chiefs (TV miniseries)|Chiefs]]'', written by [[Stuart Woods]], and the [[CBS]] mini-series of the same name, the 761st is mentioned as the unit of the ill-fated black mechanic [[Marshall Parker]], killed after being arrested on false pretenses by Sonny Butts and Charley Ward, beaten and shot. Later, it is revealed as having been the unit of the new black police chief of Delano, GA, Tucker Watts, who was once, much earlier, known as [[Willie Cole]], whose father had murdered Delano's first chief of police, Will Henry Lee.
 ==See also==