WWII EC: Diversity of the US Armed Services - African Americans

Diversity in the US Armed Forces - African Americans 
America the Story of Us: Overview of African Americans in the Military

Extra Credit: Diversity of the US Armed Services -  Write a minimum 1 page summary about what you learned from any or all of the following videos/sites relating to African Americans in WWII, and remember to relate it to what was discussed in class.

African Americans in the Armed Services
Click on the following link to read more about African Americans in the Armed Services during WWII. http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/aframerwar/index.html

"African Americans in World War II - A Legacy of Patriotism and Valor"

African-Americans: The 333rd Field Artillery Battalion 
African-Americans: The 333rd Field Artillery Battalion was an African American unit of the then racially segregated United States Army during WWII. The battalion landed at Normandy on "D-Day" at the beginning of July 1944 and saw continuous combat as corps artillery throughout the summer. 

 

ADD A Distant Shore - African Americans of D-Day 

African Americans: The Tuskegee Airmen - "On Freedom's Wings" 

Historical Footage of Tuskegee Airmen

Hollywood Portrayls of Airmen - Red Tails and Tuskegee Airmen

 

Extra Credit - Red Tails Hollywood Film: The Americans who would become known as the Tuskegee

Airmen wanted to fight for freedom as pilots during World War II. What made them different from the thousands of others with the same patriotic zeal was that they were black at a time when the U.S. military had no black pilots or air support crews. In the 1940s, the ignorance of segregation and prejudice was a sad part of American culture. This meant the U.S. military wouldn’t give black men a chance to train as pilots, but as the country geared up for war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was pressured to change that. He ordered the Army Air Corps to set up a pilot training program in Tuskegee, Alabama. The program was not expected to be successful, but the young black soldiers who worked so hard to become America’s first black military pilots proved everyone wrong.

Film Summary: The 332nd Fighter Group, an all-black World War II unit made up of the best escort pilots and known as the Red Tails, fights racism at home while fighting the Nazis abroad in this action-packed drama based on the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen. The movie also looks a little bit at the men, as individuals. We get to know some of their strengths, weakness, dreams. One doesn't follow directions, and is highly aggressive fighter. One is captured by the Germans. One drinks whiskey. A couple die, due to combat injuries. One is badly injured, and sent home. The pilots finally get a more responsible assignment, do well, and then are given more responsible assignments. The end of the movie is the unit getting recognition for a job well done. For extra credit, write a minimum 1 page summary about what you learned, relating it to what was discussed in class. 

Link to Red Tails Full Length Film -  https://drive.google.com/a/cjuhsd.net/file/d/0B4DIf42GYg0IZUZ6Tl9HRUpaVW8/view?usp=sharing

Extra Credit: The Real Red Tails - To learn more about the real "Red Tail" Tuskegee Airmen, click on the following link. For extra credit, write a minimum 1 page summary about what you learned, relating it to what was discussed in class. Link -  http://www.redtail.org/the-airmen-a-brief-history/

African Americans in the Italian Campaign - 92nd Infantry Division

The men of the 3rd Battalion, 370th Regiment Combat Team, 92nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Fifth Army were African Americans in a segregated army who were warring not only against the power of the Nazi war machine, but also against racism and the widely held belief that they were mentally inferior, incapable, and not up to the task.

1st Lieutenant Vernon J Baker, 92nd Infantry Division - He was the only African American alive still in 1998 to receive his medal of honor… (R.I.P now Lt. Baker!!)

Miracle At Saint Anna Movie Trailer and Clips (92nd Infantry Division)

 

Extra Credit: Forgotten Massacre: The Story of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion and the Wereth 11. Overview: On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched their last great offensive against the Western Allies through the Ardennes Forest of eastern Belgium. It would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. Three German Armies attacked a long a 50-mile front. American troops manning the line were thrown into confusion. Even the high command was stunned. Stabilizing the line was first priority and many of the units available were African American. One of them was the 333^rd Field Artillery Battalion. From the battle emerged a multitude of heroes and villains. The brutality rivaled that of the Eastern Front. On the afternoon of December 17, 1944, over 80 GIs who had been taken prisoner were gunned down by men of the 1^st SS Panzer Division. Some escaped to spread the story, which led to a steely resolve on the part of American troops. But later that night another massacre occurred that received little attention during or after the war...(click link to continue reading). Click on the link and write a 1 page summary about what you learned, relating it to what was discussed in class. Link - http://hubpages.com/education/Forgotten-Massacre

 

African Americans and the "Double V" Campaign 

The "Double V Campaign" was a WWII-era effort of African Americans - especially soldiers fighting in WWII - to gain “a Victory over racism at home as well as Victory abroad” against the Axis powers. In a 1942 letter to the Pittsburgh Courier, James G. Thompson called for this so-called "Double V Campaign" to achieve both the victories over the Axis powers in World War II and over racial prejudice in the United States.

To learn more about the Double V Campaign, click on the following link. 

http://hennessyhistory.wikispaces.com/Double+Victory+Campaign-1

ADD video about missing AA unit