The 758th Tank Battalion in World War II: The U.S. Army's First All African American Tank Unit - Softcover

Wilson Jr., Joe

 
9781476669991: The 758th Tank Battalion in World War II: The U.S. Army's First All African American Tank Unit
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1476669996 ISBN 13: 9781476669991
Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2018

Synopsis

In 1941, the U.S. Army activated the 758th Tank Battalion, the first all-black armored unit. By December 1944 they were fighting the Axis in Northern Italy, from the Ligurian Sea through the Po Valley and into the Apennine Mountains, where they helped breach the Gothic Line--the Germans' last major defensive line of the Italian Campaign.

After the war the 758th was deactivated but was reformed as the 64th Tank Battalion, keeping their distinguished insignia, a tusked elephant head over the motto "We Pierce." They entered the Korean War still segregated but returned fully integrated (though discrimination continued internally). Through the years, they fought with almost every American tank--the Stuart, the Sherman, the Pershing, the Patton and today's Abrams.

Victorious over two fascist (and racist) regimes, many black servicemen returned home to what they hoped would be a more tolerant nation. Most were bitterly disappointed--segregation was still the law of the land. For many, disappointment became a determination to fight discrimination with the same resolve that had defeated the Axis.

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About the Author

The son of a tanker in the 758th and 761st, Joe Wilson, Jr., is a systems accountant in Washington, D.C. He has also written for World War II magazine.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
McFarland & Company
Publication date
2018
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1476669996
ISBN 13 
9781476669991
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
214