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If we\u2019re going to talk about African-American history in warfare, we already know about the Redtails, US Army Air Force’s corps of Black combat pilots. There were also African-American combat units driving tanks across Europe and scaring the pants off the German army.<\/p>\n
The articles posted here for your perusal are about two tank battalions of crews who literally had to improvise at times, just to keep their machinery going. There is a history behind this related to another segregated unit, the Harlem Hellfighters, from World War I. (See below)<\/p>\n
The 761st<\/sup> Tank Battalion was known as the Black Panthers Tank Battalion. They broke the Siegfried Line and crossed the Rhine in 1945. If you read the article at the link below, you’ll realize that they scared the bejeezus out of the Germans.<\/p>\n One surrendering German officer asked, \u201chow many Negro Panzer divisions\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>there?\u201d – article<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/war\/articles\/black-panthers-germany-1945<\/a><\/p>\n They were also a large part of the firing line at the Battle of the Bulge.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/war\/articles\/black-panthers-761st-tank-battalion-battle-of-the-bulge<\/a><\/p>\n Many of the officers and men of the African American 761st Tank Battalion saw military service as an opportunity to maintain proud traditions from the past.<\/p>\n During World War I, the 369th Regiment of the 93rd Infantry Division, also a segregated unit, had fought with great distinction on the battlefields of France under the moniker \u201cThe Harlem Rattlers,\u201d and later became known as \u201cThe Harlem Hellfighters.\u201d<\/p>\n Photo of Harlem Hellfighters: National Archives<\/p>\n The 369th\u2019s service had been mostly overlooked by the all-white Army hierarchy\u2014just as the 761st Tank Battalion\u2019s exploits would be. But the men who served in both units were proud: they knew what they had accomplished, and would never permit anyone to question their determination or bravery. – article<\/p>\n * * * *<\/p>\n And here\u2019s another battalion, the 614th<\/sup> Tank Destroyer Battalion, which fought at Climbach. The unit was awarded many medals including the Silver Star, and the company commander was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/war\/articles\/614th-tank-destroyer-battalion-climbach-1944<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-07\/761c3%20-%20Edward%20Lengel.jpg\")
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