Customer Reviews

The 761st Black Panther Tank Battalion in World War II: An Illustrated History of the First African American Armored Unit to See Combat

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here is a book that reads like a screenplay waiting to happen. A book that will make you ask; "Is that the way it really was for some US Army GI's willing to serve and die for thier country?" Read`about the true accounts of the men that fought and died in their segregated tank battallion of the US Army in WWII. Get to know the names of some of the soliders of the 761st and learn about their enemies, tatics, and battle plans for fighting the war against aggression in the Europe and fighting the war against prejudice both in the United States and on the bloody battlefields of WWII. Read about the exploits and heroics of the 761st tank battallion that will both shock you and make you proud of some US Army GI's that stood up to their country and for their country. This book will inspire you to greater goals indeed.

The heroics and heroes described in this book should be made into an inspiring movie for all Americans, in fact, for all human beings, to be proud of.

Author Joe Wilson Jr. whose father fought with the 761st Black Panther Battalion during World War Two, has written a splendid book about America's first African American tank unit to see combat during the war. During the the beginning of the war, black soldiers were serving their country not on the front lines, but in secondary roles as cooks, laundry and logistics crews, and mail handlers. Out of neccessity, African American soldiers were finally given the chance to fight, and although they fought segregated from White troops, they were at least finally given the chance to prove themselves in battle just like their white counterparts. All too often they were stigmatized as being not smart enough or unable to handle the stress of battle. Air units like the Tuskegee Airmen and Armored units like the 761st tank Battalion proved that the African American soldiers and airmen were more than formidable foes for the enemy. The "Black Panthers", fought in many major engagements across Europe, inflicting as many as 130.000 casualties against the German army. They fought with valor, and suffered a 50% casualty rate, as they punched their way to Berlin, with their M4 Sherman Tanks. In 1978, the whole unit finally received long overdue recognition, as they were awarded the presidential Citation, and Sergeant Ruben Rivers received the Medal Of Honor posthumously for valor on the battlefield. This generously illustrated pictorial history not only brings the reader to the front lines of battle, but draws a vivid picture of the stereotypical discrimination that these young men had to endure on the homefront, before they ever had a chance to fire a shot at an enemy who was threatening the entire world. I highly recommend this book to all who wish to relive the history of some brave American Tankers who gave of themselves and asked for nothing in return. I dedicate this review to the late Dorie Miller USN cook, who without training, manned a deck machine gun on a damaged ship, and destroyed two Japanese Zero's during the Day Of Infamy at Pearl Harbor Dec 7th 1941. He was the first African American of the war to be awarded the Navy Cross for valor by Chester W. Nimitz commanding Admiral USN.