Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761St Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes [Hardcover]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Author), Anthony Walton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

A powerful wartime saga in the bestselling tradition of Flags of Our Fathers, BROTHERS IN ARMS recounts the extraordinary story of the 761st “Black Panthers,” the first all-black armored unit to see combat in World War II.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar first learned about the battalion from family friend Leonard “Smitty” Smith, a veteran of the battalion. Working with acclaimed writer Anthony Walton, Abdul-Jabbar interviewed the surviving members of the battalion and their descendants to weave together a page-turning narrative based on their memories and stories, from basic training through the horrors on the battlefield to their postwar experiences in a racially divided America.

Trained essentially as a public relations gesture to maintain the support of the black community for the war, the battalion was never intended to see battle. In fact, General Patton originally opposed their deployment, claiming African Americans couldn’t think quickly enough to operate tanks in combat conditions. But the Allies were so desperate for trained tank personnel in the summer of 1944, following heavy casualties in the fields of France, that the battalion was called up.

While most combat troops fought on the front for a week or two before being rotated back, the men of the 761st served for more than six months, fighting heroically under Patton’s Third Army at the Battle of the Bulge and in the Allies’ final drive across France and Germany. Despite a casualty rate that approached 50 percent and an extreme shortage of personnel and equipment, the 761st would ultimately help liberate some thirty towns and villages, as well as the Gunskirchen Lager concentration camp.

The racism that shadowed them during the war and the prejudice they faced upon their return home is an indelible part of their story. What shines through most of all, however, are the lasting bonds that united them as soldiers and brothers, the bravery they exhibited on the battlefield, and the quiet dignity and patriotism that defined their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The six-time NBA most valuable player teams up with Mississippi author Walton, who coauthored Al Sharpton's Go and Tell Pharaoh. Their chronicle of Patton's Third Army stalwarts takes in the all-black tank battalion's 183 days on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge, with casualty rates of almost 50%, an almost impossible supply situation, sometimes inept leadership and chronic racism that inflected nearly every move they made. The third-person narrative reflects the intimacy Jabbar has with Leonard "Smitty" Smith, the loader on a 761st tank crew, with episodes and anecdotes that feel immediate and a wealth of visual and tactical detail about what it was like to work, and often live, on the inside of a tank. The authors widen the scope repeatedly to give a nuanced account of the 676 enlisted men and 36 officers of the battalion and its place in the Third Army. While it will leave aficionados satisfied, this is military history that will prove compelling to anyone with an interest in black men's experience during the 20th century. The group's liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp is covered in a few pages, but its heroism is on display throughout.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Former NBA superstar and best-selling author, Abdul-Jabbar, and Walton, author of the memoir Mississippi, have joined forces to chronicle the engaging, rarely-told story of how the Army’s first black armored unit fought valiantly overseas during World War II. In succinct detail, the authors describe how these courageous men cut a swath across Europe and helped liberate more than two dozen towns and the Mauthausen concentration camp in Germany. Despite facing discrimination from their commanding officers and white counterparts, the “Black Panthers” became one of the most highly decorated units to fight in the war. One complaint of slow-going reading should hardly mar this inspiring and insightful history of struggle, segregation, and heroism.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; First Edition edition (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385503385
• ISBN-13: 978-0385503389
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, May 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761St Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes (Hardcover)

I am a former Armor officer and was eagerly awaiting this book. The author has written a well balanced account of life as a black tanker during World War II. He goes into detail showing the differences in their training compared to white soldiers and the racism they encountered. For all the humiliation they suffered in the USA, they didn't let it get them down and soldiered on when called to fight. The battle accounts are detailed and the focus is in the soldiers and not the equipment. The only "flaw" in the book is it does not have any maps. It was kind of hard following the route of the 761st as they fought through Europe. Some of the towns I have heard of and others I didnt have a clue. Maps would have helped. But overall this book is an easy read and easy to understand and a well written account of the 761st Tank Battalion.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brothers in Arms, Aptly Subtitled "Forgotten Heroes" - African-American Tankers Honored in Prose, February 28, 2006

By 

Mannie Liscum (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761St Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes (Hardcover)

Despite being quite intrigued by the story of the 761st Tank Battalion this reviewer was initially quite leery about picking up this book, for the same reasons articulated by Lt. Col. Mark Reardon in his review of Brothers in Arms - why would we expect a historical work developed by a former pro-basketball player to be of particular value beyond a novelty? However, Reardon gave Brothers in Arms a quite positive review and thus this reviewer decided the time commitment to read it was justified. Having said all that this reviewer found Brothers in Arms a compelling, easy and informative read.

It is worth mentioning that Abdul-Jabbar's tale of the 761st is not the first or only documentation of this storied battalion; previously published accounts include T.W. Anderson's "Come Out Fighting" (1979) and J. Wilson Jr.'s "The 761st 'Black Panther' Tank Battalion in World War II (1999). Yet, Abdul-Jabbar's account is a well-written and engaging story, targeted to a wide audience. The prose set forth by Abdul-Jabbar starts with a brief description of why the author chose to take on such and project and why the reader should be engaged and interested. Abdul-Jabbar then introduces the three gentlemen who anchor the story of the 761st as he tells it, the pre-war lives of these men and what led them to volunteer for the Tank Corps. Within this section of the book and the next section dealing with the training of the 761st, Abdul-Jabbar provides considerable insight into the racial discrimination that these American heroes suffered in 1940's American culture, including the US Army - which at the time was still a quite segregrated institution, as was American culture in general. These discussion points (which are also brought out in subsequent sections of the book) are the real selling points for this book - ALL Americans should read this book for this contrast in sacrifice of the men of the 761st to the respect and honor they received for their sacrifices.

The major portion of the prose is dedicated to discussion of the combat situations in which the 761st found themselves. The 761st was one of several independent Tank Battalions that was not permanently assigned to any Division, but rather attached to various units, Armored or Infantry, as needed. Thus the 761st functioned to large extent as a 'fire brigade' to deal with recalcitrant combat zones or details. While no clear evidence exists to suggest that this was an overt discriminatory act of the US Army to sacrifice African-American versus white troops is difficult situations, Abdul-Jabbar makes a compelling case that this could have in fact been true. The combat history of the 761st is indeed impressive both for its scope of action and depth of nearly impossible situations into which they were placed by rear command decisions. Despite the adversities facing them the men of the 761st were generally successful in their assigned tasks.

The last section of the book deals with what happened to the men of the 761st from V-E day onwards. While these stories are themselves fascinating, it is the injustice and prejudice these American heroes suffered after the combat was over that really capture the readers attention. In fact, it took decades for African-American soldiers who carried arms in the Second World War to be recognized for their acts of heroism. Abdul-Jabbar does a fair honest tribute to these men in his writings.

So how well done is the military history in Brothers in Arms? OK but not perfect; some errors are simply too silly to believe. Two examples illustrate this perfectly: First, in multiple places Abdul-Jabbar refers to the Tactical Air Command as the Air Tactical Command. Second, on p. 240 the following statement is made: "Hitler's propaganda minister, Hermann Goering, had a castle on a high bluff just beyond Neuhaus." Goering did in fact own a castle at Neuhaus [Burg Veldenstein, now a hotel] that was given to him by the widow of previous owner, Dr. Hermann Von Epenstein, Joseph Goebbles, not Goering, was propaganda.

Problems aside, Brothers in Arms represents a fun, entertaining and educational read, not perfect in historical content but sound enough to merit a look by serious and casual history buffs. 4 stars.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite there on either goal!, July 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761St Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes (Hardcover)

After finishing this book I found myself a bit disappointed. It seemed that the authors were trying to accomplish two goals; to chronicle the battle history of a distinguished unit in WWII and to tell the tale of the personal struggles of the men who made up the unit and fought for their country despite the racism and bigotry of the times. Unfortunately the book fell short on both goals.
As has been previously mentioned; how can you tell a tale of war and heroism without a single map or diagram? Details descriptions of tactical situations are fine, but a picture, (diagram, map) is worth a thousand words. And the same is true to recount the strategic situation as well!
As for the other goal, I got the feeling that at least half the story was missing. I want to hear what happened as these brave and honorable men returned to "Normal" life in their own country and had to fight for respect and acceptance all over again. But that story simply isn't here.
It is still a great story, and a book that should be read, especially by young men looking for guidance and role models. (White as well as black!) but I just get the feeling that it could have been much more.....