The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II [Paperback]

Daniel K. Gibran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001 | ISBN-10: 0786410094 | ISBN-13: 978-0786410095

This work focuses on the all black 92nd Infantry Division in the Italian Campaign in World War II and the poor combat performance of the division in Italy. An introduction provides an overall view of the Italian Campaign and the role of the 92nd Infantry Division. The author then examines the reasons for the division's troubles on and off the battlefield, such as the low morale among the soldiers because of racial segregation, the limited facilities provided for them, and their lack of trust in their leadership. All of these issues are explored at length. Information on the early life and military training and experience of General Ned Almond is provided, along with the stories of Vernon Baker and John Fox, who emerged as leaders but endured a long struggle for recognition. The author concludes this work on a personal note by telling of his involvement as principal investigator of Acting Secretary of the Army John Shannon's study of why no African American received the Medal of Honor in World War II (a situation that was rectified in the late 1990s: See Elliott V. Converse, Daniel K. Gibran et al., The Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II, McFarland 1997, $29.95).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

University professor and department head Daniel K. Gibran lives in Pegram, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786410094
• ISBN-13: 978-0786410095
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,850,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One Good Chapter, One Poor Book!, September 21, 2002

By 

Gary D. Remy (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II (Paperback)

The book is overpriced, and poorly written. There are some well done histories on the 92nd in print, this is not one of them. Half the book is written about three individuals, Fox, Baker, and Almond, the other half contains fragmented historical accounts of the units engaged in the Italian Campaign. As a poor aside he actually list the books in one paragraph that contain a more detailed history, but I ask; What is this book suppose to be about? I thought I was buying a history of a Black Fighting Division, instead I get autobiographical information on three people, only one of which-General Ed Almond I hadn't seen before. And no where in the book do I find any reference to the Divisions performance during the Serchio Valley attacks in December of 1944. As I stated in the title to this review. One good chapter does not a book make. Save your money folks, this book should be retailing for $ in the close out section of your local bookstore soon!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing..., July 19, 2006

By 

Alexander Bielakowski (Leavenworth, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II (Paperback)

The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II examines this U.S. Army division's combat participation and tries to explain its poor combat performance. As the only division composed primarily of African-Americans to take part in major combat operations, the 92nd Infantry Division became a symbol of all that was wrong with the segregated U.S. Army of World War II. The author, Daniel K. Gibran, a professor of history at Tennessee State University, believes that the most significant faults of the segregated Army were poor leadership and a lack of empathy toward African-American soldiers by white officers, beginning with the division commander and running down to the youngest platoon leader.

Gibran divides this slim volume into eight chapters. In Chapter 1, he discusses the activation and training of the division, segregation and turbulence within the division, and the early life, military training, and experience of the division's commander, Major General Edward M. `Ned' Almond. In Chapter 2, Gibran describes the 92nd Infantry Division's deployment to combat operations in Italy between September 1944 and March 1945. In Chapter 3, he explains the final offensive of the 92nd Infantry Division in Spring 1945. In Chapters 4 and 5, Gibran details, respectively, the lives and heroic actions of Medal of Honor winners Vernon J. Baker and John R. Fox. In Chapter 6, the author describes the process by which African-American soldiers were finally considered for Medals of Honor that they had been wrongly denied during World War II. In Chapter 7, Gibran summarizes and concludes his discussion of the 92nd Infantry Division's participation in the war. Lastly, in Chapter 8, the author closes on a personal note by discussing his work as the principal investigator of Acting Secretary of the Army John Shannon's study regarding why no African-Americans received the Medal of Honor during World War II.

Gibran has produced an interesting, well written, and well researched volume which will probably find an audience among the reading public. That having been said, I must admit that I do not see how this book contributes to existing historiography. Gibran himself admits that he was not attempting to produce a definitive history of the 92nd Infantry Division. Neither is the book a true biographical study of MG `Ned' Almond, Vernon J. Baker, or John R. Fox - works which would all be interesting to examine. Moreover, the author has already produced a book that deals exclusively with the issue of African-Americans and the Medal of Honor during World War II (Gibran, Daniel K., et al. Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers 1997). Those interested in a more thorough treatment of these topics will have to look elsewhere or wait until they are given further coverage in future volumes.

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not valid, September 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II (Paperback)

Is he making his students buy this dribble? The poor guy is constantly billing himself as a International Relations expert, a History Expert, a Terrorism Expert, anything he can do to get his face on TV as an "expert" commentator. He is now writing on African-Americans, yet is from overseas, and now professes to tell us about our history?