From Publishers Weekly
The 555th Test Platoon, later the 555th Battalion, of the 82nd Airborne Division was the first black paratroop unit, and Biggs was its first officer. The unit trained in the South and faced the problems of segregation in that region 40 years ago. Their segregation within the armed forces proved to be something of an advantage, however, states Biggs, for they could not be transferred into other units and thus worked closely together, becoming a tight-knit and highly efficient team. Their major wartime task was combating the balloon bombs sent over California and the Northwest by the Japanese, an aspect of the battle for the Pacific not widely publicized at the time. Biggs provides a lively history of these intrepid pioneers.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
The 555th Parachute Infantry grew from an experimental platoon in late 1943 to a well-trained battalion by spring 1945. Brought to combat readiness, the black unit was ordered to fight forest fires in the American Northwest rather than German or Japanese soldiers. After World War II, as a part of Army integration, the black 555th was incorporated into Gavin's 82nd Airborne division. Biggs was a former officer in the 555th. His book is part highly personal memoir, part unit history. Appropriate for public libraries with black history collections or others with specialized military history collections. Joseph G. Dawson, History Dept., Texas A&M Univ., College Station
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
