: Meet the African American soldiers, sailors and marines of WW2, one of the most incredible wartime fighters and find out what made these sailors exceptional and underrated

Interesting Facts About African Americans In WW2

220 African American Sailors were killed during attack on Pearl Harbor

The first issues of Black newspapers after Pearl Harbor ran the headlines “Mr. President, Count on Us” and “The Black Tenth is Ready.”

Joe Louis promised prize money from his next two fights to the Army and Navy relief funds.

Dr. Charles Drew urged that Americans, “whether black or white, need to get on with the winning of the war,”

African American Soldiers 93rd Infantry Division, Numa - Numa Trail In The Pacific

The participation in the European, Mediterranean, and North African theatre by African Americans during World War II is reasonably well documented. Thanks to the gallant efforts of Tuskegee Airmen, 761st Tank Battalion, and the thousands who served in support roles despite doing this in segregated units. However, over the years more information is coming to light about the contributions of African Americans in WW2.

Serving their country in a time of war did not begin in World War II. African American service can be traced back to the fight for Independence, even though, many of them were enslaved at the inception of the nation. Over 10% of the Continental Navy was African American during the American Revolution — a higher percentage than in the ground services. Even greater numbers of African Americans served aboard state naval vessels and privateers. In 1798 the new nation banned African Americans from military service. Despite the ban African Americans continued to serve in the early years. This same scenario occurred all the way to the American Civil War in 1861. During the Civil War 20% of sailors were African American. Eight would be awarded the nation’s highest honor, the Medal Of Honor. Between their service after the Civil War and World War I enslavement was replaced with a biting segregation in all aspects of American life for African Americans. The groundwork for the future utilization of African Americans was outlined in a 1925 War College report titled “The Use of Negro Manpower in War. This racist-tinged report listed many of the stereotypical stigmas of African Americans at that time. The worst being that African Americans were incapable of leadership and lacked the capacity to learn.

With America’s entry into World War II, the decision was made to focus on the perceived greatest threat; Germany in Europe, first. The majority of resources would go to that end. In the Pacific, the U.S. Navy would need to carry the initial load against the Japanese onslaught that began with the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines. The Navy, like the Army operated on a segregated basis. While the Army had one black general, General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Davis was promoted to Brigadier General on October 25, 1940. General Davis retired after fifty years of service. In addition to General Davis the Army had other officers however, the prevailing rule was that no black officer could command white soldiers, relegating black officers to segregated units. The first three African Americans to enter Naval Academy in the 1870’s was James A Conyers, Henry E Baker Jr, and Alonzo C McClennan. Each faced a debilitating racism that prevented them from graduating. The Coast Guard’s record was even more dubious, its first cadet would not occur in 1962. At the entry into World War II the U.S. Navy did not have a single African American commissioned officer. And their land force the Marines, did not have a single African American within its ranks. In the Navy and Coast Guard African Americans were regulated to the traditional role of cook and steward roles. At that time, the highest rank African Americans could achieve was Petty Officer the highest rank for an enlisted man.

Wartime In The Pacific

In May of 1940 the total strength of the U.S. Navy was 215,000. Of this, 4,000 were African American. African American leaders igorously advocated for more, but the Navy did not budge in its policy. Assigned strictly service roles, this policy would be turned on its head on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. Doris (Dorie) Miller, born October 12, 1919, in Waco, TX enlisted in the Navy in 1939 as a ship’s mess attendant. He rose steadily in rank to ship’s cook, third class.

When the Japanese attacked on December 7, Miller was onboard the battleship USS West Virginia. He had just completed his laundry duties when the alarm sounded. Miller’s battle duty was a gun magazine midship. A torpedo damaged the magazine, so Miller swung into action removing the wounded which included the Captain Mervyn Bennion, who was mortally wounded. In the midst of total confusion and disaster, Miller maned a 50-caliber machine gun and fired until he was out of ammunition. This feat was unusual because at that African Americans were not trained in firing ship’s guns. Their role would be assisting gunners and loading ammunition. The official record is one, but according to Miller and others it was four, maybe even six Japanese planes shot down.

After the Navy gathered itself after the attack, it began to award medals to sailors and soldiers who fought bravely during the attack, it didn’t even mention Doris Miller. Instead, Secretary Knox stated an unknown Negro, in keeping with 1940’s America. It would take the diligent effort of the leading African newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier to bring to light the gallant effort of Miller. This prompted the reluctant Knox to grudgingly give Miller a “Letter of Accommodation.” Both black and white press along civil rights organizations pushed for a higher honor. It was then that President Roosevelt stepped in and ordered that Miller be awarded the Navy’s highest honor, the Navy Cross. The award was presented to Miller by Pacific Fleet’s Commander in Chief, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz on May 27, 1942, just weeks before the climactic Battle Of Midway. Miller now nationally known, on the same level as boxing champ Joe Louis, and starlet, Leana Horne went on a speaking tour to encourage others to support to war effort. After a short time, the sailor at heart, Miller requested duty to his next ship. He was assigned duty to the escort carrier, Liscome Bay (CVE 56).

Miller’s new ship took part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on November 24, a torpedo fired from Japanese submarine 1-175 slammed into the starboard side of the Liscome Bay. The torpedo struck near the bomb magazine. The horrific explosion instantly killing many onboard. The ship sank in just 23 minutes, killing Doris Miller and 644 others. In addition to the Navy Cross, Doris Miller received the Purple Heart, the American Defense Service Medal – Fleet Clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. In 1973, the Knox-class frigate USS Miller was named in his honor. And it doesn’t stop there. The Navy also announced that the next Ford Class aircraft carrier would be named in his honor CV-81, the USS Doris Miller. Like so many of his countrymen, one can only wonder what his life could have been had he survived the war.

The first Sizmek change in dismantling segregation in the Navy occurred when William Baldwin was the first African American recruit to the US Navy's General Service in June 1942. For years, the navy restricted Black men to the Messman Branch, where they performed the most menial task - shining shoes, washing dishes, prepared meals, and ironing clothes. After some discussion, and considerable push-back, in a time of war, Roosevelt instructed Knox to implement the necessary measures. Consequently, the Navy announced on 7 April 1942 that African Americans would be enlisted in general service as well as the messman branch beginning 1 June 1942. On 1 February 1943, more than two thirds of the 26,909 African American Sailors were messmen That policy changed with Baldwin’s enlistment, but only after years of mounting Black protest.

Nearly a year had passed after Doris Miller’s heroism at Pearl Harbor. As predicted, the U.S. was now on the offensive in the Southwest Pacific after confronting, and beating the Japanese with the Doolittle raid, Coral Sea, and the Battle Of Midway. Now, the U.S. was in a desperate struggle to hold onto the island of Guadalcanal and its important airstrip in the Solomon Islands. While the ground forces were holding their own, the battle was more savage in the surrounding waters. On September 4, 1942, U.S Destroyers Gregory and Little were returning to their anchorage at Tulagi after landing a Marine Battalion on Savo Island.

In the fog of battle, in the early morning darkness, flares were dropped inadvertently that illuminated the Destroyers. Japanese ships opened fire with deadly accuracy. Within minutes both Destroyers were mortally wounded. Himself mortally wounded; Gregory skipper Lt Commander Harry F. Bauer gave the command to abandon ship. All but 11 crewmen were able to abandon the sinking ship in the dark shark-infested waters. To make matters worth, the Japanese turned on their searchlights and began to machine-gun survivors in the water.

The next day the Associated Press picked up the story about a “powerful Negro mess attendant who swam six hours through shark-infested waters, towing to safety a raft load of wounded white seamen, known only as ‘French.” Ensign Adrian was immediately hospitalized; he never learned the full name of the heroic swimmer. Several weeks later NBC announced they had found the name of the heroic sailor through the Navy Personnel Department. Twenty-three-year-old Charles Jackson French. The African American newspaper the Pittsburgh Courier summed it up wonderfully, “All those who thrill to high HEROISM are paying tribute to a black boy from Arkansas, who risked his life that his white comrades might live…”

On December 4, 1937, French enlisted in the Steward/Messman branch of the United States Navy – the only positions open to African Americans at the time. He was assigned to the USS Houston, the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. As a Mess Attendant 3rd class, his job was to serve meals to white officers and sailors, clear their tables and keep the mess, not a mess. While French was onboard, the Houston was stationed in Hawaii and cruised the Pacific Ocean with stops in the Philippines and Shanghai, to name a few. After his four-year commitment ended in 1941, French returned to 2703 North 25th St. in Omaha, Nebraska. But four days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, French re-enlisted as a Steward’s Mate 1st class. He joined the crew of the USS Gregory in March of 1942. Although Stewards were a step up from mess mates, they were derisively labeled “seagoing bellhops” by the black press. Their job was to man the white officers’ mess and clean their quarters.

A significant award for heroism seemed very likely, but it wasn’t to be. All Charles would receive was a letter of commendation from Adm. William F. Halsey, Jr., then commander, of the Southern Pacific Fleet. In comparison to another heroic act that would occur in the Blackett Strait on August 1, 1943, also in the Solomon Islands. Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, commander of Patrol Boat 109 engaged the Japanese on an inky dark night. The Japanese destroyer, Amagiri surprised Kennedy, ramming him, severely damaging his smaller vessel. Two crew members disappeared after the collision and were never seen again. Kennedy gathered the survivors and swam a great distance to a small island. For his courage and leadership, Kennedy, a future President, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and injuries suffered during the incident also qualified him for a Purple Heart.

Charles later served on the USS Endicott in the Atlantic providing escort duty for Allied convoys. When the USS Endicott needed repairs, Charles assigned to destroyer USS Frankfort which saw duty in the Normandy D-Day landings, and later the Southern France invasion. Charles survived the war, never receiving the honors he richly deserved.

Continuing with the standard set by fabled Pearl Harbor hero Dorie Miller, Alonzo Alexander Swann Jr. performed similar action in the Pacific Theater and his all-black Navy gun crew. Their brave accomplishment and awful sacrifice would have gone relatively unnoticed had it not been for the efforts over nearly half a century of Petty Officer Swann to bring attention to their heroism.

Born September 21, 1925, in Steelton, Pennsylvania, one of the five children of Alonzo Sr. and Mary Swann, Alonzo joined the Navy at age 18 in 1943 to fight for his country. In the racially segregated Navy of World War II African Americans were confined to lower ranks as mess hall cooks and waiters. African Americans could, however, volunteer to man the defense systems in defense of their ship. This allowed Swann, whose rank was Steward’s Mate First Class, and his crew of twenty seamen to abandon their usual posts on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid and rush to their battle station, Gun Tub 10.

On October 29, 1944, during the critical Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, the carrier Intrepid faced a Japanese kamikaze aircraft moment away from deliberately crashing on the carrier’s deck and thereby making it impossible to launch the carrier’s WW2 planes. It soon became apparent that the Japanese plane had not received sufficient damage from the carrier's 20-millimeter cannon fire to stop it. Terrified, as the plane continued to hurtle toward the ship, the other gun crews scattered.

However, the black gunners of Gun Tub 10 stood fast, firing defiantly and accurately at the suicidal kamikaze, blasting off a wing and shredding its tail. A split second later it smashed directly into their position. The resulting inferno caused by ignited gasoline and exploding ammunition killed nine and injured six gunners. Ignoring serious burns to his legs and chest, Swann refused to leave the side of the severely wounded, including a friend who begged him to commit a mercy killing to end his suffering.

These horrific images continued to haunt Swann long after the war. And he grew increasingly incensed when his captain promised him and other surviving black gunners the Navy Cross, the Navy’s highest award for bravery in battle. Instead, they were given Bronze Stars or lesser recognitions. Over the next half-century, he wrote and phoned politicians to recount his war story and complain to anyone he thought might help to right this grievance.

Finally, in 1991 Swann filed a lawsuit in federal court. U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano ruled in 1993 that Swann had been denied the Navy Cross due to an “error of intentional racial injustice” and ordered the Secretary of the Navy to grant the honor that had eluded him for decades. In a ceremony aboard the USS Intrepid later that year he received the Navy Cross.

The history of the 24th infantry Regiment dates back to just after the American Civil War. They were a combination of the 38th U.S. (Colored) Infantry Regiment and the 41st U.S. (Colored) Infantry Regiment The 24th was formed in 1869, and made up primarily of African American soldiers who served in the Southwest combating Native Americans, and gained the name “Buffalo Soldiers.”

In the late 1890’s the 24th deployed to fight in the Spanish American War in Cuba, where they were an integral part of the storming and taking San Juan Hill, an attack led by future president Teddy Roosevelt. The 24th also fought in the Philippines-American War in three different stints – 1905, 1907, and 1911. In 1916 they were assigned to guard the U.S. – Mexico border as the Mexican Revolution raged. In 1919 the 24th crossed the border to engage Mexican Rebels, led by future WW1 General John J. Pershing.

The 24th left San Francisco for duty in the Pacific in WW2 on April 4,1942. They arrived on Efate in the New Hebrides Islands on 4 May 1942. One company was detached to Espirito Santo to clear jungle with the 3rd Naval Construction Battalion in an important airfield construction. On the 28th of August, the 24th moved to Guadalcanal where some of the worst fighting of the war had recently occurred. As the U.S. forces moved up the Solomon Island chain, the next strategic target was the island of Bougainville, a stone’s throw from the Japanese fortress of Rabul. In addition to their normal duties, they were assigned to defensive combat tasks to prevent the Japanese from re-taking the airfield.

When the war moved closer to Japan, the seizure of the Gilbert and Marianas Islands were extremely important. Here the 24th played an important role in taking and mopping up the fights in Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. Key bases that now provide launching bases for one of the most destructive weapons of the war – the Boeing B-29 Superfortress four-engine bomber, with capability to reach the heart of the Japan home-islands. The 24th moved to the Kerama Islands off Okinawa on 29 July 1945. At the end of the war, the 24th took the surrender of forces on the island of Aka-shima, the first formal surrender of a Japanese Imperial Army garrison. The regiment remained on Okinawa through 1946.

The lynchpin of including African American soldiers fairly in government inclusion was Executive Order No. 8802 on June 25, 1941, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt. While E.O. 8802 did not ban segregation, it did open up positions to African Americans, stating that “there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in the defense industries of Government because of race, creed, color, or national origin…”

When the U.S. entered WW2, the only branch that had not accepted African Americans was the United States Marine Corps. On June 1, 1942, history was made when the African American recruit, Alfred Masters became the first to enlist, changing the Marine Corp forever. Masters would become what the Marine Corps was looking for. Born in Palestine, Texas on February 5, 1916, he and his siblings were raised on poor farms in Wewoka, Oklahoma by their widowed mother, Lettia Masters–their father, Joel Masters, having died when Alfred was only five months old. Masters reported to Montfort Point on November 17th to Battery “A” of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion for recruit training. Masters deployed with the 52nd Defense Battalion overseas to Majuro in the Marshall Island Group and Guam in the Marianas in 1944.

In April 1943 the Montford Point Marines said goodbye to the bigotry of their homeland to face an even greater danger in the pacific, the Japanese. Marines had gone toe to toe with the Japanese in and around Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. Now they would face an enemy that felt that surrender was dishonorable and would fight to the death. As much as the wanted to be in front line combat roles, they were assigned to support roles in the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions. Throughout their deployment in the pacific they would see some of the worst that man could do man to man -Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and other islands.

June 1944 the Montford Point Marines first took part in the invasion of Marianas Islands, which includes Saipan, Guam, and Tinian. They were an important step on the road to Tokyo; they would provide strategic airbases from which the new B-29 Fortress could hit the Japanese Homeland. The vicious fighting on Saipan would be a foreshadowing of what was to come. Assigned to their customary role of support, this would change when casualties among the white Marines began to mount. Kenneth Tibbs of the 20th Depot Battalion was the first Montford Point Marine killed by an artillery round. Kenneth Rollock, a native of Harlem, NY described his combat experience when he said, “we got caught in the early part of Saipan in the Japanese counterattack,” he said. “About a quarter mile from the beach, they came out screaming, and we just opened up. Anything moving we shot at.” The Montford Point Marines would have the same experiences on Guam, and Tinian.

September 1944 Montford Point Marine depot and ammunition companies took part in the invasion of Peleliu on General Douglas MacArthur’s march to return to the Philippines. The leadership anticipated a limited action to subdue the Japanese. Instead of limited, Peleliu would descend into some of the worst fighting in the war with tremendous casualties on both sides. A white Marine pfc, Eugene (Sledgehammer) Sledge of the 1st Marine Division, who later in life after the war author one of the finest books about fighting in the Pacific, ‘With The Old Breed’ would say, “Everyman in my unit with the exception of me and my buddy Snafu were involved in hand-to-hand combat on Peleliu…” Again, the Montford Point Marines responded to the call of duty and gave their blood. Major General William H. Rupertus, the commander the 1st Marine Division, sent letters of commendation to the commanders of African American supply companies, praising the black Marines for their "wholehearted cooperation and untiring efforts" which "demonstrated in every respect" that they "appreciate the privilege of wearing a Marine uniform and serving with Marines in combat."

The horrendous fighting in the Marianas and Peleliu would pale in comparison to what would come next when the calendar turned to 1945, beginning with the invasion of Iwo Jima in February. Years later, Thomas McPhater shared his harrowing experience when he said, “there were bodies bobbing up all around, all these dead men," after hitting the beach he recalled, "then we were crawling on our bellies and moving up the beach. I jumped in a foxhole and there was a young white marine holding his family pictures. He had been hit by shrapnel, he was bleeding from the ears, nose and mouth. It frightened me. The only thing I could do was lie there and repeat the Lord's prayer, over and over and over." McPhater was also present at a defining moment in Marine Corp and the nation’s history, the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi. During the first flag raising McPhater recalled, "the man who put the first flag up on Iwo Jima got a piece of pipe from me to put the flag up on."

The war’s last major battle would be the invasion of Okinawa. This climatic battle involved more black Marines than any previous operation, some 2,000 of them, including three combat Marine divisions, three ammunition and four depot companies, all from Montfort Point, and all fighting in constant downpours, storms and deep, sticky mud. Since Okinawa was made the base to invade Japan, the ammunition and depot companies were pushed to the limit. When on Aug. 14, 1945, Japan surrendered after U.S. forces dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, three ammunition and five depot companies from Montford Point accompanied the occupation forces. Montford Point Marines were some of the first Americans to see firsthand the total devastation of Nagasaki, which was hit with most devastating weapon in human history. Several recalled that everything around them was totally destroyed, not only that, but the Japanese who survived were emotionally and physically scared. It is important to also remember the service of the men who served beneath the waves on submarine service in the pacific. Another group that deserves attention are men who served in construction battalions in building the Alaska Highway. Their commanding general was the son of a confederate general who had nothing but disdain for African Americans and Native peoples. These men performed well in some of the harshest climate and landscape on earth.

Frederick C. Branch, the first African-American ever commissioned in the Marine Corps

Like their fellow servicemen in the European theater, African American soldiers, sailors, and marines in the pacific performed admirably when their country needed them, despite their country’s inequities. In the country today there is serious debate about the telling of the history of our country – from a variety of viewpoints. What is certainly clear is that film cinema hasn’t always given an accurate picture of the accounts and deeds of these brave young men. It is only recently that awards and recognition long, long overdue are seeing the light of day. World War II would be the last conflict where service members would be subject to segregated outfits. While equality would continue to be an issue, segregation would fall by the wayside.

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