Kareem abduljabber has done a fabulous job of documenting the 761st tank battalion s service during world war ii. Abmc headquarters 2300 clarendon blvd, suite 500 arlington, va 22201 phone. Among the units diverted was the 761st tank battalion, the first black tank battalion to see world war ii action. The battalion was the first armored unit to reach the po valley and cross it. Aug 9, 2020 explore philip barnetts board my grandfathers war. For information about the world war ii history center, click here.
Along the x axis is time, and on the y axis is the count of editions published. Rhineland, ardennes, central europe printed in 1946. The battalion entered combat in normandy in july 1944 with the 5th infantry division and fought across france with the 95th infantry division. When the germans surrendered in may, the battalion was part of the force occupying the cities of brescia, bergamo, and milan. I am a history buff and have watched many documentaries on ww2 but for some reason in mentioning the battles, the black tank battalion was never mentioned. A brief history of the 635th tannk destroyer battalion, world war ii in the eto commanded by lt col wint smith of mankato. It was one of five tank battalions all independent that landed in normandy on dday 6 june 1944.
While tanks spewed flame, yelling troopers closed in with machine guns and rifles. The 771st tank destroyer battalion, which was attached to the 102d infantry division throughout the war, here covers a roadblock on one of the important approaches to krefeld. Maintenance company 557th antiaircraft artillery battalion attached 638th tank destroyer battalion attached 771st tank battalion attached. The 735th tank battalion was an independent tank battalion that participated in the european. May 05, 20 here is a pickup direct from the grandson, belonged to a sgt in the 771st tank battalion. Information is being compiled for a history of the u. Corporal joseph akers 803rd tank destoryer battalion 11251944. By the end of the north african and italian campaigns, the 751st tank battalion had racked up a total of 581 days of actual combat time. M36 jackson tank destroyer in 33 images war history online. Unusual movement in the bois was noticed by the americans during the morning, but this came into really serious light about noon when a prisoner revealed the presence of the two companies behind the 334th.
The history of the 771st tank battalion, castagna, edwin on. The crewmen of company d, 761st tank battalion, prepare their m5a1 light tanks. Immediate post ww ii, it became the 71st constab sq, with a killer but rare and unauthorized di, but it was not used by the 771st tank bn subsequent to redesignation. The history of the 771st tank battalion by edwin castagna 1946. General bolling gathered the 1st battalion, 334th, and three tank platoons of the 771st tank battalion to trap the infiltrators. Low numbered us tank destroyer battalions wwii forums. Wheeler 899th tank destroyer battalion 08161944 sergeant oren b. Casassa, bill, unpublished letter to harry mays, 1996, description of events at weetzen by bill casassa a co 638 tank destroyer battalion attached in a letter to lt harry mays 3 plt ldr.
The original black panthers fought in the 761st tank. The 3rd battalion, 324th infantry regiment, with the 3rd platoon, 772nd tank battalion, then pushed forward and by 1100 were clearing wallstadt, germany. The 741st tank battalion was an independent tank battalion that participated in the european theater of operations with the united states army in world war ii. They shipped out from the new york port on october 21, 1943 and arrived at liverpool, england on november 2, 1943. Lst 379 and 191st tank battalion, september 1943 wwii forums. The 761st was initially assigned to the 26th division of xii corps in the third army and spent 183 consecutive days in action after being committed in morvillelesvic in november 1944. The scene he described on omaha beach typified his battalion s first hours in combat. It is based on official records, rosters, citations and correspondence.
It was assigned to the ninth army on 27 november 1944 and remained so assigned until the end of the war. The document has many photos, personal interviews and lists participants and those wounded or killed complete with dates and the location. May 12, 2019 this pin was discovered by delta mike. Activated as a light tank battalion on 16 may 1942 at fort lewis, washington, under command of maj. The history of the 771st tank battalion edwin castagna not in library. The division moved east, relieved the 100th infantry division at ratswiller and saw its first action on 11 march 1945. The following description of the book is from the website of the publisher. Black soldiers of the ardennes world war ii ardennes. The division moved through outer belts of the siegfried line, captured pirmasens, 21 march. Eisenhower, general dwight eisenhower s son, served.
John dolan, 3rd platoon, company c, 771st tank battalion, who was awarded the silver star at st. The 751st tank battalion was activated at fort benning, georgia, on june 1, 1941. The situation is now very desperate for our troops. The 71st division is also the formation in which lt. Other parts of the tank that are missing were probably taken as spares by the us army in wwii. At 1025, tanks from the 3rd platoon, with infantry mounted on the rear deck, moved to the north bank of the neckar river in the vicinity of 6982 map. In early 1942, the battalion moved from fort knox to camp gordon, near augusta, georgia, and then to fort jackson, south carolina.
If you would like to contribute additional names or information, or provide corrections, please click roster contact left menu and use the contact form to send a message to roster manager joe wilson, jr. It was then moved to fort knox, kentucky, where the battalion was training when the japanese attacked pearl harbor on december 7, 1941. The catalog reference to the 771st tank bn di shows it was made by aresta in taiwan. Flanked by the 1th cavalry group on the left and 2nd armored division on. The 771st tank battalion was attached to the 405th for use during the attack if and when it was needed.
The battalion participated in combat operations throughout northern europe until ve day. The 771st tank destroyer battalion was activated on december, 1941 at fort. The 761st tank battalion was a separate tank battalion of the united states army during world war ii. This series contains the councils ledger books that document various financial. Florida memory guide to military records and the wartime. The resilience of 741st tank battalions leader capt. Castagna, captain edwin, the history of the 771st tank battalion, berkley, ca.
Mar 17, 2021 in october of 1944, the 761st tank battalion became the first african american tank squad to see combat in world war ii. Us army units book 2 boxes 127489 33rd armored regiment. The history of the 771st tank battalion 1946 edition open. Mcclintock served with the 741st tank battalion in world war ii. Second world war content, second world war content.
The 735th tank battalion was an independent tank battalion that participated in the european theater of operations with the united states army in world war ii. On 18 january, the division relieved the 11th armored division at houffalize. A detailed and informative history is told in the book entitled the 761st black panther tank battalion in world war ii an illustrated history of the first african american armored unit to see combat, by joe wilson, jr. The 761st tank battalion is the more famous, receiving the presidential unit citation for its combat performance. The 71st infantry division arrived at le havre, france, 6 february 1945, and trained at camp old gold with headquarters at limesy. The history of the 771st tank battalion 1946 edition. All these things that make city fighting deadly for tanks make it absolute murder for the foot soldier. The 761st was made up primarily of africanamerican soldiers, who by war department policy were not permitted to serve alongside white troops. The 84th infantry division in the battle of germany. The 741st waged a grueling war that began on dday when twentyseven of its amphibious tanks sank and hapless crewmen perished in the frigid water. Publishing history this is a chart to show the publishing history of editions of works about this subject. The post was named camp dolan and then dolan barracks in honor of 2nd lt. To date, there is no known di for either the ww ii 771st tank bn or the post ww ii tank bn.
The thunderbolt division had just come of maneuvers in louisiana and texas. Although the battalion suffered a great loss today in officers, men, and equipment, it is definitely felt that b company repelled a very serious enemy thrust upon our position. The 771st tank battalion served in the european theater during world war ii. The 784th tank battalion, last of the three negro tank units to be activated, had landed on the continent on christmas day, 1944, and was committed to action on 1 january 1945. Wwii us military units 7 world war ii history center. Book recently rescued from a pile of books in an estate. And, by the end of the war, the black panthers had fought their way further. Two black tank battalions saw combat service in northwest europe in 1944. The story of the 761st black panther tank battalion, the decorated all africanamerican unit who served with valor during world war ii. The 778th tank battalion, originally the first battalion, 41st armored regiment was organized on september 21, 1943, at camp barkeley, texas.
At noon on christmas day a tank company from the 16th panzer regiment tried an assault in staggered formation against verdenne but found company b of the 771st tank battalion waiting and lost nine tanksits entire complement. Division commander, this task force was composed of the 334th inf. Html excerpt of relevant section the following books were consulted for information by me. Home units unit photo galleries 771st td battalion pfc.
I have made a spreadsheet of the stations and record of events entries for each day from the copies of the morning reports that i have. In a tank you have armor, and if done right, a lot of men outside your tank there with the sole duty of defending it. West 630th tank destroyer battalion 04161945 private richard a. The 771st was chosen to train other td personnel in the eto troop replacement system. The morning of 29 november broke cold and chilly, with slight mist and rain. Preserved m4a376w sherman tank in the village of beffe in.
The m4 sherman of the 771st tank battalion was vulnerab. The dedication and long hours of training hoping to get into action to prove their citizenship, and actually being in action and still discriminated against, these soldiers are true heroes. The 771st tank destroyer battalion was to support the 405th with companies a and c and the 407th with company b. The seizure of verdenne cast a loop around the german tanks and infantry in the woods north of the village. History text from the book the tank killers by harry yeide. The survival of an american armored division in world war ii. American m4a3e2 jumbo sherman tank, nicknamed cobra king, from the 4th armored division after. The siegfried line free online library on history books. The tank battalion supporting the 84th also has published its combat record. Company c of the original battalion consisted mainly of battery d, 5th field artillery, the only army unit with a continuous history from the revolutionary war. This m4a376w was part of c company 771st tank battalion. Wick 899th tank destroyer battalion 07191945 private joe j. The epic story of the 761st tank battalion, wwiis forgotten heroes kareem abduljabbar, author, anthony walton, author.
Fisher standing beside the company area name post in aldersbach, germany. This is an m4a3 76mm of the unit operating near nancy, france, on 5 november. Fisher had been transferred to company b of the 771st tank destroyer battalion during the summer of 1945. Organization history 632nd tank destroyer battalion, np. An informal history of the 776th tank destroyer battalion. The cs recorded the inductees work history, education, and training, as well as the sports he played, his hobbies and his talents. M4a1 76mm, 771st tank battalion, germany, april 1945, in 5th scale by dinesh ned. When reattached to the 5th infantry division, the 735th tank battalion played a key role in the. The history of the 771st tank battalion imperial war museums. It was activated with the thunderbolt division on august 15, 1942 at camp polk. Oct 09, 2017 combat interviews of the 31st tank battalion. During the last several weeks of the war, the 761st tank battalion, an africanamerican unit, was attached to the 71st division and fought with it. Their ouster of the germans from france began 15 march. Railsplitters smashed back as germans deployed for an attack against verdenne.
I was pleased to see some of the work done by the modeller during the making of this model. World war 2 ww2 wwii veteran, casualty, and military unit records search by ww2 researcher bill beigel. Redesignated as medium tank battalion on 19 august 1942. Private fred wayt 814th tank destroyer battalion 10291944 private first class benjamin h. Riding this time, 334th troopers lashed machine guns to the sides of trucks. Roer river crossing conducted by the ninth us army, xiii. Us army units, book 8 boxes 14041567 163rd infantry.
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