D-Day. Shortly after dawn on June 6, 1944, the soldiers of the all-black 320th Battalion (pictured) - the U.S. armed forces were racially segregated at the time - landed on the beaches of Normandy, France as part of the Allied Forces effort to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Wikipedia writes about the 320th Battalion: "Their first assignment was Utah and Omaha beaches June 6, 1944. The 1,500-man unit's mission was to set in the air barrage balloons to protect assaulting infantry and armor from being strafed by enemy aircraft. They saw combat in France at Saint-Lô, the Battle of the Bulge during the siege of Bastogne, and the Rhine River Crossing. The late Bill Pinkney (1925-2007), the last original member of the vocal group the Drifters served as a member of the 320th."
In their day, these brothas didn't get their due props because of racism. However, the historical record is being set straight. Alice Mills, a Frenchwoman who is professor of English literature at the University of Caen in Normandy and who is married to an American, helped uncover the story of black soldiers at D-Day, digging up old photographs and interviewing Normandy residents who were children during World War II.
The only known survivor of the 320th Battalion, William Dabney, was honored yesterday with the Légion d'Honneur by the French government. The award is France's highest military honor. Mr. Dabney will be in Normandy for today's ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
PHOTO OF THE DAY: 65 Years Ago Today: 320th Battalion Lands At Normandy On D-Day
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4 comments:
Very interesting. Thanks for posting this.
Thank God for Mrs. Alice Mills and her outstanding work for showing the world what these outstanding American patriots and black men did abroad for their country. Recognition that has been long overdue! Thank you Mrs. Mills!
James E. White
Retired U.S. Air Force
Very nice.. It's as though they were literally trying to erase us.. Damn!!!...it's an uncureable sickness
Very interesting story indeed! Thank you for sharing. One correction, however. There is more than one remaining survivor of the 320th Battalion. In addition to Mr. Dabney is my grandfather, Allen J. Coles II. You can see a photo oh him here along with his fellow soldiers: http://www.8thwood.com/images/GAD-D-DAY%20PICS%20FOR%20RENEE%20001.jpg.
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