The Black Panthers: A Story of Race, War, and Courage. The 761st Tank Battalion in World War II
Known primarily for being the first African American armored unit to see combat in World War II and onetime outfit of future baseball star Jackie Robinson, the 761st Tank Battalion "Black Panthers" earned a coveted assignment to fight under General George S. Patton. Moving to the front in November 1944, trial by fire soon shook the unit to its core. Checked by a veteran German force, the 761st suffered heavy casualties in their first battle. Responding quickly, the tankers saw intense combat through November, and when Germany launched its last-ditch offensive through the Ardennes in December, the 761st helped check the German advance, cut resupply routes to the forces surrounding beleaguered Bastogne, and drive the enemy back. The unit was then chosen to break through the Siegfried Line, an action that was crucial to the final defeat of Germany.
In The Black Panthers: A Story of Race, War, and Courage ─ the 761st Tank Battalion in World War II, historian Gina M. DiNicolo tells the full and unvarnished history of this important American fighting force. Relying on extensive archival research, including documents that had not been consulted in previous accounts, and interviews with surviving soldiers and family members, the author describes the unit's training, deployment, combat and individuals, including Ruben Rivers, one of only seven African American men awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II heroism.
321 pages
REVIEWS FOR THE BLACK PANTHERS
"DiNicolo, a historian and a former contributing editor at Military Officer, examines the origins, training, and triumphs of the first African American armored unit during WWII, the 761st Tank Battalion, called "The Black Panthers." She blends declassified military documents with personal interviews to add texture and context, fleshing out the lives of unit recruits William McBurney, Paul Bates, Ivan Harrison, Trezzvant Anderson, Theodore Windsor, and Ruben Rivers (who would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor) as they endure humiliation and harassment in Jim Crow America while the military brass debated what role the black soldier could play. DiNicolo brings readers up close with a view from the turret, inside the M3 Stuart light and M4 Sherman medium tanks with two .30-caliber machine guns and a 50-caliber gun, explaining armor tactics mixing these tracked vehicles with infantry, gunnery skills, and communications. However, the book really heats up when she writes of the intense, deadly clashes with General Patton's 761st tanks taking on the powerful German Panzer units in snowy forests and French towns. Written with fine detail and in a spirited style, DiNicolo's tribute to The Black Panthers illuminates a fighting armored unit that made both their community and their country proud.” Publishers Weekly, Aug. 11, 2014
"The Black Panthers succeeds on multiple levels. It chronicles the organization, training, and combat operations of a separate tank battalion in World War II, shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of America's armored experience. Its greatest strength, however, lies in the attention given to the individuals who served in the 761st Tank Battalion. The result is a rich narrative of disparate individuals with their own personal aspirations and fears who forge a winning team." Robert S. Cameron, author of Mobility, Shock, and Firepower: The Emergence of the US. Army's Armor Branch, 1917-1945