Speaking of black soldiers . . .

. . . and World War II:

Watching the trailer for the movie Red Tails the other day, I was reminded of the struggles black soldiers had joining the ground battle in Europe. Many were only afforded the chance to fight for their country (serving in combat units as opposed to support units*) because of the extreme shortage of men after D-Day. Many Americans don't realize this, but the military had trouble recruiting (and properly supporting) soldiers in the latter days of the war. Black soldiers helped fill the gap.

Though blacks served as combat soldiers under Omar Bradley, he was not originally a big supporter, and was among those who questioned whether they could be effective. He did, however, eventually recognize that he was wrong, and to his credit said so.

Look for more details in my biography of the general, to be published this fall. You can get to places to order it from this page here.

* Without getting too technical, the soldiers were not generally integrated in ones or twos. Rather, small units were formed, then integrated into larger units. Some of Bradley's opinions are shaded by the organizational considerations, and on a personal level there's evidence that he would have been considered far less prejudiced than most whites of his time. Still, it would be a pretty big mistake to call him an advocate for blacks during WWII.