terratrema t1_itfcaig wrote
How does the 15% of all african american wwii casualties check out? Is the total number of casualties somewhere?
NinDiGu t1_itfjuau wrote
The Wikipedia article cites for the statement:
>All 320 of the men on duty at the pier died instantly, and 390 civilians and military personnel were injured, many seriously. Among the dead were all five Coast Guard personnel posted aboard the fire barge.[36] African-American casualties totaled 202 dead and 233 injured, which accounted for 15% of all African-American casualties during World War II.[37] Naval personnel worked quickly to contain the fires and to prevent other explosions. Injuries were treated, those seriously injured were hospitalized, and uninjured servicemen were evacuated to nearby stations.[38]
So citation 37 is the way to read more:
> U.S. Army, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. History. "A Chronology of African American Military Service. From WWI through WWII. Part II". Archived on May 28, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
The linked page is
Here's a fun quote from that article:
>1942 Black newspapers that ran articles strongly criticizing segregation and discrimination in the armed forces had trouble obtaining newsprint until they softened their stance. The U.S. Justice Department also threatened to charge 20 editors with sedition.
On topic:
>1944 By this time, the War Department’s critical need for troops overseas helped to ease opposition to the dispatch of black servicemen to the European or Pacific theaters. The number of African Americans serving in-theater jumped from 97,725 in 1941 to 504,000 in 1943. However, 425,000 black troops remained in the United States. The military claimed that allied foreign nations objected to the presence of black troops, but it was usually American commanders overseas who opposed their assignment.
Italics mine
>Ultimately, though, this incident did result in changes affecting racial relations in the Navy, because ammunition loading ceased to be a "blacks only" assignment. The Navy also adopted safer procedures for loading ammunition.
terratrema t1_itfk0bs wrote
That's the spirit! Thank you.
NinDiGu t1_itfk92x wrote
Following links like this is way easier on the PC, and since I am on the PC right now!
I suck at digging up and posting info like the above from my phone.
terratrema t1_itfl0f3 wrote
Even if it is a goldmine for black american history, i still didnt find the info. The only number given is about casualties of the 92? Division and it mentions there a 25% as well. Its on the second page (part ii) towards the end
NinDiGu t1_itfl5l1 wrote
They were not deployed overseas until very late in the war seems to be the reason for the low casualty numbers overall.
terratrema t1_itflamy wrote
True, i read it, but we are not given a total, at least i didn't find it
NinDiGu t1_itfld6t wrote
I think you are correct.
MortalWombat1974 t1_itfjgpl wrote
I was wondering about this as well. If it's right, that means "only" around 2000 black Americans were killed in WW2.
That seems unlikely, considering google says around 400 thousand Americans died in that war..
IrrelephantAU t1_itfwjsp wrote
The US military in WW2 was still segregated - black soldiers were primarily used as labor, not as combat troops.
big_sugi t1_itggs55 wrote
It might be much lower; the OP references “casualties,” not KIA. According to Wikipedia, “A total of 708 African Americans were killed in combat during World War II.” The cited source is not online, however: Micheal Clodfelter. Warfare and Armed Conflicts- A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500–2000. 2nd Ed. 2002 p. 584 ISBN 0-7864-1204-6.
Given that the rate of wounded to killed is typically 3:1, that death toll may be about right. Hard to say without knowing about other non-combat fatalities, though.
Ok_Profile6608 t1_iuf7bcx wrote
This I doubt. 202 sailors 2nd class died at Port Chicago... there had to have been more than 1300 dead black Sailors & soldiers in World War II
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