The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-09-08
761st Tank b.
Reveals Combat
Record In ETC

Passed for publication by L. 8.
Army censors, Third U. S. Army,
Aug. 6, 1945.)
WITH THE 78lST TANK BAT.
TALON IN EUROPE During its
1873 days Of front-line combat serv-
ice between October 81. 1874. and
May 6, ls45. the 76lst Tank Bat
talon. veteran Negro armored
unit and first of its kind to ever
enter combat in the United States
Army. wiped out the equivalent
Of three or four German divisions"
IN enemy equipment. says The
Red Circle News" Official news
paper o, the list Infantry Division.
with which the 76lst finished its
European operations, after having
fought in six European countries
during combat duty
Figures compiled from official
records and reports. at the head
quarters of the crack tank bat
TALON. show the following dam
ages Inflicted upon the enemy:
FIT Y-EI C HIT pill-boxes
knocked out. 33l machine gun
nests eliminated. 81 anti.;ank guns
1885 and 75) kayoed. plus % more
AT guns captured. IL 37-mm anti
tank guns were Knocked out six
2O-mm anti-aircratt guns DESTROYED.
~ oazooka teams. and 81 panzer-
fsusts put out OF action. 9 hebel-
werfers smashed. "a enemy Mark
V and Mark VI tanks DESTROYED.
plus four others sel!-destroyed by
the enemy 10 avoid CAPTURE. three
arTored cars. 46l wheeled vehicles.
motorized and ho-se-drawn, twelve
ammunition trusks. and twelve
kitchen vehicles destroyed. one
American ammunition truck re-
captured.
Three enemy ammunition dumps
were blown up two enemy ar
nored supply dumps. tul,y stocked.
were captured, four sirhelds we're
captured, II mortar positions
knocked out, ei ght enemy self-pro-
PEELED guns. S9s and 75s. DESTROYED.
one enemy radio station captured.
one l7o-mm artillery piece liqui-
slated The Assault Gun Platoon
ksyoed one full battery o. enemy
SIS on one airing mission. One 100.
H'm mortar with 10 rounds of am
TuritioH captured. and more than
200 aorses were killed or captured.
ENEMY CASUALTIES inflicted
~ the guns o. the 7els;. alone.
were s2+6 killed. $50 wounded.
ana 1888 captured These figures
represer; those 81 the battalion's
guns alone. ard dc noi include any
u the casualties inflicted in co.
ordination WITH the infantry and
borne divisions with which the
SIS; Tough; during the period.
One division. the list alone,
took i06.926 prisoners from the
date the ,6lu Joined II. March 30.
lsl5. until the cessation Of opera
tions nj Steyr. Austria. on May 6.
ia45 At this time the unit Was
in the group Of fartheSt eastern
advanced troops Of all the Amrri-
can forces I'm the European the
atre Of operations
THE s6lST has SIX white officers
The othe- - arc Negroes. and all
is enlisted pe-scrre, ire Negroes
II is slated FOR re-deployment in
Seotember
The losses suffered by the bat
talon during combat we're, Il
tanks through battle action. three
officers and SS enlisted men were
killed in action. and 80 officers
and 22i enlisted men were wound
cd in action. or these latter. all Of
Acers and so enlisted men returned
to duty after disqualification Two
officers and two enlisted men were
captured by the enemy. but later
re-captured.
Diving lis operations eiEh, en-
listed men received battlefield
commissions IN the battalion
Eight silver star medals. and g.
bronze star medals. with four clus-
tiers. we're awarded as We're
numerous purple hearts. more than
go ~ fhrSc keipr given