The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-06-30
Nv ALLAN MORRISON
So. 49, g. gfasf "a

stars arc S'upes sish W isf
Negro troops VII comprise lnt
r.r cert az me | g Amy ~ Oo-
cupston IN Germany u u0
learned from ETousA hesdol.r-
tsrs Nesierdsv.
The Ersai majority ~ these
troops will ne members ~ serv-
ice units performing their pri.
mary mission" II MAS revealed.
though II has not yet been de-
termined which Negro units will
remain as occupation forces.
This vii be decided when ne
VA Department irSiructs ia!S
'nester ~ ne types ~ units a de-
s.res 20 retain IN Elrpps
THE lot PERCENTAGE 8 he
standard one. -; By Congress and
used BY ne Wa Department .n
computing the proportions ~ Ne
goes N Tire L s Amy Thc pro.
portion is no' standard toy oil
ineSteS however
Since the AfF arllfed I'm ne
ITO The proportion ~ Negro
troops ~ total Us forces aver.
ssed s4 per cent sn1 i1a' pcrccn.
tsse has BEEN maintained. win
ANAL fuc;usiion to the presen,
GTe
As Of Nav Is, there were in
the ETO ,S9lr3 Negro troops ~
grand total of 3.0s2.lts Us.
personnel here at that time
This figure was broken down as
follows:
Yield forces ........... A,SM
USSTAF ..-........ 1856
Tom. T.. communion. l55,53O
Incorporating 49,. 1905
Incorporating includes patients, |
PWs and casualties, while field |
forces includes Army groups. ar
mics ETOUSA and SHAEF head .
quarters personnel
Until recently. approximately p .
per cen; OF Com. z. troops were
Negro. while feld forces were .
made no OF four per cen; Negro I
personnel.
THESE FIGURES do no. include
the Mediterranean theatre where |
there was a higher percentage OF !
Negro combat troops. including
one infantry division. the 92nd.
Under re-deployment plans. the
Army intends tina, l04 per cent
Of all US. personnel returned 10
the l. S. for rehabilitation shall
be Negro troops.
We are striving IN send a Ne
gro total Of lo4 per cent Of ali
troops returned TO the States for
eventual discharge" stated Col c.
w Powell. head Of Troop Divi-
sion, Re-deployment branch 81
C.3 A. ETOUSA We will not
necessarily reach this figure, but
we are aiming Al H.
Landed on D-Day
Figures obtained from the AG
section. ETOUSA revealed that
the increase OF Negro troops in
this theatre roughly eerresponded I
with the increase Of all Us.
FORCES IN Europe.
Thus, or May 81. 1914. one week
before the invasion Of Europe.
there were 1887 Negro soldiers
IN the theatre. divided as follows:
Fled forces. 81 l58 uSSTAF,
1o062. and Cob Z. 1859
Negro units participated in the
Normandy landings on June s.
These included the 320th Anti
Aircraft BarraRe Balloon battal-
ion. 4q0tn Port battalion. 494th
Por; battalion. SAND Engineer
Damp Truck company. 36S3rd ON
Truck company. and a number OF
others.
Nineteen other Negro combat
Units saw service in Europe dur
ins the campaign the 333rd IA.
battalion. 34eth IA battalion.
35o,h "A. battalion. 35lr "A.
battalion. 777th "A. battalion.
6s6ih IA battalion. s6sth IA.
battalion. aaeth "A battalion,
452nd AAA battalion. 76lst Tank
battalion. 7s4,h Tank battalion,
6I4th Tank Destroyer battalion,
s27th Tank Destroyer battalion.
is3rd. is4ih. lee6th. l6e7,h. l6asth
and l6aeth Engineer Combat bat
tallons
Two Negro units received presi-
DENTAL unit citations, The e69th
IA, battalion was cited for It's ac-
ton IN Basioene. Dec. 1927. when
l. fired in support OF the cutoff
I0lst Airborne division. The third
platoon Of C company Of The
ei4,h Tank Destroyer battalion
received the citation FOR out
standing performance Of duty in
action against the enemy AT
Clm5ach. France. last Dec u
NJ >Kf<Ss,,.S Ms~~,3.3.