A Distant Shore : African Americans of D - Day A Distant Shore : African Americans of D - Day is a television documentary program that was produced for The History Channel by Flight 33 Productions in 2007 . Executive Producer s were Douglas Cohen ( Flight 33 ) , Louis Tarantino ( Flight 33 ) and Dolores Gavin ( The History Channel ) . The program was written by Douglas Cohen and produced by Samuel K . Dolan . A one - hour special , " A Distant Shore : African Americans of D - Day " told the story of African American soldiers in World War II , who went ashore in France during the 1944 Invasion of Normandy . Among the interviewees were veterans from Barrage Balloon Battalions , Quartermaster and Transportation Companies , and Engineers , as well as Coast Guard veteran , John Roberts , from USS LCI ( L ) - 93 , who lost a leg during the landings at Omaha Beach . Author / Historian Yvonne Latty was also interviewed for the program . The African American soldiers were treated like slaves and were put in front of American toops to slow down the enemy . Historical Background . In the decades leading up to World War II , the United States Army was segregated between white and " colored " units . Before the American Civil War , the Army had very few African American enlisted - men ( though many former slaves did serve in the American Revolution ) , until 1863 when regiments of black soldiers , led by white officers , began taking the field . The system of segregated regiments with white officers continued through the American Indian Wars of the late 19th century , the Spanish American War , and World War I . Among the more famous segregated units during this period were the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiment s , also known as The Buffalo Soldiers , who along with segregated infantry regiments , engaged the Comanches and Apaches during the Indian Wars of the Southwestern United States . At the onset of World War II , the Army remained segregated , and with the notable exceptions of units like the 92nd Infantry Division , very few African American soldiers were permitted to serve in Frontline Combat units . Most African American soldiers served as service and supply troops , artillerymen , military police , and in other rear - echelon companies and battalions . However , many of these soldiers did see combat in Europe and the Pacific , particularly those in artillery batteries . Among the units going ashore at Normandy in 1944 , was the 320th Anti - Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion which did see action on D - Day . Another unit that saw considerable action in Europe was the 761st Tank Battalion , which fought with George S . Patton ' s Third Army in 1944 and 1945 . Another famous group of African American soldiers , were the drivers of the Red Ball Express , who in the months after D - Day kept allied armies supplied with ammo , gas , and food . Many of these troops would volunteer to fall in with their white comrades during the Battle of the Bulge . The system of segregation in the United States Army would end in 1948 , and by the time of the Korean War , African American and white soldiers were serving in the same front line units . Segregation was also a factor in the U . S . Navy and U . S . Coast Guard . Although white and black sailors had often served on the same vessels since the Age of Sail , African American sailors were generally relegated to the jobs of cooks , stewards , and other labor intensive duties . This continued through World War II , though it is important to remember that African American sailors acquitted themselves in battle in a number of campaigns . Before WWII the United States Marine Corps was completely segregated and did not allow African Americans to enlist in its ranks . However , in 1942 the Marines did begin inducting African Americans into segregated units . Many of these Marines would fight in Pacific battles like Iwo Jima . The Program . Focusing exclusively on the War in Europe and the mobilization for the Normandy Invasion , A Distant Shore follows the accounts of veterans as they made their way through basic training to England , and then prepared for the landings . Stories include incidents of racism encountered at home and overseas , experiences in England , and the terror of battle on the Omaha and Utah Beaches . Awards . On September 22 , 2008 , A Distant Shore : African Americans of D - Day received the Emmy Award for Best Historical Programming - Long Form , at the 29th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony in New York . Recipients were Executive Producers Louis Tarantino , Dolores Gavin , Executive Producer and Writer Douglas Cohen , and Producer Samuel K . Dolan .