While the 92nd Infantry Division was composed of black soldiers, it was still, in fact, directed by white officers. This was not the first war that this division had fought in as volunteered for duty in the American west to prevent Indian attacks. As a result, these soldiers were nicknamed "buffalo soldiers" and the buffalo became the symbol of this troop of soldiers. Later, they were assembled during WWI and fought together in it. The division was activated again in October of 1942 under the command of General Edward M. Almond.In 1944, the American government rescinded its policy excluding African-American soldiers from combat which allowed for the 92nd Infantry Division to fight in Europe. They were trained in the fall of 1942 and went into action in Italy in the summer of 1944. At the time the troop landed in Italy, the Allies were in desperate need of infantry troops. The main goal in this Italian campaign was to push the Germans out of Italy. The 92nd Infantry Division was assigned to the Serchio Valley and the coastal sector along the Ligurian Sea. There they occupied the westmost end of the Allied Front where they would face mountainous terrain and extreme resistance from the Germans. Overall, the 92nd Infantry Division played an important role in the defense and attack of Italy and helped push the German lines back. Just as important, this infantry troop showed that black Americans could fight just as well as white Americans.
Source:
https://www.historynet.com/how-the-buffalo-soldiers-helped-turn-the-tide-in-italy-during-world-war-ii.htm
I found this post interesting considering the fact that this was the only black combat unit in WWII. Following their achievements in the Italian Campaign, I wanted to see the public reaction to this Infantry division. The unit captured 20,000 German troops and gained 3000 square miles of land in Italy. The group in total received 12,000 medals and recognitions, along with 2 Medal of Honors. This unit, in fact, was able to break through the Gothic line that separated Axis and Allied powers during the war.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.historynet.com/how-the-buffalo-soldiers-helped-turn-the-tide-in-italy-during-world-war-ii.htm
http://92ndinfantry.org/