Task Force 38 Off the Coast of Japan The first quarter moon hung in the western sky gleaming dimly through scattered clouds over the Pacific; the moonlight sufficient to illuminate the many wakes of the huge formation of ships below. At 0300 hours, an observer would have heard the calls to reveille echoing across the still-dark sea throughout the darkened fleet.
Speaking of remembering - something far too many of us are unaware of.
The 761st Tank Battalion - all black men - Morgan Freeman is doing a documentary - it took decades for these men to get the medals & awards they earned! Sound familiar?
Yet another piece of US history that doesnt show up in the history books!
Those guys, and the Red Tails, and the others who had been to Europe and found out what it was like to live in a non-racialized society came home with that knowledge and were the cutting edge of the civil rights movement in their communities in the 50s.
My strong impression is that American Blacks could live in France back then without facing discrimination. Probably same in England. I don't know how it was in other countries.
I think England was considerably behind the rest of Europe in these matters (especially France...think guys like Sidney Bechet). an English friend once told me about the old and very regrettable expression "w**s start at Calais."
other English friends have told me that racial attitudes (including feelings about people from India) in the UK started to shift considerably with the large influx of West Indians in the fifties.
but certainly, there were no Jim Crow-type situations in Europe during the war. on that level, things were a lot less racialized than they were (and continue to be in some places) HERE.
I've been meaning to ask, Tom...are you aware of a book called "Impact" by Lester Nichols? it's a history of the Tenth Armored Division. it turns out that the book was entirely ghostwritten by my dad, who was Nichols's assistant PR Director at CCNY until 1954, when he took over and actually got the job done properly for another 23 years. Nichols was a miserable, incompetent racist who actually couldn't string more than two declarative sentences together and was about as racist as most ostensible NYers GOT back then. but I see the book's been republished and seems to have some fans on Amazon.
My father Vic was lucky to be assigned to the new squadron commanded by Richard Crommelin (VF-88) in September 1944. My parents' photo album has a picture of the founding dinner party of VF-88 showing the Crommelins, Cagles, my parents, and many others in the new squadron. Before deploying to the Pacific, many VF-88 pilots including Vic were detached to form a new Corsair squadron, VBF-88.
On that final morning of the war when Vic was scheduled to fly, the report came back on the loss of the VF-88 pilots, and his mission was changed to 'Dumbo CAP' to protect seaplanes that were searching for survivors.
It has always bothered me that the decision was made to continue heavy conventional attacks during the period when there were credible reports of surrender discussions in the Japanese government.
Yeah, it's like the story my great-grand-uncle told me about losing his best friend in the unit at 10:55 a.m. on November 11, 1918, to a German sniper.
Speaking of remembering - something far too many of us are unaware of.
The 761st Tank Battalion - all black men - Morgan Freeman is doing a documentary - it took decades for these men to get the medals & awards they earned! Sound familiar?
Yet another piece of US history that doesnt show up in the history books!
The original "Black Panthers"
Exactly! Then they came home after the war & were back in the good old USA - no rights!
Those guys, and the Red Tails, and the others who had been to Europe and found out what it was like to live in a non-racialized society came home with that knowledge and were the cutting edge of the civil rights movement in their communities in the 50s.
The military was still segregated, not sure Europe was all that non-racialized back then, was it?
My strong impression is that American Blacks could live in France back then without facing discrimination. Probably same in England. I don't know how it was in other countries.
You're right. When white MPs hassled black GIs in England, English people came out and defended them.
I think England was considerably behind the rest of Europe in these matters (especially France...think guys like Sidney Bechet). an English friend once told me about the old and very regrettable expression "w**s start at Calais."
other English friends have told me that racial attitudes (including feelings about people from India) in the UK started to shift considerably with the large influx of West Indians in the fifties.
but certainly, there were no Jim Crow-type situations in Europe during the war. on that level, things were a lot less racialized than they were (and continue to be in some places) HERE.
“Shoot it down, not with hostility but with compassion.” Thanks, TC.
Thanks, TC. You write this stuff so well. The photo of the Japanese POWs, with all heads bowed as one in defeat, is amazing. An honor/ shame society.
Thank you. We need to remember.
I've been meaning to ask, Tom...are you aware of a book called "Impact" by Lester Nichols? it's a history of the Tenth Armored Division. it turns out that the book was entirely ghostwritten by my dad, who was Nichols's assistant PR Director at CCNY until 1954, when he took over and actually got the job done properly for another 23 years. Nichols was a miserable, incompetent racist who actually couldn't string more than two declarative sentences together and was about as racist as most ostensible NYers GOT back then. but I see the book's been republished and seems to have some fans on Amazon.
No, I haven't seen it. It's selling as a collectible at Amazon.
My father Vic was lucky to be assigned to the new squadron commanded by Richard Crommelin (VF-88) in September 1944. My parents' photo album has a picture of the founding dinner party of VF-88 showing the Crommelins, Cagles, my parents, and many others in the new squadron. Before deploying to the Pacific, many VF-88 pilots including Vic were detached to form a new Corsair squadron, VBF-88.
On that final morning of the war when Vic was scheduled to fly, the report came back on the loss of the VF-88 pilots, and his mission was changed to 'Dumbo CAP' to protect seaplanes that were searching for survivors.
It has always bothered me that the decision was made to continue heavy conventional attacks during the period when there were credible reports of surrender discussions in the Japanese government.
Yeah, it's like the story my great-grand-uncle told me about losing his best friend in the unit at 10:55 a.m. on November 11, 1918, to a German sniper.
Still reading, and going down rabbit holes. https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/CHARLES_L._CROMMELIN,_CDR,_USN
Yeah, the Crommelin brothers were really something.
Thank you for providing that link Gail.
Oh, man, can you write!! This is why the Hollywood writers strike must be won!