Displaying 1 of 1 2003 Format: Book Author: Colley, David P. Title: Blood for dignity : the story of the first integrated combat unit in the U.S. Army / David Colley. Edition: 1st ed. Publisher, Date: New York : St. Martin's Press, 2003. Description: xv, 224 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. Subjects: United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 394th. Company K Platoon, 5th. -- History. United States. Army -- African American troops -- History -- 20th century. World War, 1939-1945 -- African Americans. World War, 1939-1945 -- Regimental histories -- United States. World war, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Germany. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-218) and index. LCCN: 2002036884 ISBN: 0312300352 OCLC: 51022954 System Availability: 1 # System items in: 1 # Local items: 1 # Local items in: 1 Current Holds: 0 Place Request Add to My List Expand All | Collapse All Availability Large Cover Image Trade Reviews Library Journal ReviewThe U.S. Army is the largest and most integrated organization in America. This was not the case during World War II. Colley (The Road to Victory) provides a look into the army's first true experiment at integration, when, owing to manpower shortages, the army trained volunteer black soldiers and assigned them as a 5th Platoon to selected World War II infantry companies. Colley's book traces this experiment from beginning to end, using the words of the men of 5th Platoon, K Company, 394th Regiment, and their white counterparts. Colley does an excellent job of portraying the dual war these men were fighting, on the one hand against the Germans and the other against racism. Their courageous performance not only contributed to victory but would lead to the integration of combat units during the Korean War and full integration shortly after the war. To understand fully the integration of the army, see Charles Moskos's All That We Can Be: Black Leadership and Racial Integration the Army Way. This more focused account is recommended for larger libraries.-Lt. Col. (ret.) Charles M. Minyard, U.S. Army, Mt. Pleasant, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Publishers Weekly ReviewThis compact and clearly written book adds detail to the history of African-American soldiers in World War II. Its subject is the African-American platoons added to white rifle companies near the end of the war in Europe because of a desperate shortage of infantry replacements. The focus is the Fifth Platoon, K Company, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, in action in March and April of 1945, against a German army down but far from out. Ably commanded by white Lt. Richard Ralston, some of the platoon's men had mostly street smarts (such as Waymon Ransom) and others had college degrees (such as Bruce Wright). All felt they had something to prove and by and large come away satisfied. Colley (The Road to Victory: The Untold Story of Wold War II's Red Ball Express) presents the men directly, flaws and all. The black platoons have been frequently mentioned but not covered in such detail before, and the author has added capsule accounts of the African-American experience in the military before World War II and the assaults on their dignity in that war before they were allowed to shed blood. Based on comprehensive interviews and use of written sources, the book will be steadily engaging for anyone interested in WWII and integration history. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved Librarian's View Displaying 1 of 1
