Half American

May 1, 2022

Dartmouth historian Delmont (Black Quotidian) revisits the bitter irony of Black Americans fighting fascism during World War II while facing racism, with portraits of some of the million-plus men and women who served and of others like war correspondent Langston Hughes and civil rights leader Ella Baker.

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Starred review from July 25, 2022
The persistence of white supremacy in the U.S. means that the nation was not fully victorious in WWII, according to this revelatory history. Highlighting the Pittsburgh Courier’s “Double Victory” campaign, which sought “victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home,” Dartmouth history professor Delmont (Black Quotidian) documents the harassment of the 94th Engineer Battalion by white police officers and citizens in Guron, Ark., among other episodes of racial intimidation and violence, and details the role Black newspapers played in warning about the dangers of fascism and celebrating the achievements of African American soldiers. Delmont also profiles the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, an all-volunteer force that fought in “racially integrated units” against Nationalist troops in Spain, and the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black pilots who helped capture the Italian islands of Pantelleria and Sicily, only have their combat performance unfairly questioned by their white commander. Throughout, Delmont makes clear how Black soldiers’ experiences stoked their commitment to fighting for racial justice, noting, for instance, how the preferential treatment of German POWs at U.S. military bases revealed that “Jim Crow segregation and the Nazis’ master-race theory were two sides of the same coin.” The result is an eloquent and essential corrective to the historical record. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary.

Starred review from September 1, 2022

Civil rights expert Delmont (history, Dartmouth; Why Busing Failed) has written what is sure to become the standard text on the experience of Black U.S. soldiers--enrolled in segregated units of all the military branches--who fought in World War II. He also touches on the vital contributions of Black industrial workers during the war. Many readers will be struck by how difficult it was for Black people to gain the right to fight for a country that treated them badly. While books have been written on the experiences of individual units and soldiers, this one takes a unique approach, making it one of the best and first truly comprehensive books on the subject. This is long overdue. Delmont relied heavily on newspaper accounts from Black newspapers of the period and shows how this history was written out of official "white" histories of the war. VERDICT Written in an engaging style, this book will be enjoyed by anyone seeking a fuller understanding of Black experiences of World War II.--Michael Farrell

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2022
With the coming of WWII, African American men and women across the U.S. volunteered for the armed services. The irony was scarcely lost on them that in many parts of their own nation they were considered second-class citizens at best. White military officers actively objected to Black service members in their ranks, and Jim Crow segregation became the military order of the day. Noted historian Delmont (Why Busing Failed, 2016) documents the African American experience in WWII; soldiers often spent as much effort fighting racists in American ranks as they did waging war against overseas enemies. Delmont delves deeper to tell the story of African Americans who had recognized the fascist threat a decade earlier and volunteered for the republican cause in the Spanish Civil War. He retells the saga of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., and the Tuskegee Airmen as well as celebrates less known but equally heroic enlisted men and women. Particularly compelling is Delmont's analysis of the mutiny court martial of Black sailors at Port Chicago off San Francisco Bay. Now largely forgotten, this cause c�l�bre for civil-rights activists led to desegregation of the Navy. Delmont's work restores these times to our collective memory.

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Starred review from August 15, 2022
Black Americans played crucial roles in nearly every theater of World War II, but they have been largely ignored in historical accounts. Delmont sets the record straight. Delmont, a professor of history at Dartmouth who has written numerous books on civil rights and Black history, notes that he was surprised when his initial research revealed the number of Black men and women who served during the war: more than 1 million. Due to prejudice among White military leaders, most Black soldiers were assigned roles in construction, transport, supply, and maintenance. Even under appalling conditions, they served courageously, and the final victories in Europe and the Pacific would not have been possible without them. Once they were allowed to serve on the battlefield, they were indispensable. "The trailblazing Tuskegee Airmen, 92nd Infantry Division, Montford Point Marines, and the 761st 'Black Panther' Tank Battalion served bravely in combat," writes Delmont, "and Black troops shed blood in the iconic battles at Normandy and Iwo Jima, and the Battle of the Bulge." As the author shows in this illuminating history, military training camps were brutally segregated, and civilian Black Americans faced obstacles when applying for jobs in war factories. One reason was the belief that military service would help fight discrimination within the U.S., a concept encapsulated in the "Double V" campaign promoted by Black leaders: victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home. Even after the war, little changed for the Black community. Black veterans often found themselves ineligible for the benefits available to their White counterparts, and even Black men in uniform faced harassment. Delmont suggests that the wartime contributions of Black Americans planted the seeds for later progress, although it would be a long, difficult path--and one not yet finished. The narrative is disturbing and painful, but it provides important pages that have been missing from American history. A vital story well rendered, recounting a legacy that should be recognized, remembered, and applauded.

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