Black GI’s After Landing on Omaha Beach as Part of the 1st Army’s Assault Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
A rare, official U.S. Army photo shows armed African American troops moving forward into German occupied France during the Allied Invasion of Normandy. Approximately 500 black soldiers from a total force of 29,714 men attacked Omaha Beach under heavy enemy fire. Their story, until lately, remained largely untold.
With rare exceptions, throughout most of World War II, African Americans in the military were relegated to non-combative, support roles such as drivers, cooks, launderers, stevedores, stewards, and ammo handlers. The above scene clearly indicates the near end of war policy shift toward deploying black troops in combat.
However, black veterans returned home frustrated with Jim Crow and by a strong resemblance between Nazi Aryanism and the segregated American army sent to destroy it. Moreover, benefits offered under the new GI Bill to assist veterans obtain education, jobs, mortgages, and business loans which propelled so many white families into middle class affluence were unevenly apportioned to applicants of color or denied altogether.