I’ve seen many documentaries before, but this one will stay in my top five list. It covers a wide array of cultures, war stories and experiences as Morgan Freeman had the opportunity to meet a World War II veteran, Robert Curtis Landry, who was the gunner of the tank and survived his tank being blown up by enemy rockets.
Military culture is all about cohesiveness, vigilance and determination, that’s how you win the war. All of these traits were ingrained in “761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers,” a newly released documentary produced and narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Freeman discusses how long he had been researching this story about the “The Original Black Panthers,” who were the most elite cohesive unit in the United States Army. This unit trained for 2 years and were expected to war and never return, but the 761st Tank Battalion, warred through four European countries for 183 days.
For this unit, there was little to no support for days, which added to their cohesiveness. The motto for the Tank Battalion was a Black Panther and their motto was “Come out Fighting.” Their determination to return to American soil, to their families and endure until the end showed the
This documentary offers great insight into the socioeconomics and aftershocks for Africans living in America during the 1940’s. General Patton valued cohesiveness over the color of one’s skin. General Patton said “I don’t care what color you are…As long as we use all our forces to conquer our common enemy.” The Original Black Panthers were exactly that, an elite cohesive unit.
The statement that Patton, a European American 3 star General in the United States Army.made in the 1940’s, clearly illustrates how important cohesiveness was needed, to win World War II. There are a lot of great interviews with knowledgeable scholars who give elaborate details of the actual conditions of World War II.
Post-slavery families were still enduring unsustainable living conditions after being chattel for decades. Many black men without children and families were drafted, and this documentary highlights some of the black men who chose to join willingly due to the bitter realities of life at home.
Before watching this series I learned about Jackie Robinson and his experiences as a part of the 761st Tank Battalion and racism in the military.
The 761st Tank Battalion had a great impact during World II, as there were some valiant warriors recognized. First was Reuben Rivers, who risked his life to remove a wire trap to help the U.S. gain access to strategic war locations. Then there was Trezzvant W. Anderson, who was a journalist embedded with the 761st Tank Battalion, as media was a major influence during World War II.
From what I gather, the United States military may have lost the war if it weren’t for the Original Black Panthers. This documentary also recognizes The 761s Tank Battalion’s role in rescuing Ashkenazi Jews that were in the Nazi Germany war camps.
This documentary was released on Aug 20th and can be streamed through a History Channel subscription or Amazon Prime History channel subscription costs $2.99. There may be more episodes on the way, but for now there is a powerful 2 hour episode filled with a rich history of untold hero stories. Many African men in the military, without much of an American status, served in the U.S. Military accomplished a phenomenal amount of greatness and showed incredible valor. This documentary remembers African men that European history would like to forget.
For anyone who enjoys military history, especially African and African American contributions to victories of European American wars, this would be worth the time and investment.
