Jefferson, Robert F. Fighting for Hope: African American Troops of the 93rd Infantry Division in World War II and Postwar America.

AuthorMyers, Andrew H.
PositionBook review

Jefferson, Robert F. Fighting for Hope: African American Troops of the 93rd Infantry Division in World War II and Postwar America. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. 321 pages. Cloth, $55.00.

The Ninety-Third was one of two all-black infantry divisions organized during World War II. Deployed in the Pacific and used to unload ships and secure islands already taken by other Allied forces, it has not received nearly the attention given to its sister, the Ninety-Second, which saw heavier combat in Europe and engendered greater controversy. Jefferson's book helps correct this imbalance. In so doing, Fighting for Hope makes a valuable contribution to the literature by giving voice to infantrymen and their families who have hitherto gone unheard.

The author's research efforts spanned more than fifteen years. From the National Archives he mastered documents such as inspector-general reports and the correspondence of Truman Gibson, who served in the War Department as a civilian aide for racial matters. Jefferson, an associate professor of African-American studies and twentieth-century U.S. history at Xavier University (OH), also conducted research at the Army Military History Institute where he read the papers of Benjamin Davis, St., who monitored conditions for black soldiers as the only African American general of the war. Furthermore, Jefferson used the papers of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and drew upon newspapers like the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier, which championed the "Double V" campaign--victory over the Axis and Jim Crow--and pushed for the commitment of African Americans to combat in an effort to discredit stereotypes that blacks made poor fighters. These sources aside, soldiers comprise the heart of the book. Jefferson cross-referenced unit rosters, personnel files, and court-martial transcripts with questionnaires, personal letters, and interviews to build a database of 1,149 people.

The Ninety-Third was activated in 1942 after black leaders and newspapers lobbied the War Department to establish more African American fighting units. Members of the division underwent individual training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. After conducting exercises in Louisiana and California, they moved overseas during early 1944 as part of General Douglas MacArthur's "island-hopping" campaign. Instead of fighting, however, they spent their first months of service unloading ships. As a...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT