text: 827th tank destroyer battalion the 827th tank destroyer battalion was a tank destroyer battalion of the united states army active during the second world war . it was activated in april 1942 as a segregated african american unit , deploying to europe at the end of 1944 and attached to 12th armored division . it saw action during operation nordwind in january 1945 , where elements of the battalion performed creditably . however , its overall combat record was marred by severe disciplinary problems and insufficient training . it was withdrawn in february , and assigned to rear - area duties ; while it nominally remained active for the remainder of the war , it had been effectively disbanded . background the us army 's basic wartime racial policy , established in 1937 , dictated that both whites and african americans were to be inducted into the army in equal proportions and strength , but that they were to be assigned to segregated units . black soldiers could be led by white officers , but not vice versa , and unit composition was to be strictly controlled by the war department . the mix of combat and support service units was , in theory , to be roughly equal between both groups . this caused tension between the department and operational commanders , with the latter generally unwilling to provide places for black combat units . in practice , almost all combat units in the pre - war period were white . in response to growing pressure for a more equal distribution , the white house issued a statement in october 1940 which , while reaffirming segregation , provided that , " negro organizations will be established in each major branch of the service " . the first black armored units , which had been a matter of great public interest , were activated in early 1941 . two black tank destroyer units were formed that december , as tank destroyer battalions were treated as a separate arm of service . a further five were activated in 1942 , and four ( in addition to two planned , but later canceled ) in 1943 . early service the 827th tank destroyer battalion was activated on april 20 , 1942 , at camp forrest , tennessee , one of five such battalions created that year . initially armed with 75 millimeters ( 3 . 0 in ) m3 gmc half - tracks , it later received the self - propelled m10 tank destroyer before being reorganized as a towed battalion , equipped with trucks and 3 " anti - tank guns . it finally returned to a self - propelled unit , equipped with m18 hellcats . at no point during this constant reshuffling did the unit ever receive a full allocation of equipment . at the same time , the original officer cadre was replaced twice — first with black officers , then with white officers from other disbanded segregated battalions . by the time the battalion sailed overseas , it had seen eight separate commanding officers . the unit emerged from these repeated reorganizations in very poor state ; training was inadequate , with the unit repeatedly failing battalion competence tests , and some areas of combat training — notably indirect fire — were avoided altogether . discipline and order within the unit was equally low — in september 1944 , the battalion held two courts - for murder . the situation was so dire that the battalion 's commander felt it was likely that he would oversee the disbanding of the battalion or its conversion into a non - combat service unit ( the latter of which had already happened to a number of other segregated tank destroyer battalions ) . the 827th was originally scheduled to be sent to the pacific theater , but in february , 1944 , it was declared insufficiently trained and held back for further preparation ; a different unit was substituted at the last minute . the next six months did not show great improvement in quality , but nonetheless the battalion was eventually sent overseas . it arrived in marseille in late 1944 , deploying to the front in december , attached to the 12th armored division . combat the first portion of the 827th to be deployed for combat was a single company in support of the 714th tank battalion of the 12th armored division , on 20 december 1944 . failing to see action , the company was withdrawn to reserve after three days on the line . discipline proved to be a problem during this period , with men abandoning their guns to collect firewood , despite assistance and advice from the tank destroyer battalion ( an experienced and well - regarded black unit operating in the same area ) . a second company was used for screening purposes in the first week of january , also not seeing combat , while the remainder of the battalion narrowly avoided being assigned to an indirect - fire role it was completely unprepared for . on 6 january , the battalion while still attached to the 12th armored division , was assigned to participate in task force wahl led by the 79th infantry division , which was defending against the january , 1945 , german counteroffensive in the alsace - lorraine region . disciplinary problems persisted ; the company ordered to lead the move was unable to deploy as most of its men were absent , and the remainder mostly drunk . by the time the battalion managed to move , one of its officers had shot a man — and been shot himself — while trying to restore order among his company , and in a separate incident a sergeant had been assaulted by one of his own men and , defending himself , accidentally shot a bystander . the following two weeks saw a period of prolonged combat , as the task force slowly fell back to the pressure of the german offensive , with the battalion split up among various commands and often cut off or out of communication . the infantry units the tank destroyers were assigned to expected to take full operational control , often giving inappropriate orders more suited to tanks than to the lightly armored , breeding resentment among the battalion 's crews . at the same time , the 827th had trained with the expectation that the gunners would fire only on the direct instruction of their own officers , which limited both their ability to co - operate with outsiders and their willingness to adapt and improvise during small - scale combat . vehicle commanders regularly argued about orders , or refused to act on them without their " own " commander present . in one case on 9 january , an infantry commander threatened to shoot a m18 crew if it did not engage a german tank stranded on the roadside . not all elements of the battalion suffered similar problems , however ; on the same day , 9 january , b company destroyed eleven german tanks advancing on the village of , with four more the next day , while another section working with the tank destroyer battalion in hatten nearby accounted for nine . these units remained with the infantry in the village for several days , unable to withdraw , and acquitted themselves well in close fighting . this was all the more of an achievement when it was considered that , leaving disciplinary problems aside , the battalion suffered from major training deficiencies and was entirely combat inexperienced . one member of the battalion was awarded the silver star , while the 79th division recommended a crew which had fought in hatten to receive bronze stars — it is unclear if these were ever awarded . service duties following reports of disciplinary problems , vi corps ordered an investigation , which took place over four days while elements of the battalion were still engaged at . it recommended that the battalion be withdrawn and retrained before returning to combat under a new commander , while major - general edward h. brooks , the corps commander , instead recommended that the battalion be entirely disbanded and its men distributed to other units . general alexander patch , commanding seventh army , agreed with brooks , suggesting that a new tank destroyer battalion be formed from the men of service units , themselves replaced by the men of the 827th . this was contentious , however ; the number and status of segregated combat units was a matter of intense political debate , and converting a black combat unit to a service one , in favor of white troops , was likely controversial . as discussion continued , the battalion was withdrawn from the front lines , leaving task force wahl on 23 january . it returned to 12th armored division , where three platoons were committed to combat to support the fighting in the colmar pocket in the first week of february . the remainder of the battalion was kept in reserve , where the disciplinary problems , including assaults on civilians , grew to the point at which the commander had to request outside assistance to restore control on 5 february . the battalion was removed from its attachment to the 12th armored on 12 february — by request of the divisional command — and withdrawn to the rear area of xv corps to take up guard duties . the battalion 's future had been referred to sixth army group , the controlling formation , for further consideration ; after some debate , they requested the investigation be reopened with a particular focus on the enlisted men of the unit . the second inspection showed that the enlisted men were broadly competent at their duties , but that most of them preferred rear - area duties over combat roles . the inspection recommended that the enlisted men be transferred to one of the segregated infantry divisions . in the event , the unit was assigned to sixth army group headquarters , where it was used in a service role . it remained nominally active — to avoid the political fallout of deactivating a black combat unit — but its equipment was transferred as replacements to other battalions and the battalion itself was virtually disbanded as a combat unit .