AfriGeneas Military Research Forum Archive WWII - The 'Black
Panther' Tank Battalion From the editors of TheHistoryNet The
'Black Panther' Tank Battalion The 761st 'Black Panther' Tank
Battalion was the first African-American armored unit to see
combat. By Joseph E. Wilson, Jr. Before and during mobilization
for World War II, officials in Washington, D.C., debated whether
or not African-American soldiers should be used in armored
units. Many military men and politicians believed that blacks
did not have the brains, quickness or moral stamina to fight in
a war. Referring to his World War I experiences, Colonel James
A. Moss, commander of the 367th Infantry Regiment, 92nd
Division, stated, "As fighting troops, the Negro must be rated
as second-class material, this primarily to his inferior
intelligence and lack of mental and moral qualities." Colonel
Perry L. Miles, commander of the 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd
Division, voiced a similar opinion: "In a future war, the main
use of the Negro should be in labor o