Did you know this? Black French Troops that fought back Nazis denied place in history!

[aaaaaa5a]

France's military personnel during World War II was made up largely of Africans and minority French immigrants. Many died defending France when Germany invaded during the war. They then joined Allied forces to help liberate the country from the Nazis.

However when it came time to liberate Paris, (which apparently was largely symbolic) the United States demanded the French units be all white for the historic retaking of the French city. Many French divisions were so over-whelmingly black, they literally had trouble finding enough white soldiers to fill the military ranks for the history making march. Many white Frenchmen WHO DID NOT EVEN FIGHT IN THE LIBERATION OF FRANCE were actually brought in to replace them. The BBC is now telling this story in a new documentary.


Link here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7984436.stm





Historic World War II pictures like this were apparently another form of propaganda

[BlooInBloo]

1. Yup.

[empyreanisles]

2. Sonofabitch. I really had no idea.

As a black guy, this disturbs me. They covered it up cause they didn't want to send the wrong message. Appalling.

BTW, you guys should check out Spike Lee's flim, Miracle at St. Anna , about black American soldiers in WW2 Italy. Not stellar, but solid with a bit of a tearjerker ending.

[aaaaaa5a]

9. I had no idea 2/3 of the free French Army was Black when France was freed from Germany!

It really goes to show you about some of the stuff left out or censored from our history.

[Enthusiast]

14. This was a different world in 1945.

Let us all work together to make sure those days are never revisited.

Once I read an article in Military History Magazine (I believe it was) about an all black French force in the middle East in a battle with Nazis. Unfortunately I can't remember the details now.

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. Many of the most patriotic soldiers have been the blacks since WW1 - and still today.

.
.
.

They aren't frat boys with connected daddy's just trying to prove something.

I didn't know about this specific instance, but I don't have one doubt that the USA military did it . .

The USA has never been much on ethics, but big on image, deserved or not ..

[EFerrari]

5. Try since the Civil War and fighting on both sides.

There's a famous story that in his last speech, Lincoln recognized his 200,000 "negro warriors" and said they should be allowed to vote. John Wilkes Booth was in the audience and said to a companion, that mean blacks would be citizens and for that Lincoln needed to be run through. A few days later, he killed the president.

[terisan]

4. DeGaulle--ugh.

[firedupdem]

6. Not surprised. Still makes me sick thinking about it. n/t

[friendly_iconoclast]

7. They were also screwed out of their pensions...

...until the French government was shamed into paying it. Mostly by this film:

Indigènes (AKA Days of Glory)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444182/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_Glory_(2006_film)

Shows the discrimination they suffered, and a pretty good flick to boot.

[EFerrari]

8. Iirc, this also happened to Filipino soldiers who fought with the Americans.

It has only recently been corrected, too. My godfather was one of them.

[14thColony]

11. A very good film

With a touching ending.

[NorthernSpy]

10. Why am I not surprised?

White supremacists are not honorable people, and never have been.

[barbtries]

12. this is news to me

how we gonna hide our president?!

seriously that is fucked up. it does illustrate that we have come far. not far enough, no, but far.

[malaise]

13. I only discovered this on the weekend

No surprise