The 5th Armored Group was an all-black segregated armored formation that served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The 5th was the only segregated
armored group formed during the war and one of only two armored groups that did not deploy, although its assigned tank battalions all saw combat in the
European Theater of Operations.
The 5th Armored Group was activated on 23 May 1942. It was composed of the
758th Tank Battalion (Light),
761st Tank Battalion (Medium) and
784th Tank Battalion (Medium).
[Lee, Ulysses. ''The Employment of Negro Troops''. Washington, DC: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2001. p. 121.]
The 5th Armored Group was commanded by Colonel
LeRoy Nichols
Leroy or Le Roy may refer to:
People
* Leroy (name), a given name and surname
* Leroy (musician), American musician
* Leroy (sailor), French sailor
Places United States
* Leroy, Alabama
* Le Roy, Illinois
* Le Roy, Iowa
* Le Roy, Kansas
* Le ...
. However, the assigned battalions deployed individually to Europe where they were attached to various divisions to meet operational requirements. The formation existed as a "paper" headquarters at
Camp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp in the 1930s continuing through World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres (93 k ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, and
Fort Huachuca,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, and was inactivated on 1 December 1944.
References
{{reflist
African-American history of the United States military
Groups of the United States Army
Armor units and formations of the United States Army