African American Military Service Across Two World Wars

W W. I W W. II Black Troops

Archive

[African American Military][WWI] African American soldiers photo archive spanning World War I through World War II, showcasing Black military service during the era of segregated United States armed forces and the expanding technical roles assigned to Black servicemen during the global conflicts of the twentieth century. The images show African American soldiers in military uniform and specialized training environments, including communications instruction and field operations. One image presents a formal portrait of a smiling Black woman soldier in U.S. Army uniform, providing visual documentation of Black women’s participation in the wartime military structure. Additional photographs show African American servicemen posed outside wooden barracks, resting during field exercises in the American Southwest, and operating communications equipment within mobile signal units, illustrating the widening technical responsibilities assigned to Black troops during the Second World War despite the continued enforcement of segregation in the armed forces.

Archive of silver gelatin photographs and one real photo postcard created between World War I and World War II, including examples with contemporary handwritten captions and identifications. One photograph shows a classroom of African American soldiers wearing headphones while transcribing Morse code, captioned on the verso “Colored Soldiers Radio Class, WWII.” Another image depicts a soldier operating a teletype machine inside a mobile communications van, identified in period ink as “AN/GRC-26… equipment is in a van which is placed in the bed of a 2 ½ ton truck making it possible to move rapidly from location to location.” A further photograph is captioned “Dinner on the Field, somewhere in Arizona, Sept. 18–30,” showing two soldiers resting in the desert landscape. Another small photograph depicts a uniformed serviceman standing alone with the inscription “Taken in Belgium.” The archive also includes a mailed real photo postcard dated 1916.

The photographs collectively document the experience of African American servicemen across two global conflicts during a period when the United States military maintained racially segregated units and frequently restricted Black troops to support and technical roles. One particularly revealing item is a German World War I propaganda postcard captioned “Jumbo bei Douamont gefangen genommen” (“Jumbo captured near Douaumont”), referencing the capture of a Black colonial soldier during the Battle of Verdun. The term “Jumbo,” derived from the name of a famous nineteenth century circus elephant, functioned as a racist epithet used in wartime propaganda to dehumanize African soldiers serving in French colonial units. The presence of this postcard alongside photographs of African American soldiers in U.S. uniform underscores the global dimensions of racialized wartime imagery and the varied ways Black soldiers appeared in military and propaganda contexts during the early twentieth century. Archive includes photographs ranging approximately from 10 x 8 inches to 3.5 x 2.5 inches. Moderate handling wear with occasional light creasing to gelatin prints. Overall very good condition.

Item #22494

Price: $1,500.00