RARE.2018.0097: Purchased, 2016 December.
[identification of item], Photograph Album and Photograph Collection Assembled by an African-American Soldier Serving in Europe, SPEC.RARE.0230, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Sara Fuetter, 2018 May; Finding written by: Sara Fuetter, 2018 May; Mackenzie Sommers, 2018 November.
During World War II, nearly 2.5 million African-American men registered for the draft and almost 1 million of them enlisted in the military. Approximately 909,000 men served in the Army, concentrated mainly within the service branches. Throughout the war, African-American companies served alongside white companies in both the Pacific and European theatres. As with everywhere else in American society during the war, the military was marked by segregation and discrimination. African-American soldiers were far less likely to achieve a higher rank and faced disproportionate amounts of punishment and dishonorable discharges compared to their white counterparts.
The Photograph Album and Photograph Collection Assembled by an African-American Soldier Serving in Europe contains photographs consisting mainly of African American soldiers, during their downtime, who fought together in World War II. At least a few of these men served in France and Rome in the 558th Quartermaster Battalion during the war. Along with the soldiers themselves, a few photographs also show the local people and the scenery. The photographs were taken sometime between 1942 and 1945, though the exact time range is unknown. The photographer and creator of the album is also unknown.