Colored Troops

Sgt Willie Collins is one of the unsung heroes of the D-Day Landing, African-American soldier killed on Omaha Beach on the 6th of June. Enlisted at the age of 21 in a Georgia Camp and trained in a colored battalion commanded by white officers. The U.S. Army practiced then segregation within its ranks, white and blacks were separated. Colored soldiers were mostly assigned to logistical duties rather than combat duties.

U.S Army logistic in WW2 was vital to frontline infantrymen, food, spare parts, munitions and gasoline kept the troops going toward victory. Cherbourg, the only deep-water port in Normandy, had up to 8500 black American Dockers unloading cargoes. The Red Ball Express was composed exclusively of black drivers pumping men and materiel from Normandy to the front lines.