320th Barrage Balloon Battalion
CountryUnited States
BranchU.S. Army
EngagementsWorld War II

The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion was an African American United States Army unit that saw combat in Europe during World War II. This VLA (Very Low Altitude) barrage balloon battalion "was raised up in 1942 just a year after the Coast Artillery Corps took over responsibility for barrage balloons from the Army Air Corps."[1] Their first assignment was Utah and Omaha beaches on 6 June 1944 (the D-Day invasion). The mission of the 621-man assault force was to raise hydrogen-filled barrage balloons to protect assaulting infantry and armor from being strafed by enemy aircraft. "They flew at an altitude of around 200 feet to defend soldiers landing on the beaches against strafing attacks by German aircraft."[1] A commendation by Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower cited the unit for conducting "its mission with courage and determination, and proved an important element of the air defense team".[2] The battalion served 140 days in France.[3] In late July 1944, Battery A of the 320th moved from Omaha Beach to the port city of Cherbourg. The remaining three batteries stayed on Omaha and Utah Beaches until early October, when deteriorating weather prevented ships from landing. The battalion's service in France came to an end on 24 October, when the men boarded ships bound for England.[3] "By the end of October 1944, the 320th VLA Battalion was on its way back to Camp Stewart, Ga., to train for service in the Pacific Theater. They eventually made it as far as Hawaii before the war ended."[1]

The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion was unique at Normandy for two reasons. First, it was the only American barrage balloon unit in France and second, it was the first black unit in the segregated American Army to come ashore on D-Day.[4] Five battalion medics were the first to land on Omaha Beach at approximately 9 a.m.[5] A wounded medic, Waverly B. Woodson Jr., was nominated for the Medal of Honor, though he never received it.[6] In 2020 four members of U. S. Congress proposed legislation authorizing the President to award it posthumously.[7]

The VLA units used smaller barrage balloons weighing only 35 pounds (16 kg) that could easily be moved by a few men and transported across the channel on landing craft. A standard balloon crew was normally five men, but the 320th reduced crews to three and four men for the Normandy invasion.[8]

Henry Parham, the last surviving member of this unit, died in July 2021.[9]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Sherman 2014.
  2. ↑ Hervieux 2015, p. 239.
  3. 1 2 Hervieux 2015, p. 251.
  4. ↑ Gawne, Jonathan. Spearheading D-Day, American Special Units in Normandy. pp. 187–191. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  5. ↑ Hervieux 2015, p. 213.
  6. ↑ Hervieux 2015, p. 242.
  7. ↑ Flynn, Meagan (8 September 2020). "He saved scores of lives on D-Day. Lawmakers say he was passed over for the Medal of Honor because he was Black". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. ↑ Hervieux 2015, p. 236.
  9. ↑ D'Angelo, Bob (10 July 2021). "Henry Parham, last survivor of Black unit on D-Day, dead at 99". Boston 25 News. Retrieved 18 July 2021.

References

  • Hervieux, Linda (2015). Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, At Home and at War. United States: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-231379-9.
  • Mills, Alice (2014-12-02). Black GIs Normandy 1944. Editions Cahiers du Temps. Kindle Edition.
  • Sherman, Ben (1 May 2014). "All-black balloon unit served with distinction on D-Day". www.army.mil. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
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