Soldiers of color have always served in America’s armed forces. However, it was not until nearly 76 years ago that U.S. military units were integrated.
We know of the heroism of the Tuskegee Airmen, but other troops of color put their lives on the line in battles fought throughout Europe and at Pearl Harbor. National Geographic will premiere two new programs focusing on soldiers of color who served valiantly alongside Allied forces in the 1940s during and surrounding World War II battles.
On June 3, “The Real Red Tails,” a one-hour documentary narrated by Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), will kick off the evening at 8 p.m. Following that, at 9 p.m., is “Erased: WW2’s Heroes Of Color,” a four-part docuseries executive produced and narrated by Idris Elba (“Hijack”), whose grandfather fought in WWII. Both specials will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
“Erased” depicts four episodes about major theaters of war in the 1940s, each of which holds significant historical value: Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Dunkirk, and the Battle of the Bulge. These battles were interconnected, and the episodes were produced to show this.
Historical reenactments, with added curated archival footage, were produced to give viewers a sense of the real war conditions. Filming took place over the past year, with family members on camera sharing what little they knew about their loved one’s sacrifice.
“We filmed episodes over the course of three to four months,” said Charlene Osuagwu, producer for the “D-Day” episode. “Each director owns their episode for about four months, which is not a long time.”
The first episode, “Pearl Harbor,” tells of three Black sailors who not only miraculously survived the attack on Pearl Harbor but also saved countless lives.
The second episode, “D-Day,” is about the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, which helped liberate Europe. These American soldiers were the only all-Black combat unit to fight on the D-Day beaches.
A DMV area connection to the 320th was Waverly Woodson, a U.S. Army medic, who on Oct. 11, 2023, received posthumously, a Bronze Star and the Combat Medical Badge given to Woodson’s wife, Joann Woodson, a resident of Germantown, Maryland. Her husband saved 200 lives on D-Day on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. This episode of “Erased” is timely as the 80th anniversary of D-Day will be observed on June 6.
“We wanted to show that these men were not just accessories to really big events,” Osuagwu said. “They were very much a part of the state of war and contributed overwhelmingly.”
The third episode, “Dunkirk,” is about Force K6, a little-known Indian regiment of mule handlers in WWII, with one pivotal unit that helped to evacuate Allied forces at Dunkirk.
The fourth and final episode, “Battle of the Bulge,” reveals the story of the Black Panthers, an elite African American tank battalion. Never-before-seen diaries and rare interviews chart the unit’s action through France, Belgium and Germany, including in the bloodiest American battle of WWII, the Battle of the Bulge.
For more information about “The Real Red Tails,” and “Erased: WW2’s Heroes Of Color,” go to natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com.
Contributing writer Brenda C. Siler is the daughter of the late Floyd H. Siler Sr., who served with the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. He survived the invasion of Utah Beach in Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 4, 1944.