CENTER FOR U.S. WAR
VETERANS' ORAL HISTORIES

World War II

Johnnie Stevens

World War II Oral History Interview
US Army, 761st Tank Battalion
Date: April 5, 2002
Interviewer: Carol Fowler
Summarizer: Angelica Juliani
Veterans History Project

Summary

Johnnie Stevens (Left)

Johnnie Stevens was born in November 1920 in Oglethorpe, Georgia, and was a grandson of slaves. Stevens graduated from high school and was working before entering the Army. His father fought in World War I, and Stevens recalled him saying “if you want to give orders, you have to learn to take orders first.” His younger brother also joined the military, after begging their mother to sign a release for him as he was only sixteen years old. Unfortunately, he was killed just a year later, at the age of seventeen when his ship was sunk.

Stevens did not mind leaving Georgia when he enlisted in June 1942, because he felt that the war gave him choices he did not previously have due to racism and segregation. He recalled opposition by some American White people to African Americans joining the military, even though Black soldiers had fought in the Revolution, helped the Union win the Civil War, and had been part of the American army in segregated units ever since. Stevens wanted to join the army to prove them wrong and felt that other African American men did as well.

Stevens enlisted in the army in June 1942 and went to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where one friend from Georgia, George Shivers, joined him for Basic Training. He described boot camp as hard, and he had no time to experience life off the base in Kentucky. Stevens was assigned to the 761st Tank Battalion, an African American unit, where he learned about tanks and their guns, and eventually became a gunnery instructor. He also received additional training in Louisiana at chemical warfare school, and at Fort Hood, Texas.

Stevens explained the difficulties of segregation in the army. Since he was an African American, even though he was a sergeant he was not able to give a white corporal an order. Stevens felt that he was indeed able to accomplish a lot, but still could not reach all his goals. He recalled, however, not experiencing any type of segregation by civilians in European countries.

I wanted to go home and eat some of my Mama’s fried chicken.

The 761st, known as the “Black Panthers” after the unit insignia, was initially issued M3 Light Tanks with thirty-seven millimeter cannons, which were later replaced by M-4 Sherman Medium Tanks armed with seventy-five millimeter guns. The battalion, which was evaluated as a superior unit, deployed to England in 1944. When they left for Europe, the men were told to never mention their location, name of their outfit, or any other specifics in their correspondence which might provide the enemy with intelligence. There was a saying, “loose lips sink ships” and Stevens also wrote his mother to not send him any gifts, only letters.

761st Tank Battalion

The 761st, with six White officers, thirty Black officers and 678 Black enlisted men, landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy in October 1944, attached to the 26th Infantry Division in General George Patton’s Third Army. Patton greeted the 761st, saying: “Men, you’re the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the American Army. I would never have asked for you if you weren’t good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don’t care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sonsofbitches.”

The 761st first saw combat in November 1944, driving through French towns towards Germany, often at the leading edge of the advance in 183 days of continual combat. The unit suffered 156 casualties in November; twenty-four men killed, eighty-one wounded, and forty-four non-battle losses.

Stevens was wounded during the advance. An infantry lieutenant asked him to clear enemy soldiers from the crest of a hill. During the ensuing maneuver, Stevens’ friend George was killed, and Stevens’ tank was hit. He was ejected out of the tank by the explosion, and recalled bleeding badly from multiple injuries. Another soldier picked Stevens up and carried him to safety, but was then killed. Stevens was treated by medics and driven away from the battle, and was never able to find out the name of the soldier who saved him. After three weeks in the hospital, he returned to the 761st.

Anybody who says they wasn’t scared – he’s a liar.

In December, the battalion was rushed to aid the 101st Airborne at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Stevens recalled freezing and not seeing a fire for a month. Soldiers’ socks froze solid, and many men were sick. Officers were not able to relieve soldiers for a break, because they needed every man they had for the battle. Due to a shortage of officers, Stevens was acting platoon leader as a Staff Sergeant. He was grateful he had a tank to sleep in, and he remembered feeling sorry for the soldiers who had to sleep on the ground or in foxholes. During the Battle of the Bulge, Stevens was wounded again, but returned to his battalion.

Johnnie Stevens, Camp Hood 1942

The 761st, now attached to the 95th Division, led the assault on The Siegfried Line (“Devil’s Teeth, Tank Stoppers,” remembered Stevens), breaching it and then rapidly advancing through Germany and liberating several concentration camps in the final days of the war in Europe. On one occasion, he got out of his tank, crawled forward on reconnaissance, and realized he was above a machine gun nest, but was not noticed by the enemy. Stevens threw two grenades into the position and quickly withdrew, using his tank to take out the rest of the German soldiers near the machine gun nest.

He recalled the fear that everyone felt all the time and explained that the fear is what kept you going. He went on to say, “You must understand that heroes are made not born. People called me a hero, but I was not born a hero, I was made a hero.”

Stevens said he felt lucky to be alive, and that God was on his side.

He fought until the end of the war and earned the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the European Theater medal with four battle stars. On May 6, 2006, Stevens and several other World War II Veterans received the French Legion of Honor for their role in the liberation of France.

At the end of his oral history interview, Stevens read aloud his poem, “Dreams of the Past.”

Johnnie Stevens died July 12, 2007 at the age of 87.

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