Telling the story of the African American experience during WW2.

The 5th Platoon is a group of military historians/re-enactors who are passionate in the pursuit and the preservation of WW2 African American military history. Our goal is to inform the public about the largely untold history of black soldiers in WW2 while maintaining a constant level of fun and enjoyment in the re-enactment process. In early March of 1945 more than two thousand hastily trained African American soldiers entered the front lines in Germany to fight alongside white soldiers in infantry and armored divisions engaged in the final battles of WW2 in Europe. These men were formed into fifty two all black platoons, comprised of about fifty men each. An infantry company at full strength has four platoons, the additional fifty men or fifth platoon was added to each white company, which is where the name “5th platoon” was derived. We are driven to tell the story of the African American experience during WW2. This includes the home front experience, the combat experience, and the shifting tide of politics surrounding the deployment and use of Black troops.