American Minority Groups in World War II
Encyclopedia
The following passage from pages 187-190 of Selective Service and Victory: The 4th Report of the Director of Selective Service (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1948) represents the best statistical information available to the United States Army Center of Military History to answer questions about the participation of various minority groups in the armed forces of the United States during the Second World War. Note carefully which of these statistics cover those minorities drafted into the armed forces
and which include personnel who voluntarily enlisted. Statistics are extremely difficult to compile since contemporary classifications and the Army's interest in data rarely match modern interests.
registrants and other minority groups of this nature. The main difficulty here was securing the induction of men who were found (1) to be available by the System and (2) to be qualified by the armed forces physical examination
. There were, of course, other problems as evidenced by the following treatment of the matter for the period extending from July 1, 1944 through December 31, 1945.
These Negro inductees made up:
Thus Negroes, who constituted approximately 11.0 percent of all registrants liable for service, furnished approximately this proportion of the inductees in all branches of the service except During the period July 1, 1944-December 31, 1945, 141,294 Negroes were inducted, comprising 9.6 percent of all inductions (1,469,808) therein. Of this number:
The somewhat lower proportion of Negro inductions during this period was principally due to the proportionately lower calls made upon Selective Service for Negro registrants. The Negro call for 18 months was only 135,600, or 8.3 percent of the total call (1,639,100).
Counting enlistments and those in the Enlisted Reserve Corps, a total of 24,085 Japanese-Americans had either enlisted or been inducted into the Army by December 31, 1945. Similar statistics are not available for the naval services. Also by June 30, 1945, a total of 125,880 aliens of various nationalities had enlisted or been inducted into the Army and Navy. The increased proportion of inductions of Japanese-Americans during the two 6-months periods from July 1, 1944, to June 30, 1945 is indicated in the first table. Beginning January 14, 1944, registrants who were natural-born United States citizens of Japanese extraction or parentage were subject to induction in the Army after the War Department
had determined in each case that the registrant was acceptable.
were numerous. The principal one, however, was the severe restrictions placed against Negro enlistments by the armed forces, which, in some periods, amounted to complete prohibition
."
All Races Number 7,041,087 393,392 518,127 272,747 8,225,353
Percent 100 100 100 100 100
White Number 6,139,589 348,060 457,460 236,675 7,181,784
Percent 87.2 88.5 88.3 86.7 87.3
Negro Number 797,444 30,882 46,123 27,447 901,896
Percent 11.3 7.8 8.9 10.1 11.0
Japanese Number 11,260 3,483 2,933 2,404 20,080
Percent 0.2 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.1
Puerto Rican Number 32,344 8,109 8,005 2,980 51,438
Percent 0.5 2.1 1.5 1.1 0.6
Others Number 60,450 2,858 3,606 3,241 70,155
Percent 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.2 0.9
Total White Negro
Number (%) Number (%) Number (%)
TOTAL 483,605 100 477,285 98.7 6,320 1.3
Army 90,707 100 89,952 99.2 755 0.8
Navy 392,898 100 387,333 98.6 5,565 1.4
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
and which include personnel who voluntarily enlisted. Statistics are extremely difficult to compile since contemporary classifications and the Army's interest in data rarely match modern interests.
Minority Groups
Another special problem of great importance in Selective Service operations was the mobilization of NegroNegro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
registrants and other minority groups of this nature. The main difficulty here was securing the induction of men who were found (1) to be available by the System and (2) to be qualified by the armed forces physical examination
Physical examination
Physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which a doctor investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. It generally follows the taking of the medical history — an account of the symptoms as experienced by the patient...
. There were, of course, other problems as evidenced by the following treatment of the matter for the period extending from July 1, 1944 through December 31, 1945.
One Million Negro Inductions
Negroes were an important source of manpower for the armed forces in World War II as is shown by the fact that a total of 1,056,841 Negro registrants were inducted into the armed forces through Selective Service as of December 31, 1945. Of these,- 885,945 went into the ArmyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, - 153,224 into the NavyNavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, - 016,005 into the Marine CorpsMarine corpsA marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
, and - 001,667 into the Coast GuardCoast guardA coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
.
These Negro inductees made up:
- 10.9 percent of all registrants inducted into the Army (8,108,531),
- 10.0 percent of all inductions into the Navy (1,526,250),
- 08.5 percent of all Marine Corps inductions (188,709) and
- 10.9 percent of all Coast Guard inductions (15,235).
Thus Negroes, who constituted approximately 11.0 percent of all registrants liable for service, furnished approximately this proportion of the inductees in all branches of the service except During the period July 1, 1944-December 31, 1945, 141,294 Negroes were inducted, comprising 9.6 percent of all inductions (1,469,808) therein. Of this number:
- 103,360 went into the ArmyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, which was 9.1 percent of all Army inductions (1,132,962). - The NavyNavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
received 36,616 Negroes, or 11.6 percent of its inductees (316,215). - The 1,309 Negroes going into the Marine CorpsMarine corpsA marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
were 6.4 percent of Marine Corps inductions (20,563). - Only 9 Negroes were inducted into the Coast GuardCoast guardA coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
, but this was 13.2 percent of the inductees for this branch of service (68).
The somewhat lower proportion of Negro inductions during this period was principally due to the proportionately lower calls made upon Selective Service for Negro registrants. The Negro call for 18 months was only 135,600, or 8.3 percent of the total call (1,639,100).
Inductions of Other Minority Groups
Inductions into the Army of Selective Service registrants from other racial and nationality groups up to December 31, 1945, included:- 13,311 ChineseChinese peopleThe term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, - 20,080 JapaneseJapanese peopleThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, - 01,320 HawaiiansNative HawaiiansNative Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
, - 19,567 American IndiansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, - 11,506 FilipinosFilipino peopleThe Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
, and - 51,438 Puerto Ricans.
Counting enlistments and those in the Enlisted Reserve Corps, a total of 24,085 Japanese-Americans had either enlisted or been inducted into the Army by December 31, 1945. Similar statistics are not available for the naval services. Also by June 30, 1945, a total of 125,880 aliens of various nationalities had enlisted or been inducted into the Army and Navy. The increased proportion of inductions of Japanese-Americans during the two 6-months periods from July 1, 1944, to June 30, 1945 is indicated in the first table. Beginning January 14, 1944, registrants who were natural-born United States citizens of Japanese extraction or parentage were subject to induction in the Army after the War Department
War Department
War Department may refer to:* War Department * United States Department of War - See also :* War Office , a former department of the British Government...
had determined in each case that the registrant was acceptable.
Negro Enlistments
From December 1942 until VJ-day there were relatively few enlistments into the armed forces as restrictions against the direct recruiting of men in the age group acceptable for service (18-37) were in effect. There were, however, 483,605 other enlistments into the Army and Navy during the period July 1, 1944, to June 30, 1945, but only 1.3 percent were Negroes. Although Negroes constitute approximately 11 percent of the population, aged 18 through 37, only 0.8 percent of Army enlistees and 1.4 percent of Navy enlistees during the period July 1, 1944, to June 30, 1945, were of that race. The reasons why relatively few Negroes enlisted during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
were numerous. The principal one, however, was the severe restrictions placed against Negro enlistments by the armed forces, which, in some periods, amounted to complete prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
."
Army inductions by race, July 1, 1944-December 31, 1945 United States and Territories
Accumulative to June 30, 1944 July–December 1944 January–June 1945 July–December 1945 Accumulative to December 31, 1945All Races Number 7,041,087 393,392 518,127 272,747 8,225,353
Percent 100 100 100 100 100
White Number 6,139,589 348,060 457,460 236,675 7,181,784
Percent 87.2 88.5 88.3 86.7 87.3
Negro Number 797,444 30,882 46,123 27,447 901,896
Percent 11.3 7.8 8.9 10.1 11.0
Japanese Number 11,260 3,483 2,933 2,404 20,080
Percent 0.2 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.1
Puerto Rican Number 32,344 8,109 8,005 2,980 51,438
Percent 0.5 2.1 1.5 1.1 0.6
Others Number 60,450 2,858 3,606 3,241 70,155
Percent 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.2 0.9
Enlistments by race and service, July 1, 1944 to June 30, 1945
Branch of ServiceTotal White Negro
Number (%) Number (%) Number (%)
TOTAL 483,605 100 477,285 98.7 6,320 1.3
Army 90,707 100 89,952 99.2 755 0.8
Navy 392,898 100 387,333 98.6 5,565 1.4
Further reading
- MacGregor, Jr., Morris J. Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 Defense Studies Series (Washington, 1981).