Early in January
1945, the volunteers assembled for six weeks of
standard infantry conversion training. After
training, the African American infantrymen were
organized into fifty three platoons, each under
a white platoon leader and sergeant, and were
dispatched to the field, two to fight with
armored divisions--the 12th and the 14th Armored
Divisions in the Seventh Army; and the rest to
work with infantry divisions-including the lst,
2nd, 8th, 9th, 69th, 78th, 99th, 104th Infantry
Divisions, First Army. Each platoon totaled some
sixty men, about 50 per cent over normal
strength to provide a ready source of
replacements for battle casualties. Because they
were African American, they had to provide their
own replacements. No other source of trained
infantry existed.
Pvt Green's all
volunteer, all African-American platoon was
organized, along with three other such platoons,
into the Seventh US Army Infantry Company No. 4
(Provisional), and joined the 14th Armored
Division on 27 March, 1945. While they were in
combat, the company was attached to the
division’s Combat Command Reserve, and renamed
CCR Rifle Company. Following the war, the
company was attached to the 19th Armored
Infantry Battalion.
On 1 April, 1945
the division began a rapid advance across
Germany from the Rhine River. Pvt. Green’s unit
fought no specific battle on 6 April. It is
possible that Pvt. Green was captured by the
Germans during fighting at or near Frickenhausen
on the previous day, and died on 6 April.
Nothing else is
known about him other than it appears that he
was the first man in CCR Rifle Company to be
Killed in Action. He was 20 years old.
Private Green is buried at Margraten American Military
Cemetery, Plot J Row 21 Grave 10.
