NFL
By: Nathan Snell
Since its inception in 2003, Call of Duty has become one of the most popular game franchises, with approximately 500 million copies sold. It has centered primarily on World War II, with developers Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer effectively portraying the experiences of the countries involved in the conflict, which resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities between 1939 and 1945. Below is a chronological list of Call of Duty games referencing World War II.
Infinity Ward:
– Call of Duty (2003)
– Spinoff: Call of Duty: Finest Hour (2004) developed by Spark Unlimited/Activision
– Call of Duty 2 (2005)
– Call of Duty 3 (2006)
Treyarch:
– Call of Duty: Big Red One (2005)
– Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
– Call of Duty: Final Fronts (2008) developed by Rebellion Developments Limited/Activision
Sledgehammer Games:
– Call of Duty: WWII (2017)
– Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)
Yet, two games in the Franchise historical experiences of African Americans in World War II combat: Call of Duty: Finest Hour (2004) and Call of Duty: Vanguard are not highlighted.
Background
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The Stories:
Call of Duty of Finest Hour: 761st Tank Battalion “Black Panthers” (Battle of Tillet during the Battle of the Bulge)
Baptism of Fire:
As the Allies pushed into the liberation of France, General George Patton was known as “Patton’s Panthers. The 761st Tank Battalion was attached to the Third Army of the United States Army. The first combat test came on November 7th, 1944, leading assaults through several French towns, Moyenic, Vic-Sur-Seille, and Morville-Les-Vic, and the Black Panthers earned their battle scars. The battalion lost 156 men and 34 tanks before pressing on to assist the 101st airborne division that was surrounded in the Belgian town of Bastogne.
Call of Duty Vanguard: 93rd Infantry Division “The Blue Helmets” (Battle of Bougainville)
The 93rd Infantry’s roots date back to World War One. Even though General John Pershing supported having African American troops in the army however due to politics, and Segregation in the United States Military at the time. The four regiments of the 93rd were assigned to the French army as their ranks were depleted by 1918. Most notably the 369 & 370 infantry regiments better known as the “Harlem Hellfighters” and “Black Devils”. The Division during World War Two where their journey started from New Guinea to the Liberation of the Philippines. The division did capture a high-ranking Japanese officer during the Battle of Morotai.
How do the COD Games Have Connections?:
In Call of Duty: Finest Hour, in the American campaign side of the game, after taking control of the city of Aachen with Sergeant Chuck Walker and Corporal Benny Church of Able Company of the 1st Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One. The next mission is known as “Come Out Fighting” You take over as tank commander, Sergeant Sam Rivers of the 761st Tank Battalion.
In the cutscene, Rivers introduces himself before joining the service. He’s 18 and from Chicago. He signed up for the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Rivers mentioned where they were shipped for basic training, Camp Hood in Central Texas, as they did not feel accepted by white officers.
As the cutscene comes to a close Rivers states “For us Victory has a Double Meaning” In the game, Rivers preps his men on the mission at hand for what is ahead. Rivers and his men along with men of the 87th secure the three villages of Tillet, and each village is an encounter of German forces. In closing moments after a failed counterattack, Rivers celebrates with his men as they have accomplished their task, but a voice comes over the radio. Warning Rivers and his company not to go into the town, and the mission comes to an end.
The 761st tank battalion realistically only had 11 operational tanks during the battle of Tilet. Afterwards, the battalion played a role in the battle of Germany such as breaking through the Siegfried Line.
Sam Rivers’ in the game is loosely based on Medal of Honor Recipient Ruben Rivers of Company A of the 761st who was killed leading an attack during the battle of Bourgaltoff (Liberation of Metz)
In Call of Duty: Vanguard, after 17 months the Battle of Midway with Lieutenant Wade Jackson and Petty Officer 3rd Class Mateo Hernandez as the tail gunner are now a part of the New Guinea Campaign of the start Numa Numa Trail mission.
The Mission opens up with a cinematic scene of Jackson and Hernandez trying out to fly and escape from Japanese Zeros that give chase through the jungles of Bougainville. As Jackson who is the pilot of the S-17 gives the Japanese a dogfight, as they continue to fly they are spotted by soldiers on the ground and are shot down. Jackson who took a grueling injury during the crash, Mateo goes ahead to find some help. As the mission progresses Jackson and Hernandez are both captured by Japanese forces. They are brought to a camp where they are interrogated and it looks like they are going to be executed, and then comes members of the 93rd Infantry rescuing led by Sergeant James “Booker” Washington rescue Mateo and Jackson. The mission continues as the men fight their way to the group of pillboxes that are in the defense of an airfield. As Sherman Tanks are approaching on the flanks of the base, a Val dive bomber, the mission climaxes with Mateo and Jackson reaching the plane, and now having to fend off a Japanese counterattack as they attempt to take off. The end cuts to a scene where the soldiers are fighting up a ridge when they notice the Val Bomber. However, it is Jackson and Mateo in support of the assaults as the 93rd takes the ridge, and the cutscene ends.
In reality in the New Guinea Campaign, during the battle of Bougainville, Company K of the 93rd put the division as a whole in a bad reputation. In the fight for Hill 250, an ambush was prepared. The hunter became the hunted, and Japanese soldiers threw Company K into a deadly crossfire which other companies who never saw combat suffered 10 dead and 21 losses. That moment created a narrative that should have started with their commanding officer which reported in General Frank Lucas’ report that did not save the 93rd division at that moment at Hill 250, from a political standpoint hurt them. As the rest of the campaign, General MacArthur made the 93rd with poor morale as a whole from top to bottom essentially assisting allied forces.
In closing, while these two COD campaigns remind of us what these brave men sacrificed, the reality of World War two did not change any perception as the United States Army still segregated black troops. That would all change when President Harry Truman signed the 1948 executive order which slowly but surely ended segregation in the army.
