The 761st Tank Battalion: Black Heroes of Gunskirchen’s Liberation

As we honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Tellers Untold uncovers a critical piece of erased history: the bravery of the 761st Tank Battalion, a segregated African American unit that helped liberate Nazi concentration camps. While mainstream narratives often overlook their contributions, their story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and the fight for justice on and off the battlefield.

“We Just Cried”: The 761st Tank Battalion’s Liberation of Gunskirchen

In May 1945, the 761st Tank Battalion—nicknamed the “Black Panthers”—entered Gunskirchen, a subcamp of Austria’s Mauthausen concentration camp. What they found shocked them:

• Over 15,000 Hungarian Jewish prisoners, many reduced to starving skeletons.
• Prisoners surviving on bark and grass, surrounded by corpses.
• Soldiers sharing their rations and medics scrambling to provide aid.

“We saw these walking skeletons… We didn’t know what to do. We just cried.”
— Sgt. William McBurney, 761st Tank Battalion

Despite their heroism, the 761st waited 33 years to receive their Presidential Unit Citation due to systemic racism in the military.

Beyond Buchenwald: How Black Soldiers Were Erased from Liberation History

While the 6th Armored Division liberated Buchenwald in April 1945, Black soldiers played vital—and often ignored—roles in other liberations:

1. 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion: Cleared mass graves and debris at Dachau.
2. Red Ball Express Medics: Delivered critical care to survivors at multiple camps.
3. 333rd Field Artillery Battalion: Witnessed the horrors of Ohrdruf (a Buchenwald subcamp).

Black soldiers faced a bitter irony: fighting fascism abroad while enduring segregation at home.

Why This History Matters Today

1. Combatting Modern Hate
   Rising antisemitism and anti-Black racism are rooted in the same white supremacist ideologies. Honoring the 761st reminds us that solidarity is our strongest weapon.
2. Reclaiming Erased Legacies
   Stories like the 761st’s liberation of Gunskirchen challenge incomplete narratives of WWII. As educator and historian Dr. Matthew Delmont writes:
   “Black Americans understood the stakes of defeating Nazism better than anyone.”
3. Teaching Intersectional History
   The Holocaust and Jim Crow were distinct atrocities, but both relied on dehumanization. Explore these connections in classrooms using:
   • Books: Half American by Matthew Delmont | Brothers in Arms by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
   • Films: Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts (Netflix)

How to Honor the 761st Tank Battalion’s Legacy

• Visit: The National WWII Museum’s African American Experiences in WWII exhibit.
• Support: Organizations fighting antisemitism and racism (@NAACP, @ADL, @RomaRights).
• Share: This post to amplify untold histories.

Never Again Means Never Again for Everyone

The 761st Tank Battalion’s story is not just about correcting the past—it’s a call to action. Their fight for liberation abroad, while denied equality at home, mirrors ongoing struggles for justice. Let their courage inspire us to confront hatred in all its forms.

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. But if faced with courage, it need not be lived again.”
— Maya Angelou

Let us honor their courage by fighting for a world where no history is untold.

The Power of Remembering Together

At Tellers Untold, we believe that reclaiming erased histories is an act of collective liberation. The 761st Tank Battalion’s story reminds us that progress is possible only when we confront the fullness of our past—its horrors and its heroes. By sharing these narratives, we challenge systems that seek to divide us and build bridges of empathy across communities. As you reflect on their legacy, we invite you to explore more untold histories in our Education Hub or join our upcoming workshop, “From Gunskirchen to George Floyd: Tracing the Roots of Resistance.” Together, we can ensure that courage, no matter how buried, is never forgotten.