Research Catalog

Title

Going for broke : Japanese American soldiers in the war against Nazi Germany / James M. McCaffrey.

Author

McCaffrey, James M., 1946-

Publication

Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, [2013]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xv, 408 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

"A comprehensive history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II. When Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Americans reacted with revulsion and horror. In the patriotic war fever that followed, thousands of volunteers--including Japanese Americans--rushed to military recruitment centers. Except for those in the Hawaii National Guard, who made up the 100th Infantry Battalion, the U.S. Army initially turned Japanese American prospects away. Then, as a result of anti-Japanese fearmongering on the West Coast, more than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent were sent to confinement in inland "relocation centers." Most were natural-born citizens, their only "crime" their ethnicity. After the army eventually decided it would admit the second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) volunteers, it complemented the 100th Infantry Battalion by creating the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This mostly Japanese American unit consisted of soldiers drafted before Pearl Harbor, volunteers from Hawaii, and even recruits from the relocation centers. In Going for Broke, historian James M. McCaffrey traces these men's experiences in World War II, from training to some of the deadliest combat in Europe. Weaving together the voices of numerous soldiers, McCaffrey tells of the men's frustrations and achievements on the U.S. mainland and abroad. Training in Mississippi, the recruits from Hawaii and the mainland have their first encounter with southern-style black-white segregation. Once in action, they helped push the Germans out of Italy and France. The 442nd would go on to become one of the most highly decorated units in the U.S. Army. McCaffrey's account makes clear that like other American soldiers in World War II, the Nisei relied on their personal determination, social values, and training to "go for broke"--To bet everything, even their lives. Ultimately, their bravery and patriotism in the face of prejudice advanced racial harmony and opportunities for Japanese Americans after the war."--Publisher's website.

Series Statement

Campaigns and commanders ; v. 36

Uniform Title

Campaigns and commanders ; v. 36.

Subjects

• Japanese American soldiers > History > 20th century
• World War, 1939-1945 > Participation, Japanese American
• World War, 1939-1945 > Regimental histories > United States
• World War, 1939-1945 > Campaigns > Europe
• United States > Army > Regimental Combat Team, 442nd
• United States > Army > Infantry Battalion, 100th

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 387-399) and index.

Contents

Pearl Harbor and after -- Birth of the 442nd -- Training -- Trial by fire -- Going overseas -- The 442nd in Italy -- Fighting in France -- Final battles -- Peace.

Call Number

JFE 17-1846

ISBN

• 9780806143378
• 0806143371

LCCN

2012042873

OCLC

814707444

Author

McCaffrey, James M., 1946-

Title

Going for broke : Japanese American soldiers in the war against Nazi Germany / James M. McCaffrey.

Publisher

Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, [2013]

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Campaigns and commanders ; v. 36

Campaigns and commanders ; v. 36.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 387-399) and index.

Research Call Number

JFE 17-1846