WW2: Forgotten Mission of the 6888th Battalion

This episode contains references to highly offensive racist language and events.

In February 1945, with the war in Europe still raging, millions of pieces of mail intended for US troops were languishing in warehouses in Birmingham, England. With no spare military personnel available to sort the mail, the US Army turned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the "Six Triple Eight".

The predominantly Black, all-female battalion, the first of it's kind to go overseas, were tasked with sorting the mail and delivering it to the troops as quickly as possible. Their motto became 'No Mail, Low Morale' given how essential it was to the well-being of troops and military personnel to hear from home and loved ones.

Despite facing racism and discrimination, the Six Triple Eight rose to the challenge and delivered a staggering 17 million pieces of mail in just six months, delivering hope and a little bit of home on the front line.

To help tell their incredible story, host Dr. James Patton Rogers is joined by Commander Carlton Philpot, who has helped to preserve the history of the Six Triple Eight and build a monument to their service. We hear about who the women were, where they came from, and the unique problems they faced sorting mail in the UK, namely, that there were so many Robert Smiths'!

Editor: Annie Coloe

Producer: Elena Guthrie

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code WARFARE. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.