Baseball in Wartime

Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice

 

Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII

 

If they can fight and die on Okinawa and Guadalcanal in the South Pacific,

they can play baseball in America.

Baseball Commissioner AB "Happy" Chandler

 

 

Name Position Team Service Location Years Details
Russell Awkard OF Newark Eagles Army ETO 1941-1945 Quartermaster Corps in England, France and Belgium.
John "Red" Bailey   Toledo Crawfords Army USA 1942- Fort Bragg
Dan Bankhead P Birmingham Black Barons Marines   1943-1945  
Richard A "Skeeter" Banks   Richmond Giants Army MTO 1941-1945 Trucking company in N Africa, Sicily and Italy
Lamb "Bud" Barbee 1B Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1943-1945  
Sam Barber P Cleveland Buckeyes Army   1942-1945  
Bill Barnes P Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1944-1945  
Jeremiah Bennett   Philadelphia Stars Army Pacific 1942-1945  
Charlie Biot OF Baltimore Elite Giants Army Pacific 1942-  Captain of 93rd Division baseball team. (369th Infantry Regt)
Joe Black P Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1943-  
Garnett Blair P Homestead Grays   Army   1942-1945  
William "Bill" Blair P Cincinnati Clowns Army     Youngest African-American to serve as first sergeant
Jim Bolden P Cleveland Buckeyes Army   1942-1946  
Lyman Bostock, Sr 1B Birmingham Black Barons Army   1942-1945  
Herb Bracken P Cleveland Buckeyes Navy Pacific 1944-1945 Was 13-1 at Great Lakes and served in Hawaii.
Sherwood Brewer 2B Kansas City Monarchs Army Pacific 1943-  Discovered playing baseball in Guam. Also served in Korea.
Barney Brown P Philadelphia Stars Army   1943  
James Brown P Newark Eagles Army ETO 1944-1945  
Willard "Home Run" Brown OF Kansas City Monarchs Army ETO 1944-1945 Played for ETO champion OISE All-Stars in 1945.
Allen "Lefty" Bryant P Kansas City Monarchs Army   1941-1945 Sergeant.
Chester Buchanan P Philadelphia Stars Navy   1944-1945  
Ernest Burke P Baltimore Elite Giants USMC Pacific    
Matthew "Lick" Carlisle 2B Homestead Grays Navy   1945  
Elmer Carter   Kansas City Monarchs Army ETO/MTO 1942-1945 In N Africa and Normandy
Marlin Carter 3B Memphis Red Sox Coast Guard  Pacific 1943-1945 Saw Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
James "Bus" Clarkson SS Philadelphia Stars Army Pacific 1943-1945 Camp Clarkson, CA and New Caledonia with field artillery unit
Jim Cohen P Indianapolis Clowns Army USA 1942-1946 Camp Lee, Virginia.
Jim Colzie P Indianapolis Clowns USAAF USA 1943-1945 Orlando AAB, Florida
Bill Cooper C Philadelphia Stars Army   1943-1945  
Jimmie Crutchfield OF Chicago American Giants Army   1943-1945  
Ross "Satchel" Davis P Cleveland Buckeyes Army   1944-1945  
Spencer Davis OF New York Black Yankees Army   1944-1945  
Leon Day P Newark Eagles Army ETO 1944-1945 At Utah Beach on D-Day with 818th Amphibian Battalion. Played for ETO champion OISE All-Stars in 1945.
Larry Doby SS Newark Eagles Navy   1944-1945  Was at Ulithi.
Mahlon Duckett INF Philadelphia Stars Army   1944-1945  
Frank Duncan, Jr C/MGR Kansas City Monarchs Army  ETO  1942-1943 Drafted in 1942/43 aged 42. Sergeant with 371st Infantry, 92nd Division.
Frank Duncan III P Kansas City Monarchs Army   1942-1943  
Jake Dunn SS Philadelphia Stars Army   1942-1945 One of the first Negro Leaguers to enter military service.
Howard Easterling 3B Homestead Grays Army   1944-1945  
Jim Elam P Newark Eagles Army   1944-1945  
Wilmer "Red" Fields P Homestead Grays Army   1943-1946  
Joe Fillmore P Philadelphia Stars  Army   1943-1946  
Jake Flowers IF   Army ETO 1944 Corporal
Jonas Gaines P Baltimore Elite Giants Army USA 1943-1945  Fort Lewis
Jerry Gibson OF-P Homestead Grays Army   1944-1945  
Bill Greason P Birmingham Black Barons USMC      
James "Pea" Greene C Kansas City Monarchs Army MTO 1943-1945 92nd Division, anti-tank company. In North Africa and Italy.
Bob Griffith P New York Black Yankees Army ETO 1944-1945 Corporal
Paul Hardy C Birmingham Black Barons Army   1943-1945  
Chuck Harmon SS US Navy USA Great Lakes NTS
David "Bill" Harvey P Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1944-1945  
Johnny Hayes C New York Black Yankees Army  ETO 1944-1945  
Curtis Henderson SS New York Black Yankees Army   1944-1945  
Leo "Preacher" Henry P Indianapolis Clowns  Army   1944-1945  
Billy Horne 2B Cleveland Buckeyes Army   1945  
Sammy T Hughes 2B Baltimore Elite Giants Army Pacific 1943-1946 196th Support Battalion during invasion of Guam.
Monte Irvin OF Newark Eagles Army ETO 1943-1945 GS Engineers 1313th Battalion
Clarence "Pint" Israel  INF Homestead Grays  Army   1943-1945  
Willie Jefferson P Cleveland Buckeyes  Army   1942-1943  
Byron Johnson SS Kansas City Monarchs Army ETO   Quartermaster Corps. Landed in Normandy June 11, 1944.
Clifford "Connie" Johnson P Kansas City Monarchs Army   1943-1945  
Josh Johnson C New York Black Yankees Army ETO 1942-1945 2nd Lieutenant. Anti-aircraft unit. Red Ball Express convoy system.
Ralph Johnson P Philadelphia Stars Army   1942-1944  
Larry Kimbrough P Philadelphia Stars Army   1944-1945  
Rufus Lewis P Newark Eagles USAAF   1943-1954  
Max Manning P Newark Eagles USAAF ETO 1942-1945 316th Air Squadron Quartermaster Corps. Red Ball Express
Tom Martin     USAAF USA   Salt Lake City
Nath McClinic OF Cleveland Buckeyes Army      
Clint "Butch" McCord 1B Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1944-1945  
Walter McCoy  P Chicago American Giants Army USA 1943-1944  
John "Mule" Miles 3B/OF Chicago American Giants USAAF USA 1942-1945 Trained as aircraft mechanic
James "Red" Moore 1B Baltimore Elite Giants Army ETO 1941-1945 Served combat engineer battalion of Third Army
John "Buck" O'Neil 1B Kansas City Monarchs Navy Pacific 1943-1945 Construction Battalion.
Tom Parker P New York Cubans Army   1944  
Charlie Parks C Newark Eagles Army  ETO 1943-1945  
Andrew "Pat" Patterson 3B Philadelphia Stars Army   1942-1945  
Bill Perkins C Philadelphia Stars Army   1944-1945  
Leornard "Len" Pigg C Indianapolis Clowns Army Pacific 1940-1945 Quartermaster Corps at Ft Still (OK). Nine months in Philippines.
Nat Pollard P Birmingham Black Barons Army   1944-1945  
Dave Pope OF   Army USA 1943-1946 Camp Lee, Virginia
Henry "Hank" Presswood SS/3B Kansas City Monarchs Army   1945-1947  
Bill Randall OF Homestead Grays Navy USA 1943-1946 Great Lakes
Ulysses Redd SS Birmingham Black Barons Army ETO    
Earl Richardson SS Newark Eagles Navy   1944-1945  
John "Hoss" Ritchey C Chicago American Giants Army ETO/Pacific 1943-1945 Combat Engineer in Europe. Also seven months in Pacific.
Henry Frazier Robinson C Baltimore Elite Giants Navy   1943-1945  
Jackie Robinson SS Kansas City Monarchs Army USA 1942-1944 761st Tank Destroyer Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.
Robert Romby P Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1943-1945  
Leon Ruffin C Newark Eagles Navy   1943-1945  
Frank Russell INF Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1945  
Joe Scott 1B Birmingham Black Barons Army ETO 1941-1945 Staff Sergeant. 350th Field Artillery, 46th Brigade.
Dickie Seay 2B-SS New York Black Yankees Army  USA 1943-1945  Dow Field
Robert Sharpe P Memphis Red Sox Army   1945-1946  
Hubert "Bert" Simmons P/OF Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1943-1945  
Herb Simpson 1B/OF Homestead Grays USAAF ETO 1943-1945 2057th Quartermaster Corps, Eighth Air Force.
Gene Smith P New York Black Yankees Army   1943-1945  
John Ford Smith P Kansas City Monarchs USAAF   1942-1945 Lieutenant.
Raymond Smith P Philadelphia Stars Army   1943-1945  
T R "Ted" Strong OF Kansas City Monarchs Navy   1943-1945  
Lonnie Summers C Chicago American Giants Army ETO 1942-1945 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
Alfred "Slick" Surratt OF Detroit Stars Army Pacific   Served at New Guinea and the Philippines.
Reece "Goose" Tatum     USAAF      
Johnny "Schoolboy" Taylor P New York Cubans Army   1942-1945  
Olan "Jelly" Taylor 1B Memphis Red Sox Army   1942-1945 One of the first Negro Leaguers inducted after Pearl Harbor.
Henry "Hank" Thompson 2B Kansas City Monarchs Army ETO 1944-1945 1695th Combat Engineers. At Battle of the Bulge.
Robert "Bob" Thurman OF Homestead Grays  Army Pacific 1942-1945 Discovered playing baseball in New Guinea and Philippines.
Ted Toles P Pittsburgh Crawfords Army      
Johnny Washington 1B Baltimore Elite Giants Army   1942-1945  
Andy "Big Six" Watts 3B Cleveland Buckeyes  Navy Pacific 1944-1945 With 1944 Great Lakes baseball champions. Also at Guam.
Roy Welmaker P Homestead Grays Army   1942-1944  
David "Speed" Whatley OF Homestead Grays Army   1944-1945  
Frank Williams OF Homestead Grays Army   1944-1945  
Jesse Williams SS Kansas City Monarchs Army   1943-1945  
Wilmore Williams OF Newark Eagles Navy   1944-1945  
Al "Apples" Wilmore P Philadelphia Stars Army Pacific 1943-1946 595th Field Artillery Battalion, 93rd Division.
Emmett Wilson OF New York Black Yankees Army   1944-1945  
Fred Wilson OF Indianapolis Clowns Army USA 1944 Fort Benning, Georgia.
Johnny Wright P Homestead Grays  Navy USA 1944-1945 Great Lakes baseball team
James Zapp  OF Baltimore Elite Giants  Navy  Pacific 1942-1945 Discovered on Hawaii teams that won 1943 and 1944 championships.

 

Thanks to Bill Swank, Ken Sulik, Bryan Steverson, Mischa Gelman and Bill Nowlin for their very kind help in adding names
and further information to the above list.

 

Updated June 7, 2009

 

OISE All-Stars 1945
Willard Brown and Leon Day (front row, far right) with the OISE All-Stars - 1945 ETO Champions

 

 
     
 

 

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