Jima, and
elsewhere, suffering combat casualties and winning combat citations
for their units.

[Footnote 4-27: Shaw and Donnelly, _Blacks in the
Marine Corps_, pp. 29-46. See also, HQMC Div of
Public Information, "The Negro Marine, 1942-1945,"
Ref Br, Hist Div, HQMC.]

The increased allotment of black troops entering the corps and the
commandant's call for replacing all white noncommissioned officers
with blacks as quickly as they could be sufficiently trained caused
problems for the black combat units. The 51st Defense Battalion in
particular suffered many vicissitudes in its training and deployment.
The 51st was the first black unit in the Marine Corps, a doubtful
advantage considering the frequent reorganization and rapid troop
turnover that proved its lot. At first the reception and training of
all black inductees fell to the battalion, but in March 1943 a
separate Headquarters Company, Recruit Depot Battalion, was organized
at Montford Point.[4-28] Its cadre was drawn from the 51st, as (p. 109)
were the noncommissioned officers and key personnel of the newly
organized ammunition and depot companies and the black security
detachments organized at Montford Point and assigned to the Naval
Ammunition Depot, McAlester, Oklahoma, and the Philadelphia Depot of
Supplies.

[Footnote 4-28: Memo, CO, 51st Def Bn, for Dir, Plans
and Policies, 29 Jan 43, sub: Colored Personnel,
Ref Br, Hist Div, HQMC.]

In effect, the 51st served as a specialist training school for the
black combat units. When the second black defense battalion, the 52d,
was organized in December 1943 its cadre, too, was drawn from the
51st. By the time the 51st was actually deployed, it had been
reorganized several times and many of its best men had been siphoned
off as leaders for new units. To compound these losses of experienced
men, the battalion was constantly receiving large influxes of
inexperienced and educationally deficient draftees and sometimes there
was infighting among its officers.[4-29]

[Footnote 4-29: For charges and countercharges on the
part of the 51st's commanders, see Hq, 51st Defense
Bn, "Record of Proceedings of an Investigation," 27
Jun 44; Memo, Lt Col Floyd A. Stephenson for CMC,
30 May 44, sub: