Go for Broke: Meet the Japanese Who Fought for the U.S. During World War 2

It may surprise many to know that the most decorated unit in U.S. Army history was mostly made up of Japanese-Americans. Formed in 1943, the 442nd Infantry Regiment was composed of second-generation Japanese-Americans, the majority of whom were born in the then-territory of Hawaii.

The Struggles of Japanese-Americans During Wartime

Now, I don’t think I need to tell you just how much it sucked to be Japanese in wartime America. There was a LOT of prejudice against Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor, and many were held in internment camps as a result of the government questioning their loyalty. But in Hawaii, such a practice was not imposed due to the fact a good chunk of their population (150,000) were Japanese. It would be from here most of the 442’s men would come from, as many of them wanted to take part in the war effort and prove they had no sympathies for the Empire of Japan. They were Americans.

These men were formed into the “Hawaiian Provisional Battalion” and sent to the mainland. First in California and later in Wisconsin, where they were assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion. In February of 1943, the 442nd Combat Team was activated and would soon find themselves in the thick of the action in Europe.

The 442nd Infantry Regiment in Action

The 442 landed at Anzio on May 28 and would see action in some of the most brutal fighting of the Italian campaign. They were later deployed to France and fought their way into Germany, all the while earning a reputation as one of the most battle-hardened units in the Army. By the time the war came to an end and the unit disbanded in 1946, the 442 had earned: