A film on Netflix highlights an African-American unit which stayed in Rouen in 1945

At the end of 2024, the Netflix platform offered a war film like no other: Messengers of war, “Six-Triple eight”. Indeed, it sheds light on the 6888^e postal battalion, a battalion of American women serving on the European continent at the end of World War II.

This unit was made up entirely of women of color and stationed in the urban area of ​​Rouen (Seine-Maritime), from May 20, 1945.

A first for African-Americans

This Tyler Perry film tells an authentic story, but passed over in silence for almost 60 years. Let’s resituate the historical context: in 1942, the USA decided to create women’s forces, but they did not yet consider themselves components of the army.

This status will evolve in 1943. To supervise these future volunteers, female officers must be trained. So African-American women were able to volunteer; a great first in the American army.

The motivations pushing them to this are multiple, but they are mainly patriotic, they stem from a desire for freedom, and to take charge of their future by offering themselves opportunities for development.

• Discover the teaser of the film:

A titanic job

The first black woman to be commissioned as an officer in the United States Army was Charity Adams. It was to her that command of postal battalion 6888 was entrusted at the beginning of 1945. The 850 women of this detachment were sent to Birmingham in order to catch up on a huge mail backlog which was not sent to the soldiers at the front or to their families.

They are given six months so that the 17 million late letters and parcels reach their recipients. Facing segregation within the army and racism from white troops, they rose to the challenge and triumphed. They complete the mammoth task in just three months! This is what the film shows, focusing on this symbolic victory.

A text then scrolls to inform that the battalion then took up quarters at Rouenthen to Parisbefore returning to the USA to be demobilized to general indifference and then falling into oblivion.

Indeed, from May 20 to November 8, 1945, the 6888^e battalion stationed at Petit-Quevillynext to Rouenin the Tallandier barracks (former La Foudre spinning mill). They also have to catch up on a huge backlog of mail. Some go to meet their future husbands there.

This is how the first marriage between black soldiers on the European continent is celebrated on August 19, 1945 in Rouen. This is the ceremony uniting a member of 6888^e bataillon, Florence A Collins, au caporal William A Johnson.

One marriage, three deaths

Moments of joy punctuated the lives of these soldiers in Rouen, but also moments of painnotably on July 8, 1945, when following a road accident Mary Jewel Barlow and Mary Henrietta Bankston lost their lives. Sergeant Browne died of his wounds five days later. They all three belonged to 6888^e battalion.

In the film, an accident is well staged, but it takes place on the streets of Birmingham. The cinematic action is imaginary, certainly relocated to bring a little tragedy to the film.

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