More Regiments Like the 442nd in WW2

So I'm thinking about writing a timeline in which the US decides to field multiple regiments consisting of people from Axis-allied countries to fight. Similar to the 442nd, there would also be an all-German unit, all-Italian, and perhaps other Axis-related countries if enough potential soldiers could be found.

My 4 questions though, before I even think about writing such a thread, are:

  1. How feasible is this, with regards to both methods (scrounging up enough people to form such regiments) and motives (would the US government and military be receptive to such a move)
  2. Could the US potentially send these regiments to fight against their home countries, i.e. sending the 442nd into the Pacific or an all-German brigade into Europe
  3. What would be the effect of such regiments, both during the war and after, both internationally and domestically?
 
442d is easy to conceptualize and assemble, as the only military service option for many. What's the criteria for the Bier Brigade, as opposed to just regular military service?
 
There was a battalion of Norwegian nationals. It fought in Europe 1944-45 & was sent to Norway April 1945. Maybe two dozen German nationals were recruited by the OSS in 1945. A few were used in operation in Austria & S Germany.
 
442d is easy to conceptualize and assemble, as the only military service option for many. What's the criteria for the Bier Brigade, as opposed to just regular military service?
Perhaps a just another regular combat regiment like the 442nd, or maybe a special forces unit?

Honestly, I'm fine with either one.

I also thought of a potential anti-concentration camp unit composed of mixed Germans, Jews, Slavs, etc. or an all-Jewish unit, but then I remembered that there were plenty of anti-semites in the State Department, so perhaps that isn't nearly as feasible as something like the 442nd or a similar ethnicity-based unit.

Your thoughts?
 
If the US Army can do this sort of thing they can generally organise units along geographic lines to better generate unit cohesion. But the US Army preferred administrative convenience over this sort of thing.
 
The movies taught me the army always gave each squad one Midwesterner, one deep southerner, one Jew, and a wisecracking Italian from Brooklyn.
 
The 74th Regiment was stood up for the planned invasion of Norway and included the 99th Norwegian-American battalion made up of Norwegian
speaking US citizens and two battalions from the disestablished 2nd Ranger Bn and Soecial Service Force. The patch was a Viking longboat with Ranger scroll on sail imposed on the Red Arrowhead of Special Service Force.
 
Just a thought by why not a Chinese Regiment to fight the Japanese in Burma/China?

Actually there was a corps. The US equipped, supplied, & trained two or three KMT divisions for service in Burma. Select US Army personnel were attached for technical and staff support.

Strictly speaking this corps did not fit the OP requirements here. But, it does represent the number of foreign manned units the US supported 1943-45. By mid 1944:. French 10, Brazil 1, Chinese 3, were equipped and supplied by the US. Also the corps overhead, army overhead, and three airwings for the French.
 
Perhaps a just another regular combat regiment like the 442nd, or maybe a special forces unit?

Honestly, I'm fine with either one.

I also thought of a potential anti-concentration camp unit composed of mixed Germans, Jews, Slavs, etc. or an all-Jewish unit, but then I remembered that there were plenty of anti-semites in the State Department, so perhaps that isn't nearly as feasible as something like the 442nd or a similar ethnicity-based unit.

Your thoughts?
The British Army did raise a Jewish Brigade, and the SIG. Perhaps with US support in might become a Division?
 
Actually there was a corps. The US equipped, supplied, & trained two or three KMT divisions for service in Burma. Select US Army personnel were attached for technical and staff support.

Strictly speaking this corps did not fit the OP requirements here. But, it does represent the number of foreign manned units the US supported 1943-45. By mid 1944:. French 10, Brazil 1, Chinese 3, were equipped and supplied by the US. Also the corps overhead, army overhead, and three airwings for the French.

Good points and they served with distinguish and blood. One if the reasons the US was called the arsenal of democracy.

I was thinking a unit made up of Chinese Americans. I am not sure if it could or would be called up.
 
Just a thought by why not a Chinese Regiment to fight the Japanese in Burma/China?

Because such a unit may have to fight alongside regular U.S. forces, and a lot of young American troops would probably see little difference between Chinese and Japanese.

I hate to say that about my own country, but there it is.

As to forming an all-German combat regiment? We had some German units, such as German-born or descended troops who spoke German and served in field PSYOPS units.

For line combat troops, I see no reason for it, as Americans of German heritage were allowed to enlist freely in the wider military.
 
Because such a unit may have to fight alongside regular U.S. forces, and a lot of young American troops would probably see little difference between Chinese and Japanese.

I hate to say that about my own country, but there it is.

As to forming an all-German combat regiment? We had some German units, such as German-born or descended troops who spoke German and served in field PSYOPS units.

For line combat troops, I see no reason for it, as Americans of German heritage were allowed to enlist freely in the wider military.
I suppose the German part is true, as well as the Italians. However, I do disagree about the Chinese aspect, since US relations with China were quite friendly at the time. I mean, at least their propaganda did so.
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I guess Chinese/Jewish/other European minority that was persecuted during the Holocaust regiments would be feasible, but the fact that Germans and Italians are allowed to enlist freely would preclude any formation of units based on them.

Would anyone care to compile a list of possible nationality/ethnicity-based units then? I'd like to add as many as possible.
 
The point of the 442 was that Nisei, although American citizens on the same basis as those of Italian, German (or Hungarian, Slovak etc) origin were specifically segregated for racial reasons. Remember there were no major dislocations of German or Italian Americans or internment camps. Certainly folks with specific foreign language skills (including Navajo) were used in units that would need those specific skills whether something like OSS, code talkers, or more "conventional" type units. To segregate units by ethnicity or religion would be quite contrary to the whole melting pot idea, and would be resisted by most of the soldiers. If one used the theory behind the employment of the 442, units made of soldiers of German, Italian or other Axis European ethnics would only be used in the Pacific theater so as not to be tempted to "go over" to their ethnic brothers. A bad idea.
 
Good points and they served with distinguish and blood. One if the reasons the US was called the arsenal of democracy.

I was thinking a unit made up of Chinese Americans. I am not sure if it could or would be called up.

A lot of Chinese Americans already served in white units.
 
The best option I can think of for a ethnic unit in the US military is to raise an all American Indian unit. Native Americans were not segregated like African-Americans and served in all white units. A large portion of the Native-American population however lived on reservations.

My idea is that the US Army recruits Indians to form Ranger battalions for service in Alaska.
It would be believed that Indians from tribes like the six nations of the Iroquois for example would be comfortable operating in the forests of Alaska. The Army also decides to expand on the idea of the Code-Talkers. It is decided that Indians could operate behind enemy lines speaking in the language of their tribes.
Once Attu and Kiska are recaptured the Indian Rangers deploy to England for Operation Overlord. Perhaps they are used to rebuild the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions after Anzio.

Another option is the Army can overcome it’s racism and organize more African-American combat units and actually have them used in combat.
 
The old state militia and National Guard regiments were heavily segregated by ethnic criteria. Some western NG regiments were effectively Hispanic or Native American, some of the Midwestern urban NG regiments could have used German as their command language. Part of that was the militia regiments doubling as social clubs in the 19th & early 20th Century. In the Great War the Army made some initial efforts to break ethnic concentrations; i.e.: the Rainbow Division formed out of NG regiments with distinct differences. Draftees were distributed through the regiments with varying regard to ethnic origin. Some officers took the ethnic thing seriously, others did not care much, some not at all. In the 1930s & 40s there were still a number of officers who thought that at least the "Colored" & Asians should be segregated, but they were running against the growing social trend.

After the formation of the Army Ground Forces & Army Service Forces in early 1942 the formation of specific ethnic units ran against the ultra modern methods of assigning strictly according to talent, training, and where needed. Through 1943 personnel were routinely stripped out of existing units to form new units, or replace men moved up or out from other existing units. There were some exceptions but over all AGF & ASF had little use for assigning soldiers by any other criteria than where needed.
 
Just a thought by why not a Chinese Regiment to fight the Japanese in Burma/China?

The best option I can think of for a ethnic unit in the US military is to raise an all American Indian unit. Native Americans were not segregated like African-Americans and served in all white units. A large portion of the Native-American population however lived on reservations.

My idea is that the US Army recruits Indians to form Ranger battalions for service in Alaska.
It would be believed that Indians from tribes like the six nations of the Iroquois for example would be comfortable operating in the forests of Alaska. The Army also decides to expand on the idea of the Code-Talkers. It is decided that Indians could operate behind enemy lines speaking in the language of their tribes.
Once Attu and Kiska are recaptured the Indian Rangers deploy to England for Operation Overlord. Perhaps they are used to rebuild the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions after Anzio.

Another option is the Army can overcome it’s racism and organize more African-American combat units and actually have them used in combat.

Innuit Scouts.
 
So what I'm understanding is that an Innuit, native American, and Japanese unit are the only possible ethnic-based units due to the whole "melting pot" idea. Am I understanding the whole thing correctly?

Would special forces then be more plausible?

Alternatively, what if the 442nd was not formed, but instead the US armed forces allowed Nisei into the army via normal channels instead of creating a special unit for them? Or am I underestimated the level of anti-Japanese sentiment?

Also, is the possibility of Axis-nationality US soldiers defecting to the enemy side really that huge of a risk? I don't recall there being more than a few cases of such events.
 
My understanding is that Americans of Japanese ancestery who served in the US Army in WW2 fought in the ETO - the most obvious reason being that there would be no potential conflict of loyalty and also obviosly no potential to msitake an American-Japanese person as an enemy. The other reason is a Japanese - American captured by the Japanese probably would not stand a chance.

So German - Americans and any unit principley fiormed from a grouping of American-Germans serving in the US Armed forces would I suspect be sent to the Pacific theatre/other no ETO for the same reasons as above.

A more modern example of this is Irish servicemen and units in the British armed forces generally did no serve in Northern Ireland during the 'troubles'.
 
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