320th Barrage Balloon Battalion

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The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion was an African American United States Army unit that saw combat in Europe during World War II. Their first assignment was Utah and Omaha beaches June 6, 1944. The 1,500-man unit's mission was to set in the air barrage balloons to protect assaulting infantry and armor from being strafed by enemy aircraft. They saw combat in France at Saint-Lô, the Battle of the Bulge during the siege of Bastogne, and the Rhine River Crossing. The late Bill Pinkney (1925-2007), the last original member of the vocal group the Drifters served as a member of the 320th.