Actor Idris Elba discusses suppressed stories of D-Day’s Black vets

On June 6, 1944, thousands of Americans stormed the shores of the Normandy coast to throw off the yoke of Nazi Germany.
Among the hordes moving en masse towards land were the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. Of all the units to go ashore that day, the 320th was particularly unique. It was the only unit comprised entirely of African American soldiers.
The men of the 320th were brought ashore during the invasion’s first wave and tasked with providing critical protection to the ships and soldiers below from attacks by enemy aircraft, according to the National Air and Space Museum.
Yet their story, like the contributions of over 8 million personnel of color who fought heroically for the Allied forces during the Second World War, has largely been untold.
National Geographic’s “Erased: WWII’s Heroes of Color,” produced by October Films and Idris Elba’s 22Summers, seeks to change that.
The four-part series “weaves a blend of historical dramatizations with curated archival footage, bridging the past with the present to highlight new perspectives on established histories,” according to the series’ synopsis.
“The series showcases the personal narratives of soldiers through their never-before-aired oral testimonies and journal writings, along with powerful accounts from their descendants — stories passed down the generations.”
Elba, who narrates the series, and director Shianne Brown, spoke to Military Times about the men of the 320th and discussed “the irony that this particular set of stories … has not been told.”