Photos: A look back at the courageous Harlem Hellfighters of WWI

The all-Black regiment were WWI heroes

August 25, 2021, 3:46 PM

New York -- The 369th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, were the first African American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. Their accomplishments and heroism stood in stark contrast to the racism and discrimination they faced on the home front. Their story has largely been overlooked in mainstream U.S. history.

Now, 103 years after the regiment's service in World War I, it will receive Congress' highest award, the Congressional Gold Medal. The House and Senate voted unanimously to honor the Hellfighters. President Joe Biden signed HR 3642, the “Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act,” into law on Aug. 25, 2021.

African American men recruited for the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, later known as the 369th Infantry Regiment, are headed to Camp Upton, New York for training, ca. 1917-1918.
Library of Congress

In 1916, New York Gov. Charles Whitman formed the 15th New York (Colored) National Guard Regiment, which became the 369th Infantry Regiment after the U.S. entered World War I. The majority of the men were from Harlem -- in their ranks were hotel porters, mailmen and doormen. The men were the first Black soldiers in New York's National Guard.

The governor appointed his former campaign manager William Hayward, a white lawyer, as commander of the unit. The officers Col. Hayward appointed were mostly white due to the politics and prejudices of the time. However, among his Black recruits was James Reese Europe tapped to lead the regimental marching band. Reese joined the regiment as a lieutenant and convinced many established Black musicians to sign up.

When the regiment was deployed to Brest, France, the band, led by Lt. Europe, played a jazz rendition of "La Marseillaise" upon arrival on the docks to the surprise of their French audience.

The 369th Infantry Regiment performs during an Independence Day concert directed by conductor Lt. James Reese Europe, in Chalons-sur-Marne, France, 1918.
Adoc-Photos/Getty Images

In October 1917 the unit was ordered to Camp Wadsworth in Spartansburg, South Carolina. The men faced harassment and abuse from the local population. Col. Hayward, worried about possible violence and tragedy, asked that they be relocated or deployed to France.

Prior to their deployment to Europe, they were denied permission to take part in the farewell parade for the Army's 42nd Division, known as the "Rainbow Division." Hayward was told "Black is not a color of the rainbow." It was a sign of the lack of acceptance, prejudice and discrimination Blacks faced in the military and the country at large. African Americans were considered inferior and not up for serving as soldiers. Their patriotism, intelligence and courage were questioned.

African American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment known as "Harlem Hellfighters," line up in France during World War I, ca. 1918.
Everett Collection via Shutterstock

Once in Europe, the regiment was not initially meant to serve at the front line. Instead, it was tasked with supply jobs and menial labor like most Black troops. Col. Hayward reportedly lobbied Gen. John J. Pershing to let the unit fight. The French were in need of troops. On March 1, 1918, the regiment was renamed the 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, according to former National Archives senior archivist, Barbara Lewis Burger. They joined the French Army's 161st Division and began combat in April.

Col. Hayward wrote to a friend: "Our great American general simply put the black orphan in a basket, set it on the doorstep of the French, pulled the bell, and went away." Though the American Army didn't want Black soldiers fighting alongside white ones, the French welcomed their help.

PHOTO: African American soldiers (and one of their white officers) of the 369th Infantry Regiment known as "Harlem Hellfighters," receive training in the trenches of the Western Front in France during World War I, ca. 1917.
African American soldiers (and one of their white officers) of the 369th Infantry Regiment known as "Harlem Hellfighters," receive training in the trenches of the Western Front in France during World War I, ca. 1917. They are wearing French helmets and using French issued rifles and equipment.
Nawrocki/ClassicStock via Getty Images

In addition to his musical duties, Lt. Europe commanded a machine gun company. He was wounded in a June 1918 German gas attack. He wrote the song, "On Patrol in No Man's Land," while he was recovering in the hospital. After his recovery, he was ruled unfit for combat but continued to lead the regiment band in performances in front of big crowds in Paris. The regimental band is credited with bringing jazz to Europe.

African American musicians members of the 369th Infantry Regiment band led by Lt. James Reese Europe, march across the street from the London Red Cross headquarters at 40 Grosvenor Gardens in London, ca. 1917-1918.
Library of Congress
African American musicians members of the 369th Infantry Regiment band led by Lt. James Reese Europe, play jazz in the courtyard of a hospital for wounded Americans, in Paris, 1918.
Library of Congress

The unit distinguished themselves in combat, including in the Second Battle of the Marne on July 15, 1918. Fighting alongside the French, the 369th lost 14 men and sustained 51 injuries. In the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in Sechault, France, on Sept. 29, 1918, the 369th took the town, but suffered some of the worst casualties by an American regiment in the war. One-third of the unit were casualties of the battle.

The men served 191 days on the front lines, more than any other American unit. The French awarded all 171 soldiers the Croix de Guerre for valor.

PHOTO: Soldiers of the 369th Regiment receive medals awarded to them by France for their valor in battle along the French Army in World War I.
Soldiers of the 369th Regiment receive medals awarded to them by France for their valor in battle alongside the French Army in World War I.
Signal Corps/Courtesy Washington University Libraries

Some of the men of 369th (15th N.Y.) who received the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action are seen in the photo below wearing their medals on board the USS Stockholm, Feb. 12, 1919, awaiting disembarkation in New York.

PHOTO: The 369th Infantry Regiment (15th N.Y.) Known as "The Harlem Hellfighters" is pictured on the deck of the ship Stockholm, upon their return to the U.S. from Europe, on Feb. 12, 1919.
The 369th Infantry Regiment (15th N.Y.) is pictured on the deck of the ship Stockholm, upon their return to the U.S. from Europe, on Feb. 12, 1919. Known as "The Harlem Hellfighters," it was the first African American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Front Row, left to right: Private "Eagle Eye," Ed. Williams; "Lamp Light," Herbert Taylor; Pvt. Leon Fraitor; Pvt. "Kid Hawk," Ralph Hawkins. Back row, left to right: Sgt. H.D. Prinas; Sgt. Dan Storms; Pvt. "Kid Woney", Joe Williams; Pvt. "Kid Buck," Alfred Hanley, and Corporal T.W. Taylor.
NARA

They were the first New York unit to return home. The unit marched up Fifth Avenue in New York City in a victory parade ending in Harlem on Feb. 17, 1919 upon their return. Lt. Europe led the regimental band at the head of the parade.

PHOTO: Crowds waiting for the parade of the famous 369th Infantry, formerly the 15th New York regulars. They marched down 5th Ave. in a parade led by Col. Bill Hayward, held in honor of their return to the country, on Feb. 18, 1919 in New York City
Crowds waiting for the parade of the famous 369th Infantry, formerly the 15th New York regulars. The famous 369th Infantry known as "Hellfighters," marched down 5th Ave. in a parade led by Col. Bill Hayward, held in honor of their return to the country, on Feb. 18, 1919 in New York City.
NARA
The famous 369th Infantry known as "Hellfighters" march by crowds standing in front of the New York Public Library on 42nd St. and Fifth Ave.in New York City, in a parade held in honor of their return to the country, on Feb. 18, 1919.
NARA

Among those in the parade was Pvt. Henry Johnson. On May 15, 1918, Johnson fought off German soldiers, killing several, and saved his fellow American soldier Needham Roberts from capture in northern France. His heroic actions were celebrated in the press at the time. Johnson received France's highest award for valor, the Croix de Guerre, but did not even receive a Purple Heart from the U.S. government after being wounded 21 times.

Returning Black veterans confronted the reality of a country that still held Black people in low regard and feared them. Racist attacks were widespread upon their return to the U.S. in what became known as "The Red Summer of 1919," coined by James Wheldon, field secretary of the NAACP. That summer saw violent attacks including race riots, mob violence and lynchings, initiated by white servicemen against Black veterans in many cases.

PHOTO: Sgt. Henry Johnson waves while the 369th Infantry Regiment marches up Fifth Avenue in New York, on Feb. 17, 1919 during a parade held to welcome the New York National Guard unit home. Johnson won the Croix de Guerre during World War I.
Sgt. Henry Johnson waves to well-wishers during the 369th Infantry Regiment march up Fifth Avenue in New York City on Feb. 17, 1919 during a parade held to welcome the New York National Guard unit home. Johnson was the first American to win the French military's highest honor during World War I.
New York National Guard

A Purple Heart was finally presented to Pvt. Johnson posthumously by President Bill Clinton in 1996. He received the Medal of Honor in 2015 from President Barack Obama, 97 years after his actions on the battlefield.

Sgt. Henry Johnson of the 369th Infantry Regiment was one of the first Americans to awarded the French Croix de Guerre, France's highest award for valor, for his bravery during an outnumbered battle with German soldiers.
U.S. ARMY

Obama said, "his injuries left him crippled, he couldn't find work, his marriage fell apart, and in his early 30's he passed away. America can't change what happened to Henry Johnson, we can't change what happened to too many soldiers like him who went uncelebrated, because our nation judged them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. But we can do our best to make it right."

PHOTO: Members of the 369th Infantry Regiment (15th N.Y.) known as "the Harlem Hellfighters" are pictured on the deck of the ship Stockholm, upon their return to the U.S. from Europe, on Feb. 12, 1919.
Members of the 369th Infantry Regiment (15th N.Y.) are pictured on the deck of the ship Stockholm, upon their return to the U.S. from Europe, on Feb. 12, 1919. Known as "The Harlem Hellfighters," it was the first African American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.
NARA

It was not till July 26, 1948 that President Harry Truman signed an executive order to integrate the U.S. military. The last Black Army unit, the 94th Engineer Battalion, was deactivated in 1954.

More than 100 years after World War I, The Army Center of Military History approved the official designation allowing the 369th Sustainment Brigade, which traces its lineage to the African American 369th Infantry Regiment that helped break down racial barriers, to officially call themselves the "Hellfighters."

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