-- Members of the 369th . Infantry Regiment return from France after World Wa THEY B OKE THE COLOR BARRIER as the first African-American soldiers to man the front lines at the height of World War 1. They spent more ti e in continuous combat - 191 days - than any other American t in that war and never had a man captured by the enemy. They fough heroically and sufferedtremendous casualties, yet they largely were unknown by the majority of Americans back home. The Rredominantly black 369th The result was the 15th New York In 1917,the u.s. entered World Infan Regiment helped open doors National Guard Regiment, which War I, and many National Guard for all American service personnel of Hayward commanded as a colonel. units were pressed into service to color who followed - but they had to fight overseas. Among them was the join the French army to do it. Recruitment boost 15th New York, whose members trav- The saga of the 369th - nick- Hayward established a recruitment eled to Camp Wadsworth in Spar- named the Harlem Hellfighters - station in a Harlem cigar store, but tanburg, S.c., for basic training. The began in New York City several years local blacks weren't exactly busting soldiers endured horrific racial prej- before the Great War. The African- down the door to join. Then promi- udice from white residents and sol- American community in New York nent African-American musician diers. In one incident, Europe's good City had petitioned to establish its and songwriter James Reese Europe friend Noble Sissle was attacked and own National Guard regiment but showed up. Hayward saw in him the physically thrown out of a hotel as initially was rebuffed by the gover- perfect recruitment tool and asked he tried to buy a newspaper. The nor and state legislators. Undaunted, him to organize a regimental band. incident almost set off a race riot, businessman Charles Fillmore es- But Europe, who wanted only to be a and the regiment went back to New tablished a provisional regiment that soldier, balked, informing Hayward York. Shortly after the 15th arrived at trained on the streets of Harlem. A he could do so only if given $lO,OOO to Camp Mills, N.Y.,however, Hamilton law later was passed allowing for the pay his musicians. Hayward tapped a Fish Jr., commander of the 15th's K establishment of a black National wealthy associate for the money, and Company and a future founder of Guard regiment, but the governor soon the 15th New York had one of the American Legion, learned of a never signed the legislation. the country's finest regimental bands. plot by white racists with Alabama's That changed in 1916when the It proved to be a remarkable recruit- 167th Infantry to attack the black New York National Guard received ment aid; within months, the 15th had soldiers. Fish armed his men for self- orders to Texas to address a threat by about 2,000 volunteers, some coming defense but was able to defuse the Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho from as far away as Albany. situation before anyone got hurt. Villa.With the unit deployed, New Yorkwas left unprotected. Attorney William Hayward dusted off the law establishing a black National Guard regiment, and the governor signed it. 72 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2014 IMAGE, OPENING SPREAD, NATIONAL ARCHIVES The 15th received only minimal regimental band disembarked with by General Pershing on the doorstep training in New Yorkbefore boarding its instruments and performed an of France" like an orphan. a ship for France. The trip itself was impromptu concert on the port's A couple of months after the regi- a nightmare. According to Stephen L. quay. The band's jazzy rendition of ment arrived at St. Nazaire, the War I Harris, author of Harlem's Hell Fight- "La Marsellaise," the French national Department created the 93rd Infantry ers: The African-American 369th In- anthem, brought the French soldiers Division, which incorporated black fantry in World War I (Potomac Books, and sailors in the audience to their troops from National Guard units 2005), the first attempted crossing feet. The band performed similar across the country. The 15th New York Nov.11,1917,aboard USS Pocahontas concerts in many small towns as it and the 8th Illinois National Guard (ID-3044), a converted German pas- made its way to Aix-les-Baines in the were assigned to the 185th Brigade, senger ship, was aborted about 100 French Alps to play for soldiers on and the 15th received a new designa- miles out because of engine problems. leave at the R & R center. In so doing, tion - the 369th Infantry Regiment. A second attempt scheduled for the musicians helped introduce Pershing ultimately attached the early December was canceled the much of the nation to this uniquely 369th to the 16th Division of the day of departure because of a coal American style of music, says Harris. French 4th Army,whose weary ser- fire in the ship's port bunkers. On The War Department, in light of vicemembers warmly embraced them. Dec. 12,Pocahontas tried again, this growing racial problems at home, "Bythen, the French were just tired time during a raging ocean bliz- essentially had deployed the 15th of the war," says Harris. "Even though zard. Shortly after putting to sea, the New York to France for its own pro- the 369th provided just 3,600 soldiers, ship became entangled with a much tection. The soldiers believed they [the French] welcomed them." larger oil tanker and received a gash were going over to fight and were along its starboard bow. Luckily, the extremely disappointed when they Harlem Hellfighters damage was above the waterline, and were put to work as stevedores at the As part of the French 4th Army, the crews - working in dangerously cold Port of St. Nazaire instead. Hayward 369th saw more than its share of conditions - were able to repair it. tried to convince Army Gen. John combat - a total of 191days. The Pershing to make the 15th a part of men fought so bravely that their All that jazz the American Expeditionary Forces, French comrades nicknamed them Pocahontas arrived at the port of but he was ignored. Frustrated, he "the Harlem Hellfighters." Brest, France, Dec. 27,1917.The famously said, "My regiment was left Indicative of their valor on the battlefield was an incident involv- (below left) Lt. James Reese Europe, ARNC;, left, organized the 15th New ing Pvt. Henry Johnson and Pvt. York regimental band, later called the 369th Infantry Regiment. (below right) Needham Roberts, who were man- Europe, center, and his fellow band members gather with their instruments. ning a listening post in no-man's PHOTOS: NATIONAL ARCHIVES FEBRUARY 2014 MILITARY OFFICER 73 denied a ... Medal of Honor!' An effort is under way, Harris says, to award Johnson the citation posthumously. The 369th transferred to the 161st French Division and continued to see combat. In July 1918, its members helped repulse a major German at- tack and moved with Allied forces as they pushed the German army back to the Hindenburg Line. On Sept. 26, the Allies began a final offensive against Germany. Despite heavy artil- lery and machine gun fire, the 369th successfully attacked the heights of Bellevue Ridge and took the town of Ripont, crossed the Dormois River, and fought the enemy to Sechault, a village so heavily fortified that French Army Gen. Philippe Petain thought it beyond capture. The Harlem Hell- fighters proved him wrong, taking the town despite heavy casualties. On to the Rhine "That brought the war to an end for the 369th:' says Harris. 'With the Armistice, the French allowed the Hellfighters to lead the Allies to the Rhine!' For its service, the regiment received the Croix de Guerre. Years later, many Harlem Hellfighters also received citations from the U.S. Army. When the members of the 369th returned to New York Feb. 17,1919, Members of the 369th, depicted Johnson used his grenades to kill sev- they were welcomed with a raucous in this Ll.S, Army painting (top), re- eral more. For his bravery, Johnson parade up Fifth Avenue -led by ceived the French Croix de Guerre for r~ceived the French Croix de Guerre. the regimental band under Europe's gallantry (above). Until then, few Americans had direction - that became a genuine known anything about the 369th. lovefest as the black soldiers entered land on the Western Front when 24 That changed almost overnight, as Harlem. "The crowd rushed over to German soldiers attacked them on a newspapers nationwide carried the hug the soldiers," Harris says. "Later, nighttime snatch-and-grab mission. story of Johnson's single-handed the 369th was able to get its own ar- Both men were shot, Johnson three victory against an entire German pla- mory in Harlem. It's still there now. times. But Johnson quickly rose and toon. "The black community sent a "The Hellfighters were pioneers," fired his three-shot rifle, killing as letter to President [Woodrow] Wilson Harris says. "They paved the way for many enemy soldiers. He used the noting the first American hero of the other black regiments and proved empty rifle as a club until it shattered, war was an African-American and they could fight. It's a legacy that then grabbed a bolo knife and slashed asked him to finally speak out against continues today." MO at every German soldier within arm's lynching, which was a huge problem - Don Vaughan, afreelance writer reach. Unable to capture the soldier in the South and elsewhere - and he based in North Carolina, is afrequent from Albany, the remaining German did,", says Harris.