369th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 369th Infantry Regiment, originally formed as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment before it was re-organized as the 369th upon its federalization and commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, was an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard during World War I and World War II. The regiment mainly consisted of African Americans, but it also included men from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guyana, Liberia, Portugal, Canada, the West Indies, as well as white American officers.[2] With the 370th Infantry Regiment,[3] it was known for being one of the first African-American regiments to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.[4]
This article is about the infantry regiment made famous by its nickname, the Harlem Hellfighters. For the novel by Max Brooks, see The Harlem Hellfighters.
15th New York National Guard Regiment
369th Infantry Regiment
2 June 1913–present (369th Sustainment Brigade)
15 May 1942–3 February 1946 (AUS)
United States
United States Army
French Army (attached during WWI)
Infantry
Hell-fighters, Men Of Bronze, Black Rattlers
"Don't Tread On Me, God Damn, Let's Go"
The regiment was named the Black Rattlers after arriving in France by its commander Colonel William Hayward.[5] The nickname Men of Bronze (French: Hommes de Bronze) was given to the regiment by the French after they had witnessed the gallantry of the Americans fighting in the trenches. Legend has it that they were called the Hellfighters (German: Höllenkämpfer) by the German enemy, although there is no documentation of this and the moniker may have been a creation of the American press.[6][7][8] During World War I, the 369th spent 191 days in front line trenches, more than any other American unit. They also suffered the most losses of any American regiment, with 1,500 casualties.[9][10] The regiment was also the first of the Allied forces to cross the Rhine into Germany.
World War I[edit]
Formation[edit]
The 369th Infantry Regiment was constituted on 2 June 1913 in the New York Army National Guard as the 15th New York Infantry Regiment. The 369th Infantry was organized on 29 June 1916 at New York City.[16]
The infantry was called into Federal service on 25 July 1917 at Camp Whitman, New York. While at Camp Whitman, the 369th Infantry learned basic military practices. After their training at Camp Whitman, the 369th was called into active duty in New York. While in New York, the 369th's three battalions were spread throughout New York where they guarded rail lines, construction sites, and other camps.
Then on 8 October 1917 the Regiment traveled to Camp Wadsworth in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where they received training in actual combat. Camp Wadsworth was set up similar to the French battlefields.[1] While at Camp Wadsworth they experienced significant racism from the local communities and from other units. There was one incident in which two soldiers from the 15th Regiment, Lieutenant James Reese Europe and Noble Sissle, were refused by the owner of a hotel shop when they attempted to buy a newspaper. Several soldiers from the white 27th Division, a New York National Guard organization, came to stand with and support their fellow New York soldiers. Lieutenant Europe, however, directed them to leave before violence erupted.[17] There were many other shops that refused to sell goods to the members of the 15th Regiment, so members of the 27th Division told the shop owners that if they did not serve black soldiers that they can close their stores and leave town. The white soldiers then stated "They're our buddies. And we won't buy from men who treat them unfairly."[18]
The 15th Infantry Regiment NYARNG was assigned on 1 December 1917 to the 185th Infantry Brigade. It was commanded by Col. William Hayward, a member of the Union League Club of New York, which sponsored the 369th in the tradition of the 20th U.S. Colored Infantry, which the club had sponsored in the U.S. Civil War. The 15th Infantry Regiment shipped out from the New York Port of Embarkation on 27 December 1917, and joined its brigade upon arrival in France. Despite its designation and training as an infantry regiment, the unit was relegated to labor service duties in France instead of being assigned a combat mission.
The 15th Infantry Regiment, NYARNG was reorganized and re-designated on 1 March 1918 as the 369th Infantry Regiment, but the unit continued labor service duties while it awaited a decision as to its future.
Coast Artillery[edit]
After World War I, the regiment was reorganized in the New York National Guard as the 369th Infantry, and its headquarters was federally recognized on September 6, 1924. In 1938, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. became the regimental commander, and he led a reorganization that resulted in the fielding of the 369th Coast Artillery Regiment in 1940. The regiment was activated for federal service in 1941 as the U.S. Army expanded during preparations for entry into World War II.
The 369th Coast Artillery was broken up in December 1943 as Follows:
Headquarters Detachment, 1st Battalion, as Headquarters Battery, 369th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
Headquarters Detachment, 2d Battalion, as Headquarters Battery, 870th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion
The remainder of the regiment was reorganized as: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 369th Antiaircraft Artillery Group; 726th Antiaircraft Artillery Searchlight Battery; and elements of the 369th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion and 870th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion.[40]
World War II[edit]
On 15 May 1942, the 369th Infantry Regiment was re-established as an element of the 93rd Infantry Division (Colored) in the Army of the United States; as a result, this iteration of the 369th Infantry does not have any lineal connection with the 15th New York established before World War I and that is still active in the present day.[41] It was deployed overseas and participated in labor and security operations in the Southwest Pacific Area. The 369th, along with the rest of the 93rd Infantry Division, occupied Morotai in Dutch New Guinea from April to June 1945, seeing limited combat. The division redeployed to Zamboanga in the Philippines on 1 July 1945, where it conducted "mop up" patrols until the Japanese surrendered on 15 August. The 369th left the Philippines with the division on 17 January 1946, returning to the United States on 1 February. The unit was deactivated two days later.
Armory[edit]
In 1933, the 369th Regiment Armory was created to honor the 369th regiment for their service. This armory stands at 142nd and Fifth Avenue, in the heart of Harlem. This armory was constructed starting in the 1920s and was completed in the 1930s.[42] The 369th Regiment Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994[43] and was designated as a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1985.[44]
Later years[edit]
The infantry's polished post-World War I reputation was not completely safe from external criticism, which ultimately surfaced as a result of ongoing racial tension in the United States. In 1940, the Chicago Defender reported that the United States Department of War arranged for the 369th regiment to be renamed the "Colored Infantry." The department announced that there were too many infantry units in the national guard and the 369th regiment would be among those slated to go, the first alleged step toward abolishing the famed unit. Supporters of the regiment swiftly objected to the introduction of racial identity in the title of a unit in the United States army, effectively preserving the regiment's reputation.[45] However, eventually, all African American US Army units were renamed as "Colored," and the 369th served in World War II as the 369th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft) (Colored), with its successor being the 369th Infantry Regiment (Colored).[46]
In 2003, the New York State Department of Transportation renamed the Harlem River Drive as the "Harlem Hellfighters Drive."[47] On 29 September 2006 a twelve-foot-high monument was unveiled to honor the 369th Regiment. This statue is a replica of a monument that stands in France. The monument is made of black granite and contains the 369th crest and rattlesnake insignia.[48]
Descending units of the 369th Infantry Regiment have continued to serve since World War I. The 369th Infantry Regiment continued to serve up until World War II where they would be reorganized into the 369th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. The newly formed regiment would serve in Hawaii and throughout much of the West Coast. Another 369th Infantry Regiment was raised in 1942 as part of the 93rd Infantry Division (Colored) but is not listed as a New York National Guard unit.[46] At some time, postwar, the 369th was re-formed into the present-day 369th Sustainment Brigade.[49][50]
The Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the regiment in August 2021 in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during World War I.[51]
369th Veterans' Association[edit]
The 369th Veterans' Association is a group created to honor those who served in the 369th infantry.[69] This veterans group has three distinct goals. According to the Legal Information Institute of the Cornell Law Institute these include, "promoting the principles of friendship and goodwill among its members; engaging in social and civic activities that tend to enhance the welfare of its members and inculcate the true principles of good citizenship in its members; and memorializing, individually and collectively, the patriotic services of its members in the 369th antiaircraft artillery group and other units in the Armed Forces of the United States."[70]
Depiction in media[edit]
Fictionalized accounts which feature the Harlem Hellfighters include the 2014 graphic novel The Harlem Hellfighters written by Max Brooks and illustrated by Caanan White. It depicts a fictionalized account of the 369th's tour in Europe during World War I.[7][71][72] As of March 2014 a film adaptation of the aforementioned novel is in the works under Sony Pictures and Overbrook Entertainment.[73]
In 2018, the 369th Infantry Regiment became a part of the documentary Noble Sissle's Syncopated Ragtime, directed and produced by Daniel L. Bernardi and David de Rozas with the collaboration of El Dorado Films and the Veteran Documentary Corps. The film subject is musician and Harlem Hellfighters' soldier Noble Sissle, the documentary won Best US Documentary Feature Film at the 2019 American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund.[74]
The Swedish power metal band Sabaton dedicated a song to the Harlem Hellfighters on their 2022 album The War to End All Wars.[75]
In Valiant Hearts: Coming Home the 369th Infantry Regiment is depicted and is to honor those who served in the Harlem Hellfighters during World War I.