“Harlem Hellfighters”

The 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, earned a legendary reputation on the Western Front for their bravery and endurance. They spent 191 days in frontline trenches—more continuous combat time than any other American regiment—without losing ground or having a single soldier taken prisoner. Despite suffering roughly 1,500 casualties, the highest of any U.S. regiment, they achieved major battlefield success and became the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine River in Germany after the armistice.

Originally organized as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment, the unit was primarily composed of Black Americans from Harlem. When they arrived in France in 1917, they expected to fight for democracy. Instead, they were initially relegated to labor duties—unloading ships and cleaning latrines—because many white American officers refused to fight alongside Black soldiers.

Eventually, the U.S. "loaned" the 369th to the French Army. While the American military was segregated, the French were desperate for reinforcements and welcomed the New Yorkers with open arms. While still wearing American uniforms, the Hellfighters used French weapons and helmets and fought seamlessly alongside French forces. Their courage earned them widespread respect: the French called them the “Men of Bronze,” the Germans dubbed them the “Hellfighters,” and the entire regiment received the French Croix de Guerre for its heroism at the Battle of Séchault.

Harlem Hellfighters training in 1917 in France, They are pictured here using French helmets and French issued rifles.  American forces were still hesitant to arm the troops. 

Henry Johnson: The "Black Death"

The most famous individual hero of the 369th was Private Henry Johnson. During a sentry shift, Johnson and his comrade Needham Roberts were ambushed by a German raiding party of at least 20 men. Despite being wounded 21 times, Johnson fought off the entire group using only a bolo knife after his rifle jammed earning him the nickname from German forces. His bravery was so legendary that he became one of the first Americans to receive the French Croix de Guerre.

The "Black Death," this nickname from German forces during World War I after fighting off a German raid in 1918 despite suffering 21 wounds. 

Bringing Jazz to Europe

The Hellfighters didn’t just change the map of the war; they changed the culture of the world. The regimental band, led by the renowned James Reese Europe, is credited with introducing Jazz to British, French, and even German ears. As they marched through French villages, the syncopated rhythms of Harlem provided a soundtrack to liberation, planting the seeds for the global explosion of Jazz in the 1920s.