The Harlem Hellfighters Win Gold: The 369th Infantry Regiment in World War I

The road from New York to the Western Front was hardly an easy one, and once in Europe, they faced heavy losses. They spent 191 days in the trenches, the longest time of any American unit. Throughout the war, they never lost an inch of ground or had a man captured. Now, after more than 100 years, they’ve been recognized for “their bravery and outstanding service during World War I.” They were the Harlem Hellfighters.

The Geography and Map Division, along with the Music Division, Manuscript Division, and Veterans History Project, recently participated in a ceremony in which the 369th US Army Infantry Regiment – also known as the Harlem Hellfighters – was awarded a Congressional gold medal. This unit was made up of African American soldiers, mainly from New York. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, they were part of the American Expeditionary Forces which traveled to Europe to aid the Allied armies.

More than two million Americans traveled to the Western Front during World War I as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, where they engaged in duties ranging from front-line combat in the trenches to unloading supplies in French ports. African-Americans represented 3% of the American Expeditionary Forces and were placed in segregated units; along with three other African-American regiments, the 369^th was assigned to the French army and outfitted with French weapons. Over 170 men from the 369^th were awarded with American and/or French decorations, including the Croix de guerre.

This illustrated map of the Western Front shows locations of American military activity throughout France, Belgium, and western Germany. Vignettes around the edge describe important events in the progression of the war, and the border is decorated with the insignias of combat divisions and other American units. The insignia of the 369^th regiment, a coiled rattlesnake (representing their original nickname, the Black Rattlers), appears in the map’s border in the lower right, under the label “Units Assigned to French.” In addition to the locations of important battles and lines of control, the map provides insight into the American soldier’s experience in Europe, in illustrations of the famous “40 men and 8 horses” boxcars they traveled by and scrolls bearing lines such as “And they call this Sunny France” and “When do we eat?”

At first, the Harlem Hellfighters were restricted to labor duties in western France. Once they were attached to the 4th French Army, they were moved to the front lines, and fought alongside French soldiers of all races. The 369^th Infantry Regiment participated in several important battles throughout 1918, including the Second Battle of the Marne and the major Meuse-Argonne Offensive, during which they captured the village of Séchault and its important railroad junction. In the map below, the attack of the 4th French Army is shown as a blue arrow on the left. On October 6^th, as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive neared its end, the unit was relieved.

When the fighting in western Europe concluded on November 11, 1918, the 369^th had returned to the front lines and was stationed in the Vosges Mountains, alongside the 161^st French Division to which they were assigned. There they had endured sporadic fighting until an armistice was declared. This map, from the collection of General Tasker Howard Bliss, shows the locations of Allied and German units along the front and throughout France, Belgium, and western Germany. The 161^st French Division and 369^th US Regiment can be seen in the lower right corner, near the front opposite the 4^th German Cavalry.

The achievements of the men of the 369th Infantry Regiment were numerous, and not limited to the battlefield. The 369th Regiment “Hellfighters” Band, let by the aptly-named Lieutenant James Reese Europe, has been credited with introducing jazz to the continent of Europe. They traveled around hospitals and other locations playing American hits, some of which were reprised at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony earlier this month.

Learn more about the legacy of the Harlem Hellfighters, and about World War I in maps:

• James Reese Europe: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress
• Maps of the First World War : an illustrated essay and list of select maps in the Library of Congress
• Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Minorities in World War I: A Resource Guide