Harlem's Hell Fighters: The African American 369th Infantry in World War I

by Stephen L. Harris

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, thousands of African-American men volunteered to fight for a country that granted them only limited civil rights. Many from New York City joined the 15th N.Y. Infantry, a National Guard regiment later designated the 369th U.S. Infantry. Led by mostly inexperienced white and black officers, these men not only received little instruction at their training camp in South Carolina but were frequent victims of racial harassment, from both civilians and their white comrades. Once in France, they initially served as laborers, all while chafing to prove their worth as American soldiers. Then they got their chance. The 369th became one of the few U.S. units that American commanding general John J. Pershing agreed to let serve under French command. Donning French uniforms and taking up French rifles, the men of the 369th fought valiantly alongside French Moroccans and held one of the widest sectors on the Western Front. The entire regiment was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the French government’s highest military honor. Stephen L. Harris’s accounts of the valor of a number of individual soldiers make for exciting reading, especially that of Henry Johnson, who defended himself against an entire German squad with a large knife. After reading this book, you will know why the Germans feared the black men of the 369th and why the French called them "hell fighters."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Social Justice, World War I

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harlem's Hell Fighters: The African-American 369th Infantry in World War I tells the story of a truly remarkable unit, which began life in 1916 as the 15th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard. With the entry of America into the war in April 1917, its commander, Colonel William Hayward, a Spanish-American war veteran and transplant from Nebraska who had the ear of New York's political establishment (and to some extent, the ears of some national leaders as well) had petitioned the War Department to have the 15th N.Y. Infantry added to the 42nd Infantry Division ("Rainbow") which was to be made up of soldiers from most of the country. (The 42nd Division would later distinguish itself in France in 1918, having as one of its top commanders, Douglas MacArthur, who, at war's end was, at 38, the youngest brigadier general in the U.S. Army and the most decorated U.S. Army officer of the war.) Alas, that was not to be. The national and military leadership at that time had a very low opinion of African Americans.

The 15th N.Y. Infantry, for a time was sent to Spartanburg, SC, for training. It was an experience that almost proved the undoing of the unit, for its citizens wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with African American soldiers - heaping indignities and insults on them daily. Thankfully, the 15th N.Y. Infantry was sent back to New York for additional training and by December 1917 (now re-designated the 369th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army) was shipped to France, arriving at Brest the first week of January 1918.

Any expectations the men of the 369th had that they would soon receive additional training (under French tutelage) and sent into the front lines to fight the Germans were soon dashed. The U.S. Army had the 369th employed as a labor unit over the next couple of months, helping to modernize the port of Saint Nazaire (to accommodate the growing number of American troops who would be arriving in France in the coming weeks and months to bolster the Allied ranks) and lay down railroad tracks and roads. The morale of the 369th plummeted, for its men expected to serve as combat troops, not laborers. Luckily, Col. Haywood - and some of his white junior officers, several of whom, like Hamilton Fish, Jr., hailed from families with considerable social and political clout - managed to get the 369th Infantry transferred to a French unit, with which it went to the front on April 8, 1918. (General John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), though having once commanded African American troops during the Spanish-American War, preferred to loan the 369th Infantry over to the French, rather than have it serve as a part of the AEF.)

The 369th Infantry would go on to establish a exceptional combat record on the Western Front, with 2 of its men (Privates Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts) being the first U.S. soldiers to be awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery, for its role in the great French counter-offensive in the Champagne Region during July 1918 (which helped break the back of the German drive on Paris) and in pushing back during September and October of 1918 the Germans along the front line abutting the Meuse-Argonne (where the U.S. First Army of the AEF was mounting its own offensive).

The 369th Infantry would serve at the Front without relief for 191 days -- longer than any other U.S. unit in France. None of its men were ever taken prisoner. Nor did the 369th lose any ground to the Germans. Furthermore, the 369th Infantry, in recognition of its outstanding combat record, would be given the honor of being the first Allied unit to cross the Rhine River into Germany (by the French general under whom it served as a part of the French Fourth Army.)

"Harlem's Hell Fighters" offers a highly readable and fascinating history (with photos and maps) --- much of which comes from the accounts of the officers and soldiers of the 369th itself --- that made me marvel at the resilience and devotion shown by the rank and file to their country (overtly racist, Jim Crow America), which was not fully appreciative of their bravery and sacrifice. What's more: the 369th - through its regimental band and its conductor, Lieutenant James Reese Europe, a highly accomplished African American musician -- was also responsible for bringing jazz music to France, which the French absolutely loved.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in U.S. history.

[Thomas Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic bit of history. Hard to believe, 100 years feels almost like stepping into another world, a familiar one be it that. Towards the end, while the author did not specifically connect PTSD issues with returning troops from France, the evidence was hard to miss. As a veteran myself, there is some comfort knowing my generation is not alone, war, all war, leaves scars, some are visible while others are not. As for the book, Harris has put together a well researched and documented presentation on a seldom looked at era of history. I loved the connection of early jazz music and the organization the Harlem Hellfighters. I'm also glad to see American Experience have added their story to their Great War documentary. If you're a fan of history and want to learn something new, I totally recommended this book. No bent. No rhetoric. Just data, story, and documentation.

[Stephen Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read book! It is both spiritually disheartening in its descriptions of how black Americans were treated/mistreated in those days and inspiring in the descriptions of both their perseverance and bravery to fight in a war for an America that treated them so badly.

[Jess Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

More graphic novels, more young adult-accessible books should have this degree of verisimilitude and dedication to important causes. Max Brooks has done something incredible with this book. The man who wrote the Zombie Survival Guide has now written something genuinely important.
I had never heard of the Hellfighters. That's a shame. This is an incredible story about an incredible group of heroes who have been all but erased from history. I'm glad it got made, and hope that as many people as possible get the chance to read it.
Its social importance aside, it's well-told: eloquent, emotionally powerful, and well-paced. Check this book out, and maybe consider buying a copy to read and to share after you're done.

[Chet Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a really good look into the American part of WWI. It’s a great untold story that doesn’t get enough publicity for the heroic actions of the men who fought in this group.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book that is far more about the 369th Infantry trying to form and get to the front than it is about their combat experience. I did not know anything about this book when I picked it up at the library, but the tale of even trying to form the regiment in the first place, as well as its significant hurdles in getting mobilized, sent over there, and even getting assigned as a combat unit at all take up the majority of this book. A significant portion is also given over to James Europe and the regiment's band, an important part of the unit's legacy that I had looked over. Harris is eminently readable, but I wish he had done more to place the unit's actions in combat in context of the greater Hundred Days offensive - he's good at weaving together oral history and written accounts to show what individuals did when the unit did fight, but I found it lacking in terms of connecting as a coherent offensive action (it could have used more tactical maps). I also wish the piece about the unit going on to fight since WWI had been expanded into a full paragraph or two - I know it's beyond the scope of this work, but it could have served as a coda (especially considering how segregated the army was in WWII).

[Matthew McElroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a bad book to start my 2023 reading challenging. It is a moving story about Black heroism in the early 1900s. As always, Black men had to overcome an unnecessary amount of obstacles to prove they were equal. This is always an mind-numbingly ridiculous argument. Equality is granted, not earned and inexplicably the United States has insisted on putting up barriers to equality. I'm tired of hackneyed arguments about the struggle proving equality.
But these men did it, and they did it under the worst circumstances as they were stationed with troops from Alabama and Arkansas. Unsurprisingly, these men were treated better in Europe than they were in the US. The author credits them with introducing much of France to jazz, which is a fairly American feat.
The two major heroes of the book are James Europe and Noble Sissle. They are musicians working to create a Negro Orchestra. Instead they wind up facing bullets in the trenches of World War I.

This is a strange criticism, but Harris would have benefitted from a better editor. He did amazing research for this book, researching stories, individuals and events. But at times it felt too sprawling. We were introduced to a myriad of soldiers, many of whom had inspiring stories. I wont even put this on the author who clearly loved and respected his subjects.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was expecting more of a unit history when I purchased it. It gives a view of WWII through the eyes of African Americans. The formation of the unit and the difficulties regarding its deployment are familiar with anyone who has an understanding of African-American History in the US Military. I would have also liked to have seen more information regarding the heroic deeds of the soldiers. One of the things I found disconcerting was the author's apparent dislike of General Pershing. Most other histories talk about respect that Pershing had for the African Americans that he served with in the West, and during the Spanish American War. It appears that the author, with little understanding blamed Pershing for the shortcoming of politicians and racist officers.

I think the book provides a good history of the founding of the 15th/369th Infantry Regiment and turn of the century racism. It gives us a taste of he regiment during the War, but falls short with the details and when it comes to wartime coverage.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book, especially for a graphic novel. This is the first graphic novel i have read and i really liked it so i think i will start to read graphic novels more because of this book.

[William T.]

Harlem hell fighters was a powerful book about racial pride and discrimination

[A Busscher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened too.

Crazy to read about the double standard that was during the war and post-war coming back to America. The polictiking that went on to make sure the "black" men would support. One sentenced stood out to me.
Do we let the black men fight or knowing that the white neighboors are going to hate the black man for staying home while he has to fight. I think that was the theme of the book.

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book would have been more rigorously researched, but it is a book covering a vital part of Black history. Harris does a good job showing how the East St. Louis riots and New York politics allowed for the 369th infantry to happen. But he loses his focus once the men are on the front lines. Even so, I am glad that this volume exists.

[Erin27raw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was disappointed with the narrative. Way too much time spent talking about the recruitment and the band…

[Gabrielle Morales]

recommended in “Lovely War” by Julie Berry

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more tribute than objective history, perhaps, but it's warranted. It's absolutely astonishing what those men had to go through for the privilege of fighting and dying for their country.