“And they thought we couldn’t fight."
Despite their courage and dedication to their country, the Harlem Hellfighters returned home to face racism and segregation.
The regiment's history, notably its mistreatment by American forces in France, has been thoroughly researched. At that time, many people in the United States, including military commanders, thought African Americans lacked the brains and guts to fight.
Their achievements and bravery, however, contrasted sharply with the racism and discrimination they experienced at home: they went on to have a phenomenal combat record, serving in continuous combat for more time than any other American unit - for 191 days. And not just that: they never had a single man taken prisoner and never gave up a single inch of terrain to the Germans.
A total of 171 men from the regiment were awarded the Croix de Guerre.
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The Harlem Hellfighters, also known as the 369th Infantry Regiment, were the first African-American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. Having gone through intense training, they were qualified for combat, but racial segregation first prevented them from heading to the front lines in France. Instead, they were assigned to unloading ships with other African-American soldiers; being eventually incorporated by the French army in March 1918.
“Interpreters were brought from everywhere to instruct our men in the French methods of warfare because be it known that everything American was taken from us except our uniform.”
— Noble Sissle, 369th “Harlem Hell Fighters” Regiment
The 369th never served under American command during the war. They returned home to a victory parade in New York in February 1919.
However, despite the boisterous celebration, their daily life remained largely unchanged. Before the hopes and rights of these men could begin to be honored and respected, another world war and many years of activism would be required.
The regiment also boasted the finest band of any army in World War I and the finest bandleader. Lt. James Reese Europe had not only conducted, but also arranged or composed all of the band’s numbers in an infectious style that blended ragtime with a new improvisational type of music rapidly becoming known as “jazz.” New Yorkers, black and white, went wild that day in February of 1919 as Lt. Europe led the Hellfighters Band up Fifth Avenue. It was the musician’s greatest triumph and, sadly, his last.
The son of Henry and Lorraine Europe and the fourth of five children, James Reese Europe was born in Mobile on February 22, 1880. A former slave, Henry Europe worked for the Internal Revenue Service during Reconstruction and supported his family on a middle-class income. While Henry attended Baptist services in Mobile, freeborn Lorraine became one of the first African-American members of the city’s Episcopal congregation. Both were amateur musicians and respected members of Mobile’s African-American community.
Beyond these details, little is known of the composer’s early life in the Azalea City, except that he demonstrated innate musical ability at a young age, received lessons on the piano and violin from his parents, and, like the New Orleans-born Louis Armstrong, absorbed the musical traditions of the African-American South, which he would later draw upon in his compositions. Read More
