Episode 31: The Harlem Hellfighters, Part I

At the turn of the 20th century, the US military was a segregated institution and the War Department had plan to establish an all-black infantry division. A division-sized organization of that sort would not be seen until World War II but there were many leaders, both inside and outside the African American community were pushing for an all-black infantry regiment.

There was a lot of push back, including from the Woodrow Wilson White House, about allowing African American soldiers to serve in any capacity outside of menial labor and it was a time when the Klu Klux Klan was on the rise again in the South. The active duty Army proved not yet ready for African American infantry soldiers, but the New York National Guard was willing to give such a unit a chance. 

A quote from a Wilson book was used in the 1915 movie Birth of a Nation - the movie proved to be the inspiration for the resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan in the early 20th century

In 1913, a Nebraska-born lawyer, veteran of the Spanish-American War, and New York National Guard colonel named William Hayward was charged by the governor to raise an Infantry regiment of 3000 African American soldiers. Starting in Harlem where a lot of veterans lived, Hayward raised the New York 15th Infantry Regiment. Unusual for the time, Hayward filled as many of his officer slots with black officers as the state would allow and told his white officers that if they "intended to take a narrower attitude, [they] had better stay out." 

Colonel William Hayward

When the US entered World War I, the 15th was sent to train in South Carolina where they were verbally and physically attacked by the locals. COL Hayward pleaded with the War Department to move them before things got out of hand. Even though their training had only just begun, the War Department decided to send the unit to France.

Even though the Army recruited from the African American community in World War I, of the 2.3 million who volunteered or were drafted, just over 200,000 were accepted into the service, and most of those were put to work in menial labor jobs. 

Recruits for the 15th New York Infantry Regiment in Harlem, NY

The 15th National Guard wanted to fight, but they were not allowed to fight with the American Army, instead they were attached to the French Army and redesignated the 369th United States Infantry Regiment. The 369th was treated much more equally by their French allies, completed its pre-combat training, and were placed in the tranches on the Western front. The unit proved to be made up of fierce fighters who earned honors on the battlefield. Their French allies dubbed them Men of Steel, and their German adversaries called them the Harlem Hellfighters (or the US media claimed that's what the Germans called them. Either way the nickname stuck and the Harlem Hellfighters gained worldwide renown). 

US Army Recruiting Poster