![]() The regiment's first battle would otherwise be a footnote in WWI history, fought by only two Soldiers, were it not for the scrutiny the all-black regiment faced at the time.Īfter weeks of combat patrols, raids and artillery barrages, Pvts. The French were less concerned about racial inequality, and welcomed the African American regiment that would earn its nickname as the Hellfighters from Harlem. The American Expeditionary Forces detached the all-black regiment to bolster an ally and preserve racial segregation in the American command. They were relieved to be free of supply and service tasks of past months and ready to join the fight, now under the command of the French Fourth Army. The 369th Infantry, detached under French command, arrived on the front line trenches in the Champagne region on April 15, 1918. Johnson's actions during the night of May 15, 1918, brought attention to the African American Doughboys of the unit, the New York National Guard's former 15th Infantry, re-designated the 369th for wartime service. A rabbit would have done that."īy the time what a reporter called "The Battle of Henry Johnson" was over, Johnson had been wounded 21 times and become the first American hero of World War I. "There wasn't anything so fine about it," he said. "Each slash meant something, believe me," Johnson said later. ![]() He buried the knife in the head of one attacker and then disemboweled another German soldier. He fired the three rounds in his French-made rifle, tossed all his hand grenades and then grabbed his Army-issue bolo knife and started stabbing. Henry Johnson, a member of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment, found himself fighting for his life against 20 German Soldiers out in front of his unit's trenchline. – He was 26 years old, 5-foot-4, weighed 130 pounds and came from Albany, New York.Īnd on the night of May 15, 1918, Pvt. ![]()
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