Harlem Hellfighters in action. Here, the men of the 396th are depicted wearing the American Brodie helmet; however, after being detached and seconded to the French, they wore the Adrian helmet, while retaining the rest of their American uniform.

Harlem Hellfighters is the popular name for the 369th Infantry Regiment, formerly the 15th New York National Guard Regiment. The unit was also known as The Black Rattlers, in addition to several other nicknames. The 369th Infantry Regiment was known for being the first African-American Regiment during WWI. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1048x758, 252 KB)Harlem Hell Fighters source This image is a work of a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of an employees official duties. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1048x758, 252 KB)Harlem Hell Fighters source This image is a work of a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of an employees official duties. ... US Marine Corps M1917 Brodie pattern helmet The Brodie helmet (also called the shrapnel helmet or Tommy helmet, and in the United States known as a doughboy helmet) was a steel helmet designed and patented in 1915 by John L. Brodie. ... The M26 Adrian helmet (French term: Casque Adrian) was a military helmet issued to the French Army during World War I. It was designed when millions of French troops were engaged in trench warfare and head wounds became a significant proportion of battlefield casualties. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Seal of the National Guard Bureau Seal of the Army National Guard Seal of the Air National Guard Seal of the National Guard Missile Defense The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air...

A wounded veteran of the 369th Infantry (Old 15th New York) watches the 1919 Victory Parade up Fifth Avenue, New York City, with his family, 1919.

The 369th Infantry Regiment was constituted June 2, 1913 in the New York Army National Guard as the 15th New York Infantry Regiment. It was organized on June 29, 1916 at New York City. It was Mustered into Federal service on July 25, 1917 at Camp Whitman , New York. It was drafted into Federal service August 5, 1917. The regiment trained in the New York Area, performed Guard Duty at various locations in New York, and trained more intensely at Camp Wadsworth in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where they experienced significant racism from the local communities, and other units. The 15th Infantry Regiment, NYARNG was Assigned on December 1, 1917 to the 185th Infantry Brigade. Image File history File links 369wia. ... Image File history File links 369wia. ... June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Seal of the National Guard Bureau Seal of the Army National Guard Seal of the Air National Guard Seal of the National Guard Missile Defense The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35...

The 15th Infantry Regiment shipped out from the New York Port of Embarkation on December 27, 1917, and joined its Brigade upon arrival in France, but the unit was relegated to Labor Service duties instead of combat training. The 185th Infantry Brigade was assigned on January 5, 1918 to the 93rd Division [Provisional]. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The 93d Infantry Division was a colored segregated unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. // The 93d was known initially as the 93d Infantry Division (Provisional). ...

The 15th Infantry Regiment, NYARNG was Reorganized and redesignated March 1, 1918 as the 369th Infantry Regiment, but the unit continued Labor Service duties while it waited the decision as to what to do with the unit.

It was finally decided on April 8, 1918 to assign the unit to the French Army for duration of the United States participation in the war. The men were issued French helmets and brown leather belts and pouches, although they continued to wear their U.S. uniforms. The 369th Infantry Regiment was Relieved May 8, 1918 from assignment to the 185th Infantry Brigade, and went into the trenches as part of the 16th French Division and served continuously to July 3rd. The regiment returned to combat in the Second Battle of the Marne. Later the 369th was reassigned to Gen. Lebouc’s 161st Division in order to participate in the Allied counterattack. On August 19, the regiment went off the line for rest and training of replacements. On September 25, 1918 the 4th French Army went on the offensive in conjunction with the American drive in the Meuse-Argonne. The 369th turned in a good account of itself in heavy fighting, sustaining severe losses. They captured the important village of Sechault. At one point the 369th advanced faster than French troops on their right and left flanks. There was danger of being cut off. By the time the regiment pulled back for reorganization, it had advanced fourteen Kilometers through severe German resistance. The French Army (Armée de Terre) is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces. ... Combatants France United Kingdom United States German Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Erich Ludendorff Casualties France: 95,000 Britain: 13,000 United States: 12,000 168,000 The Second Battle of the Marne, or Battle of Reims, was a major World War I battle fought from July 15 to August 5...

In Mid-October the regiment was moved to a quiet sector in the Vosges Mountains, It was there on November 11, the day of the Armistice. Six days later the 369th made its last advance and on November 26, reached the banks of the Rhine river, the first Allied unit to get there. The Vosges mountains are range of mountains in central-western Europe, stretching along the west side of the Rhine valley in a NNE direction, from Basel to Mainz, for a distance of 250 km (150 miles). ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ...

The regiment was relieved on December 12, 1918 from assignment to the French 161st Division, and returned to the New York Port of Embarkation. It was Demobilized on February 28, 1919 at Camp Upton at Yaphank, New York, and returned to the New York Army National Guard. The area of central Suffolk County, New York presently occupied by Brookhaven National Laboratory once served the nation in a different manner. ... Yaphank is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in Suffolk County, New York. ...

During its service the regiment suffered 1500 casualties and took part in the following campaigns:

1. Champagne – Marne
2. Meuse – Argonne
3. Champagne 1918
4. Alsace 1918

Wartime poster of the 369th fighting German soldiers, with the figure of Abraham Lincoln above.

One Medal of Honor and many Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to members of the regiment. The most celebrated man in the 369th was Pvt. Henry Johnson. In May 1918 Johnson and Pvt. Needham Roberts fought off a 24-man German patrol, though both were severely wounded. After they expended their ammunition, Roberts used his rifle as a club and Johnson battled with a bolo knife. Johnson was the first American to receive the Croix de Guerre. By the end of the war, 171 members of the 369th were awarded the Legion of Honor.[1] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (828x1024, 391 KB) Image from URL [1] from a collection of First World War posters hosted by Germantown Academy. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (828x1024, 391 KB) Image from URL [1] from a collection of First World War posters hosted by Germantown Academy. ... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ... Henry Johnson could refer to: Henry Johnson (Louisiana) (1783-1864), US Senator, Representative, and Governor, Louisiana Henry Lincoln Johnson (1897-1929), American soldier, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre during World War I Henry Underwood Johnson (1850-1939), US Representative, Indiana Henry Johnson (1981 - ?), Nigeria... A bolo is a kind of machete, used particularly in the jungles of Indonesia and the Philippines. ... The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... Medal for the officer class, decorated with a rosette Napoleon wearing the Grand Cross The President of France is the Grand Master of the Legion. ...

Photographs show that the 369th carried the New York Regimental flag overseas. The French government awarded the regiment the Croix de Guerre with silver star for the taking of Sechault. It was pinned to the colors by General Lebouc at a ceremony in Germany, December 13, 1918. The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

One of the first units in the United States armed forces to have African American officers in addition to its all-black enlisted corps, the 369th compiled an astounding war record, earning several unit citations along with many individual decorations for valor from the French government. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

The 369th Infantry Regiment was the first New York unit to return to the United States, and was the first unit to march up Fifth Avenue from the Washington Square Park Arch to their Armory in Harlem, and their unit was placed on the permanent list with other veteran units. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Washington Square North. ... Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major black cultural and business center. ...

In re-capping the story of the 369th Arthur W. Little, who had been a battalion commander, wrote in the regimental history “From Harlem to the Rhine” that it was official that the outfit was 191 days under fire, never lost a foot of ground or had a man taken prisoner, though on two occasions men were captured but they were recovered. Only once did it fail to take its objective and that was due largely to bungling by French artillery support. There were 1500 casualties.

During the war the 369th's regimental band (under the direction of James Reese Europe) became famous throughout Europe, being the first to introduce the until-then unknown music called jazz to British, French and other audiences, and starting a world-wide demand for it. James Reese Europe (22 February 1881–9 May 1919) was a United States ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ...

Today the lineage and tradition is carried on by the 369th Transportation Battalion, which has since become the 369th Corps Support Battalion. The armory is at , 2366 Fifth Ave., N.Y.C. The Harlem Hellfighters continue to serve at home and overseas. They returned home in January 2005 from a year long deployment to Iraq where they provided logistical support for U.S. and allied forces in Southern and Central Iraq.

The filker Michael Longcor is the recorder of the song "The Ballad of Esau's Sons" (lyrics by Martha Keller), which describes the 369th's exploits during World War I without explicitly naming the unit. Filk is a form of music created from within fandom, and performed generally late at night at science fiction conventions. ... Michael Longcor is a folk singer who has many CDs out under the Firebird Arts label. ...

Notable soldiers of the 369th

Private Henry Johnson, 369th Infantry Regiment, NYARNG, 1918, wearing his Croix de Guerre.

• Sgt. Henry Johnson, winner of the Croix de Guerre
• Spotswood Poles, referred to as "the black Ty Cobb" for his prowess in the Professional Negro Baseball leagues in the early 1900s
• Colonel Hamilton Fish III, Regimental Commander of the 369th Regiment, New York Congressman, author, and Founder of the Order of Lafayette.

Image File history File links Henry_Johnson. ... Image File history File links Henry_Johnson. ... Henry Johnson biographical cartoon by Charles Alston, 1943 Henry Lincoln Johnson (1897 - July 1, 1929) was an American soldier, and recipient of the Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross and French Croix de Guerre. ... The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... Spottswood Poles (December 9, 1887 - September 12, 1962) was an American outfielder in baseballs Negro Leagues. ... Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed the Georgia Peach, was a Hall of Fame baseball player. ... Hamilton Fish III (December 7, 1888 - January 18, 1991) was a U.S Congressman from New York. ... The Order of Lafayette is a patriotic, hereditary, nonpartisan, and fraternal organization established in New York City in 1958 by Colonel Hamilton Fish III (1888-1991), a distinguished former Congressman from New York and decorated veteran of the First World War. ...

External links

• 369th Regiment US Army color
• New York State Military Museum
• 719th Transportation Company, 369th Transportation Battalion in Iraq, 1990-91
• Arlington National Cemetery
• RedHotJazz.com article on the Hellfighter's Band