by Dom Califano

In the First World War, the Harlem Hellfighters (the 369th Infantry) was an all-black regiment of the United States army. The nickname, which was likely given to the American soldiers by the German army, came from the German word Hollenkampfer which means Hellfighter. To celebrate Black History Month, here are some interesting facts about the Harlem Hellfighters.

1. During the War to End All Wars, people from Harlem decided to join the US Army to show that African-Americans are capable of being in the army.
2. The Harlem Hellfighters spent around 190 days in the trenches of the Western Front against the Germans.
3. The Harlem Hellfighers were the first American unit to cross the Rhine River
4. The Harlem Hellfighters fought in the Second World War, mainly in the Pacific
5. Despite being an American unit, it would be the French who commanded the Harlem Hellfighters
6. The Harlem Hellfighters took around 1.4k casualties, thus being the unit to take the most casualties.
7. The unit was authorized in 1913, and was formerly known as the 15th Infantry of the New York National Guard
8. In February of 1919, the Harlem Hellfighters, now back in NYC, returned to a huge victory parade 
9. Despite the celebrations for the unit, the day-to-day lives wouldn’t change until after the Second World War and then decades of civil-rights.
10.  The Harlem Hellfighters got their name officialized by the army not too long ago back in 2020.