The Harlem Hellfighter's Struggle for Freedom in WWI and Equality at Home
March 30, 2009
Nelson (Left for Dead
) tells the story of the 369th Infantry, a segregated regiment that overcame discrimination to make an enviable combat record in the trenches of WWI. Nelson describes the regiment's organization in 1916 and its success in attracting volunteers despite a racist environment. American Expeditionary Force commander John J. Pershing considered blacks suitable only as labor troops. But the French forces, decimated by war, welcomed the 369th, which earned respect the hard way: the nickname “Harlem Hellfighters” came from the Germans, who faced them. The 369th stood in the front lines alongside France's best chasseurs alpins
and Moroccans. Pershing responded by replacing all the regiment's black officers with whites. That would have broken morale in many units, but the 369th continued to distinguish itself until the armistice. Almost 200 were awarded the French Croix de Guerre, and the regiment, which never lost a foot of ground nor a prisoner, received a unit citation. The blacks' war at home endured, but the Hellfighters' legacy helped win that one as well, and Nelson's tribute is informative and long overdue.
April 1, 2009
The story of the Harlem Hellfighters, an all-black regiment who fought against the Germans in World War I and against racism at home.
Even though racism was still widespread in American politics in 1916, there was a dire need for soldiers at the front. Despite protests from Southern politicians who feared that allowing blacks to serve would subvert Jim Crow laws, the 369th Infantry Regiment was formed, led by white officers William Hayward, Hamilton Fish and Arthur Little. Training had not yet begun when violence erupted, as white supremacists sought every opportunity to form lynch mobs. Upon arriving in Europe, the 369th fought with the French Army under Gen. Henri Gouraud, who welcomed them with open arms. The 369th proved their mettle in battle, with men like Henry Johnson becoming war heroes, earning the regiment their Hellfighters name. Nelson (Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis, 2002, etc.) seamlessly interweaves the military narrative with vivid firsthand accounts. The Hellfighters were a true brotherhood whose influence extended beyond the trenches. Jim Europe, a noted musician, stunned the French with jazz interpretations of popular French songs, instigating a French obsession with jazz in the postwar era. Noble Sissle became a hit songwriter and fought for the recognition of black artists. Little, Haywood and Fish all became active proponents of civil rights. The Hellfighters fought a war on two fronts and displayed incredible fortitude in the face of prejudice, racial violence and the ever-present gas and machine-gun fire. Nelson offers a nuanced, in-depth portrait of this group of ordinary men who fought with inspiring courage and dignity.
A valuable addition to World War I and civil-rights scholarship on a subject too frequently overlooked.
(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
May 1, 2009
The 369th Infantry was the first black regiment mustered to fight in World War I. While most black troops were relegated to service and supply units, the 369th foughtalongside French troops because American practice prohibited them from fighting with white soldiers. The duration and courage of their combat duty led to their nickname. Nelson concludes his study by tracing the personal stories of these veterans and their difficulties after returning to America. For all World War I readers.EB
Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 15, 2009
The Hellfighters of Harlem, the 369th Regiment of black fighting men led mostly by white officers, got involved in World War I by a confluence of circumstances. They fought with legendary gallantry alongside the French prior to the officialand delayedentry of the U.S. into the war. Nelson retraces the creation of the Hellfighters, from a ragtag volunteer organization ultimately commissioned and supported by a few heroic well-bred whites who served as officers. American racism almost short-circuited the regiment during their initial training in the South. And because the army had so little confidence in their fighting skills, the 369th was sent to Europe primarily as a support unit when most American troops were being held back for additional training. Short of troops, the French welcomed the black regiment as a godsend. Nelson is frank in recalling the policy of segregation in U.S. armed forces, resistance and lack of appreciation of black fighting men, and the hostile Red scare of 1919, but also recalls the appreciation shown all the troopsblack and whiteupon their return.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
May 4, 2009
Nelson (Left for Dead) tells the story of the 369th Infantry, a segregated regiment that overcame discrimination to make an enviable combat record in the trenches of WWI. Nelson describes the regiment's organization in 1916 and its success in attracting volunteers despite a racist environment. American Expeditionary Force commander John J. Pershing considered blacks suitable only as labor troops. But the French forces, decimated by war, welcomed the 369th, which earned respect the hard way: the nickname \x93Harlem Hellfighters\x94 came from the Germans, who faced them. The 369th stood in the front lines alongside France's best chasseurs alpins and Moroccans. Pershing responded by replacing all the regiment's black officers with whites. That would have broken morale in many units, but the 369th continued to distinguish itself until the armistice. Almost 200 were awarded the French Croix de Guerre, and the regiment, which never lost a foot of ground nor a prisoner, received a unit citation. The blacks' war at home endured, but the Hellfighters' legacy helped win that one as well, and Nelson's tribute is informative and long overdue.