They were deployed to help fight alongside and fill holes in the French offensive.
After many letters and requests made by the French to General Pershing, he sent in troops to help the French out. This was a problem because at the beginning of the war, he said that US troops would not ever be given to the British or French to use and command. However, apparently there should've been a little side note, because Pershing then allowed the Europeans to take the 369th and the 93rd Division which are all-black groups. This gesture showed the black soldiers that they were not seen as American or worthy to be American.
The French eventually took the 369th into their arms. They were treated equally to white men due to the French allowing all their colonies in diverse places around the world to participate in war. The soldiers greatly appreciated the gesture and took it as an opportunity to shine and show everyone how effective black officers were on the battlefield.
After receiving retraining from the French, it was then the regiment turned from the 15th to the 369th Infantry unit. They went out into battle excited to participate, even when artillery fire was constantly bombarding them. Many French fighters were very happy to see them; some of the Frenchmen had been fighting for over 3 years. The regiment gladly relieved them and began their legendary story. Many were very fierce in defending the trenches so they never lost a single one throughout the war.
On the day of the last great offensive of WW1, the 369th were on the front lines. The area for their attack was one of the heaviest guarded by the Germans. The power of the Hellfighters was on full display. They kept pushing through the extremely heavy defense far out and had to wait for the Allies to regroup with them later on. It was a reoccurring problem, the Allies could not keep up. At one point, they managed to push nine miles deeper than each flank, making it dangerous to push any farther.
The Hellfighters were also the very first to reach the Rhine after the Armistice.
In the end, the French government awarded the whole regiment the Croix de Guerre, a high military honor. One hundred and seventy soldiers also received individual medals, too.
The French eventually took the 369th into their arms. They were treated equally to white men due to the French allowing all their colonies in diverse places around the world to participate in war. The soldiers greatly appreciated the gesture and took it as an opportunity to shine and show everyone how effective black officers were on the battlefield.
After receiving retraining from the French, it was then the regiment turned from the 15th to the 369th Infantry unit. They went out into battle excited to participate, even when artillery fire was constantly bombarding them. Many French fighters were very happy to see them; some of the Frenchmen had been fighting for over 3 years. The regiment gladly relieved them and began their legendary story. Many were very fierce in defending the trenches so they never lost a single one throughout the war.
On the day of the last great offensive of WW1, the 369th were on the front lines. The area for their attack was one of the heaviest guarded by the Germans. The power of the Hellfighters was on full display. They kept pushing through the extremely heavy defense far out and had to wait for the Allies to regroup with them later on. It was a reoccurring problem, the Allies could not keep up. At one point, they managed to push nine miles deeper than each flank, making it dangerous to push any farther.
The Hellfighters were also the very first to reach the Rhine after the Armistice.
In the end, the French government awarded the whole regiment the Croix de Guerre, a high military honor. One hundred and seventy soldiers also received individual medals, too.