369th Infantry Regiment 'Harlem Hellfighters' Serve 191 Days in Combat, Never Retreating

The 369th Infantry Regiment — composed almost entirely of Black New Yorkers and Harlem residents — spent 191 consecutive days under fire in France, the longest of any American unit. They fought under French command after the US Army refused to integrate them with white units. They never retreated, never had a prisoner taken, and were collectively awarded the Croix de Guerre by France. Henry Johnson of the 369th became an American war hero celebrated in France, receiving the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2015. Their return parade up Fifth Avenue drew enormous crowds.