Men of the 369th Infantry Regiment, informally dubbed the "Harlem Hellfighters," pose for a picture. The Hellfighters were initially part of the American Expeditionary Force sent to fight on the Western Front in WWI. In April 1918, due to racist attitudes among the American high command, they were separated from the AEF and assigned to the French 4th Army. Fighting under French command both in the trenches and in the open field, the Hellfighters distinguished themselves at the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne. Their continuous six-month deployment was the longest of any American unit. Following the armistice, the French government awarded the Croix de Guerre to 170 members of the Hellfighters, including all nine men pictured here, for courage in combat.
