U.S. 366th Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 366th Infantry
Regiment
was an all African American
(segregated
) unit of the United States Army
that served with distinction in both World War I
and World War II
. The unit was unique because it was one of the few Negro
(Buffalo Soldiers) units with all its own officers and personnel; the U.S. military did not desegregate until after World War II, and in most of the segregated units, all of the officers were white
. During World War II, the unit saw combat in Italy
as part of the 92nd Infantry Division (colored), 5th Army.
The 366th Infantry was constituted 16 August 1917 in the National Army as the 366th Infantry and assigned to the 92nd Division and organized at Camp Dodge, Iowa, in November 1917.
In WWI the regiment served overseas as a part of the 92nd Division, National Army and earned credit for battle participation as follows:
The 366th Infantry was demobilized 25 March 1919 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
, and reconstituted 16 December 1940 in the Regular Army.
and assigned to the Eastern Defense Command
on 30 April 1942.
Prior to the attachment of the 366th Infantry, the 92nd Division saw action at the Battle of Monte Cassino
, and were in the vanguard of the 5th Army's liberation of Rome
as one of the first units to reach the city, two days before the Normandy Invasion. (As a gesture of thanks, they received a papal blessing
at a special ceremony in Saint Peter's Square
.)
s for the Colors; the first for Meuse-Argonne Lorraine
(September, 1918 to November, 1918), and the second for Rome-Arno (January, 1944 to September, 1944).
The Regimental Shield incorporated the Cross of Lorraine
. The Regimental Motto was, "Labor Conquers All Things."
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
was an all African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
(segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
) unit of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
that served with distinction in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The unit was unique because it was one of the few Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
(Buffalo Soldiers) units with all its own officers and personnel; the U.S. military did not desegregate until after World War II, and in most of the segregated units, all of the officers were white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
. During World War II, the unit saw combat in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as part of the 92nd Infantry Division (colored), 5th Army.
World War I
In WWI the regiment served overseas as a part of the 92nd Division, National Army and earned credit for battle participation as follows:
- St. Die Sector (Lorraine), August 23, 1918 – September 20, 1918
- Meuse-Argonne Sector, September 26, 1918 – October 5, 1918
- Marbach Sector (Lorraine) October 8, 1918 – November 1918
The 366th Infantry was demobilized 25 March 1919 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Fort Oglethorpe is a city in Catoosa County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,263. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and reconstituted 16 December 1940 in the Regular Army.
World War II
It was activated 10 February 1941 at Fort Devens, MassachusettsFort Devens, Massachusetts
Devens, Massachusetts is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is the successor to Fort Devens, a military post that operated from 1917 to 1996. The area...
and assigned to the Eastern Defense Command
Eastern Defense Command
Eastern Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Atlantic Coast region of the United States. EDC replaced the existing Northeast Defense Command. A second major responsibility of EDC was the training...
on 30 April 1942.
- Attached to the 1st Service Command on 1 May 1943 and to the XIII Corps on 1 September 1943.
- Moved to A. P. Hill Military Reservation, VirginiaFort A.P. HillFort A.P. Hill, Virginia, is an active duty installation of the United States Army, located near the town of Bowling Green, Virginia.Named for Confederate Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill, Fort A.P...
14 October 1943 and to Camp Atterbury, Indiana 23 November 1943 under XX CorpsXX Corps (United States)The XX Corps of the United States Army fought from northern France to Austria in World War II. Constituted by redesignating the IV Armored Corps, which had been activated at Camp Young, California on 5 September 1942, XX Corps became operational in France as part of Lieutenant General George S....
. - Assigned XXII Corps 21 January 1944 and staged at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia 22 March 1944 until it departed Hampton Roads P/E (Point of Embarkation) 28 March 1944.
- Arrived North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
6 April 1944 and attached to 15th Air Force Service CommandFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
for airfield security duties from SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
to the Adriatic coast. - Assigned to Fifth Army 4 November 1944 and arrived Livorno, Italy 21 November 1944 for attachment to the 92nd Infantry Division until 25 February 1945.
- Disbanded in Italy on 28 March 1945 and personnel transferred into the 224th and 226th Engineer General Service Regiments.
Combat chronicle
Colonel Howard Donovan Queen was the commanding officer (CO) at the time of embarkation in March 1944. Although the 366th Infantry had been at "Combat Readiness", after a prolonged period which was devoted only to guard duty, Queen felt that they needed at least three months for preparation to be "Combat Ready". Queen wrote a significant request for withdrawal from Active Command and included his guarded reservations in regard to his deeply held tenets. In spite of this it was decided in November 1944 to attach the 366th Infantry to the 92nd Division.Prior to the attachment of the 366th Infantry, the 92nd Division saw action at the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
, and were in the vanguard of the 5th Army's liberation of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as one of the first units to reach the city, two days before the Normandy Invasion. (As a gesture of thanks, they received a papal blessing
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
at a special ceremony in Saint Peter's Square
Saint Peter's Square
Saint Peter's Square is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome .-History of St...
.)
Notable veterans
- Edward William Brooke IIIEdward BrookeEdward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...
: First African American after Reconstruction elected to the United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. - John Robert FoxJohn R. FoxJohn Robert Fox was killed in action when he deliberately called for artillery fire on his own position, after his position was overrun, in order to defeat a German attack in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, northern Italy during World War II...
: posthumously awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
in January, 1997 for his heroic self-sacrifice on December 26, 1944 in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
General
The 366th Infantry Regiment was awarded two campaign streamerCampaign streamer
Campaign streamers are decorations attached to military flags to recognize particular achievements or events of a military unit or service. Attached to the headpiece of the assigned flag, the streamer often is an inscribed ribbon with the name and date denoting participation in a particular battle,...
s for the Colors; the first for Meuse-Argonne Lorraine
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
(September, 1918 to November, 1918), and the second for Rome-Arno (January, 1944 to September, 1944).
The Regimental Shield incorporated the Cross of Lorraine
Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
. The Regimental Motto was, "Labor Conquers All Things."
See also
- Military history of African AmericansMilitary history of African AmericansThe military history of African Americans spans from the arrival of the first black slaves during the colonial history of the United States to the present day...
- Winter LineWinter LineThe Winter Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt. The primary Gustav Line ran across Italy from just north of where the Garigliano River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, through the Apennine Mountains to the...
- United States Colored TroopsUnited States Colored TroopsThe United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African American soldiers. First recruited in 1863, by the end of the Civil War, the men of the 175 regiments of the USCT constituted approximately one-tenth of the Union...