The 366th

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

was an all

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

( segregated) unit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

that served in both

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In the latter war, the unit was exceptional for having all black officers as well as troops. The U.S. military did not desegregate until after World War II. During the war, for most of the segregated units, all field grade ( majors and above) and most of the company grade officers (

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

s, and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) were

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. __TOC__

World War I

The 366th Infantry was constituted 16 August 1917 in the National Army as the 366th Infantry, assigned to the 92nd Division, and organized at

Camp Dodge Camp Dodge is a military installation in the city of Johnston, Iowa. Centrally located near the capital of Iowa, it currently serves as the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. History Original construction of the post began in 1907, to prov ...

, Iowa, in November 1917. In World War I 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), 23 August 1918 – 20 September 1918 * Meuse-Argonne Sector, 26 September 1918 – 5 October 1918 * Marbach Sector (Lorraine) 8 October 1918 – November 1918 The 366th Infantry was demobilized 25 March 1919 at

Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia Fort Oglethorpe is a city predominantly in Catoosa County with some portions in Walker County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,423. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan St ...

, and reconstituted 16 December 1940 in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

World War II

It was activated 10 February 1941 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts and assigned to the

Eastern Defense Command The Eastern Defense Command was first established as the Northeast Defense Command on 17 March 1941 as one of four U.S. Army continental defense commands to plan and prepare for and execute defense against enemy attack in the months before Ameri ...

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, Virginia 14 October 1943 and to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, 23 November 1943, under XX Corps. * Assigned to XXII Corps 21 January 1944, and staged at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia 22 March 1944, until it departed Hampton Roads P/E (Port of Embarkation) 28 March 1944. * Arrived

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

6 April 1944 and attached to 15th Air Force Service Command for airfield security duties from

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...

to the

Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

. * 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 upper officials decided in November 1944 to attach the 366th Infantry to the 92nd Division. After continuing poor combat performance, including many instances of unauthorized withdrawals upon meeting the enemy, low morale, and malingering, the 92nd Infantry Division was believed by both German and American commands to be fit for only defensive roles. The division was completely withdrawn from the front in early 1945, with the infantry components of the division being reorganized from the ground up. Two of the 366th Infantry's three battalions were recommended "not be used again for offensive action unless urgent military necessity required it." The 92nd Division commanders proposed that the "366th be removed from the front lines and disposed of as higher headquarters might direct," which was accepted. The 366th Infantry Regiment was disbanded on 28 March 1945, with personnel transferred to the 224th and 226th Engineer General Service regiments.

Notable veterans

Edward W. Brooke III Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015) was an American politician of the Republican Party, who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 until 1979. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as t ...

: First African American after

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology * Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

. (World War II veteran) * Frederic E. Davison: first African-American US Army

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and division commander (World War II veteran) * William L. Dawson: First African American to chair a committee of the United States Congress (1949) (World War I veteran) * Aaron R. Fisher:

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

recipient, World War I * John R. Fox:

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

(

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' ...

) recipient,

* James F. Hamlet: second African-American US Army Major General (World War II veteran)

General

The 366th Infantry Regiment was awarded two

campaign 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 na ...

s for the

Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

; 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 Cross of Lorraine (french: Croix de Lorraine, link=no), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizon ...

. The Regimental Motto was, "''Labor Conquers All Things.''"

References

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External links

*
America's Black Patriots - 366th Infantry Regiment
US Army {{Buffalo Soldiers

366 __NOTOC__ Year 366 ( CCCLXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratianus and Dagalaifus (or, less frequently, year 1119 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomina ...

Military units and formations in Massachusetts Military units and formations established in 1917 African Americans in World War I African Americans in World War II African-American United States Army personnel