366th Infantry Regiment (United States)


The 366th Infantry Regiment was an all African American unit of the United States Army that served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. The unit was one of the exceptional Negro units with all black officers and personnel; the U.S. military did not desegregate until after World War II, and in most of the segregated units, all field grade and most of the company grade officers were white. During World War II, the unit saw combat in Italy as part of the 92nd Infantry Division, 5th Army.

World War I

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 World War I 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.

World War II

It was activated 10 February 1941 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts and assigned to the Eastern Defense Command on 30 April 1942.
Colonel Howard Donovan Queen was the commanding officer 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.
After continuing poor combat performance including many instances of unauthorized withdrawals upon meeting the enemy, low morale and malingering, the 92nd Infantry Division was considered of inferior quality both by German and American commands and fit for only defensive roles. Things deteriorated to the point that the division was withdrawn from the lines and rebuilt in early 1945 with the removal of the 366th Infantry Regiment and the addition of the 473rd Regiment and the highly decorated Nisei 442nd Regiment, made up of Japanese Americans, which was withdrawn from the fighting in France to bolster the division’s combat effectiveness.

Notable veterans

The 366th Infantry Regiment was awarded two campaign streamers for the Colors; the first for Meuse-Argonne Lorraine, and the second for Rome-Arno.
The :Image:366 cres.gif|Regimental Shield incorporated the Cross of Lorraine. The was, "Labor Conquers All Things."