20 July 1918 – Corre (Haute-Saône), African-American U.S. Soldiers under French command undergo training in the infirmary, working with a field stretcher.
Gustave Alaux/ECPAD/Defense Ref.: SPA 42 IS 1601
While the Doughboys of the AEF shipped out to go “Over There” to fight the Kaiser, the Blue Helmets (Casques Bleus— due to their blue French Adrian-style helmets) of the segregated 93rd Infantry Division did so under direct French command.
Harlem Hellfighters in the Meuse-Argonne, September 26-October 1, 1918. The 369th Infantry of the 93rd INF DIV fought valiantly in the Allied (Champagne) Offensive as part of the French 161st Division. U.S. Army painting by H Charles McBarron Jr
They suffered 3,167 casualties and earned an amazing 527 Croix de Guerres, many of them posthumously.
Meanwhile, the segregated units still under U.S. control during the Great War– the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry– would chiefly be relegated to support roles while three entire regiments of hard-bitten regulars– the 9th and 10th Cavalry as well as the 25th Infantry– were wasted in garrison roles in the Philippines, along the Mexican border, and in Hawaii, respectively.