John A. Hartwell, SGT, US Army, Buffalo Soldier

Author: Robert Evers

World War II would be the last war in which the U.S.Armed Forces were fully segregated. Black soldiers mostly served in separate units under white officers, and were at first barred from combat roles. Black soldiers were assigned to separate units—officially designated as “colored”—and typically served under white officers. Due to the racist policies of the era, they were often restricted to service and support roles such as construction and supply.

By late 1944, shortages in manpower led to increasing combat roles for black troops and units. Besides the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the Army’s 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions and the 758th and 761st Tank Battalions would fight in ground combat as segregated units mostly led by white officers. By 1945, black volunteers were integrated into infantry battalions as separate companies in the final push into Germany. Much of the foundation of the later 1950s and 60s civil rights movement emanated from the efforts for equal treatment of black Americans who were again proving their willingness to sacrifice in the defense of the nation.

The term “Buffalo Soldiers” was derived from the U. S. Army regiments composed exclusively of Black American soldiers, formed during the 19th century to serve on the American frontier. During the First World War, the all-black 92nd Division adopted the Buffalo on its division insignia as a tribute to the earlier Buffalo Soldiers. This term would later encompass all the U.S. Army’s segregated units in later wars.

John A. Hartwell was born in 1918 in the Rose Hill area of Covington County, Alabama, to Job and Callie Hartwell. Census records from 1930 and 1940 list him as residing in Opp, Alabama. Having completed grammar school, he worked at various jobs around Opp. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1940 at Montgomery—more than a year before America’s formal entry into the war. His enlistment records describe him as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 137 pounds. He trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, before assignment to the 366th Infantry Regiment.

From February 1941 until November 1943, the 366th was stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, preparing for overseas deployment. The harsh New England winters would later mirror the cold conditions they would face in Italy. Notably, the regiment also included soldiers of East Asian descent and Puerto Rican soldiers who were arbitrarily classified as “colored” under segregation policies. The 366th holds a unique distinction as the first and only combat regiment in World War II commanded by an African American colonel.

In early 1944, the 366th deployed to North Africa for staging before sailing from Oran, Algeria, to Naples, Italy, in April. Initially assigned to guard air bases and weapons depots, the regiment was later transferred to Livorno to serve as the fourth regiment of the 92nd “Buffalo” Division. The division was led by Major General Edward Almond, a strict segregationist whose controversial remarks to the division reflected the racial tensions of the era.

In late 1944, the regiment was broken apart and its soldiers distributed across various elements of the 92nd Division. They were committed to combat along the Gothic Line in northern Italy, often without sufficient time for coordinated training. During the brutal fighting in the Apennine Mountains, the regiment suffered devastating losses—over one-third becoming casualties. Sergeant John A. Hartwell was killed in action on December 29, 1944, during efforts to halt the German counter-offensive at the Battle of Garfagnana. He was 26 years old. Today, Sgt. Hartwell rests at the Florence American Cemetery in Italy, among fellow Americans who fell in the Italian Campaign.

A special thanks to the nieces and nephews of Sgt. Hartwell for helping preserve his story.

Sources: National Archives, U.S. Army Center of Military History, The Opp News, Michael Hartwell