The 92nd Infantry Division Buffalo Soldiers Who Fought for Freedom Abroad and Equality at Home
They wore America’s uniform while America still segregated them. In the mountains of Italy, they faced an enemy determined to stop them—and carried the burden of a nation that questioned their ability before they ever entered battle.
These were the men of the 92nd Infantry Division, remembered as the “Buffalo Soldiers” Division.
Reactivated in 1942, the division trained at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before deploying to Italy in 1944. Its Black enlisted soldiers served in a segregated Army, with both Black and white officers. The 92nd became the only African American infantry division to fight in Europe during World War II. Serving with the U.S. Fifth Army, its soldiers fought through the Italian campaign into 1945. Division history
Their buffalo insignia carried forward a military tradition associated with the Black regiments established after the Civil War. A new generation now carried that legacy into another world war.
In Italy, the division fought through mountainous terrain, defended positions, and advanced against German forces. Its wartime record included setbacks and costly battles. But racist assumptions shaped how its soldiers were trained, commanded, and judged. An honest account must recognize those conditions alongside the courage of the men who served. Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
The division included Black infantry regiments such as the:
• 365th Infantry Regiment
• 370th Infantry Regiment
• 371st Infantry Regiment
• 597th Field Artillery Battalion
• 598th Field Artillery Battalion
• 600th Field Artillery Battalion
They fought in difficult terrain against experienced German troops, including along the Gothic Line, a major German defensive line across northern Italy.
Major areas of fighting
The 92nd fought in places such as:
• Lucca
• Serchio Valley
• Massa
• Carrara
• Cinquale Canal
• Garfagnana
• Ligurian coast
In late 1944, the division was involved in heavy fighting in the Serchio Valley. German and Italian fascist forces launched counterattacks, and the 92nd faced serious combat pressure, supply problems, rough terrain, and racial discrimination within the Army command structure.
Among those men was First Lieutenant John R. Fox.
On December 26, 1944, at Sommocolonia, Italy, Fox called for artillery fire on his own position as German troops advanced. He knowingly placed himself in the bombardment to help halt the attack. His decision cost him his life. National Park Service
Another was First Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker.
On April 5–6, 1945, near Castle Aghinolfi, Baker destroyed enemy positions, protected withdrawing soldiers, and helped evacuate wounded comrades. He then volunteered to lead another advance through dangerous terrain.
Yet recognition at the highest level would take more than half a century.
On January 13, 1997, Baker received the Medal of Honor after a military review found that racial discrimination had denied Black World War II soldiers proper consideration. Fox also received the award posthumously. Baker was the only one of the seven Black World War II recipients honored that day still alive to accept it. National Park Service
The delay belongs to the nation. The courage belongs to the soldiers.
Remembering the 92nd means remembering the riflemen, medics, artillery crews, engineers, and others whose service made the division possible. It means recognizing men who helped fight fascism while their own country continued to deny them equal treatment.
Their story asks something of us: remember their names, teach their history, and give their sacrifice the place it deserves.
We are DTOA—Descendants of the Taken Ones. We honor the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division and preserve the history they helped write. The 92nd Infantry Division, the Buffalo Soldiers, fought through the mountains of Italy, proving courage in a segregated army and carrying freedom’s burden on two fronts.”
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