| Original caption: “Negro troops of the Twenty-Fourth Infantry, attached to the Americal Division, wait to advance behind a tank assault on the Jap[anese], along Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville.” An early M4 Sherman tank “Jinx” of the United States Army 754th Independent Tank Battalion, supported by the 24th Infantry Regiment, during the Bougainville Campaign. This is likely during the operation to clear the Mavavia Lagoon shoreline. The 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, the only African American infantry unit with all white officers in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) at the time, landed at Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, on January 30, 1944. Initially, they were employed unloading ships and working supply dumps. The United States Army 37th Infantry Division and 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division, with 2 battalions of Fijian infantry, engaged the Japanese. A month later, on February 29, 1944, the 1st Battalion was attached to the 37th Infantry Division for construction duties. They constructed a reserve line for the 129th Infantry Regiment. The War Department urged United States Army Air Force Lieutenant General Millard F. Harmon (January 19, 1888 – February 26, 1945), at the time Commanding Officer of the Southwest Pacific Theater, to promptly employ African Americans in ground combat the same week. On March 11, the 1st Battalion passed from XIV Corps Reserve to operational control of the 148th Infantry. 1 company occupied the main line of resistance and repelled an attack that night; 2 men were killed in action. 2nd Lieutenant Henry J. McAllister (June 24, 1921 – January 20, 1995) led the 1st patrol of the 1st Battalion. On its way out, the patrol went several 1,000 yards out before returning. On the way back, about a 1,000 yards (900 meters) from their own line, they encountered 8 Japanese soldiers. In the firefight, 1 1st Battalion GI and 1 Japanese soldier were killed. The patrol made national headlines and came as a surprise to the War Department. With the arrival of the 25th Regimental Combat Team from the 93rd Infantry Division, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry came under tactical control of the 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division from March 11-29, 1944. Facing prejudice and lacking adequate jungle training, the unit was initially low-rated in patrol work and deemed trigger-happy. Confidence and ability increased as the Battalion gained experience. On March 29, the Battalion was attached to the Americal Division. On April 19, 1944, a rifle platoon and a platoon of tanks from the 754th Tank Battalion landed in Tank Landing Craft (LCTs) at the mouth of the Mavavia River to rescue 3 men pinned down by Japanese machine guns. 12 men had successfully evacuated and called for help. The LCTs evacuated the men in the tanks. After shelling the area for 5 days, the 24th landed a company with flame throwers and 2 platoons of tanks. Facing resistance, the 24th cleared a 1,000 yards of the beach, and the Americal Division and its attached units cleared 5,500 yards (5,000 meters) of the shoreline of the Mavavia Lagoon. As of May 10, the Battalion’s combat efficiency was rated “good.” 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, lost 11 men killed in action, 2 died of wounds, and 13 were wounded during its operations in Bougainville. It accounted for an estimated 47 Japanese who died in action and 1 prisoner of war. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1549.jpg |
| Image Size | 615.70 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2924 x 2420 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 26, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Bougainville |
| Country | Solomons |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-202491 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database