92nd Infantry Division ( United States ) The 92nd Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II . Organized in October 1917 at Camp Funston , Kansas , the unit was formed with African American soldiers from all states . Before leaving for France in 1918 , the buffalo was selected as the divisional insignia due to the " Buffalo Soldier s " nickname , given to African American cavalrymen by Native Americans in the 19th century . The Buffalo Soldiers Division divisional nickname was inherited from the 367th Infantry , one of the first units of the division organized . This segregated unit was the only African American infantry division to see combat in Europe during World War II , as part of the 5th Army . It served in the Italian Campaign from 1944 to the war ' s end . History . The 92nd Division was first constituted on paper 24 October 1917 in the National Army . The division comprised the 183rd Infantry Brigade with the 365th and 366th Infantry Regiment s , and the 184th Infantry Brigade with the 367th and 368th Infantry Regiment s . The division was actually organized on 27 October 1917 at Camp Funston , Kansas . World War I . For an account of the fighting of the Buffalo Division in the Woevre Plain offensive see the article on William M Cain at Kaiserscross . com . As would be the case with the 93rd Infantry Division , parts of the 92nd would serve under and alongside the French Army after both the main American Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) and the British Army refused to have African - American soldiers serve in combat under them . The 92nd was a National Army unit formed from black draftees , with a cadre of 154 NCOs transferred from the four Regular Army regiments , mostly led by inexperienced black junior officers fresh out of training and commanded by indifferent white officers . They were a green and untried unit that was not allowed to maneuver as a division before they were committed to the line . After arrival in France , the 92nd like all AEF units , trained for deployment in the trenches . They began to be fed into the French sector front lines by company in mid - August 1918 . The 92nd Artillery Brigade only came online in October 1918 . Unlike the 93rd , the 92nd would ultimately fight as a whole under American command . The division saw combat in the Meuse - Argonne Offensive during Nov 1918 . Their indifferent showing was more due to brittle morale and poor handling by their white superiors than any real failings . As a result , the division received a bad reputation that further damaged morale . Units . 92nd Division ( 1917 – 1919 ) World War II . The division was reactivated as an infantry division on 15 October 1942 at Fort Huachuca , Arizona . After two years of training , the 370th Infantry Regiment would be sent overseas in August 1944 and temporarily attached to the 1st Armored Division . The rest of the division would be sent overseas in September of that year , and the division as a whole would see heavy combat during the remainder of the Italian Campaign . Between August 1944 and May 1945 the 92nd Division suffered 3 , 200 casualties , and the factoring in of losses from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team ( 442nd RCT ) and other units attached to the division brings the total up to 5 , 000 casualties . During the division ' s participation in the Italian Front , the Buffalo Soldiers made contact with units of many nationalities : beyond the attached 442nd RCT , they also had contact with the segregated troops of the British and French colonial empires ( Black Africans , Moroccans , Algerians , Indians , Gurkhas , Arab and Jewish Palestinians ) as well as with exiled Poles , Greeks and Czechs , anti - fascist Italians and the nonsegregated troops of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force . Commanders . The division ' s commander , Maj . Gen . Edward M . Almond , was for a time , highly regarded by George Marshall , who was a fellow Virginia Military Institute ( VMI ) graduate , and was Army Chief of Staff during World War II . This was a major part of Almond ' s promotion to major general and subsequent command of the division , a position he held from its formation in October 1942 until August 1945 . He led the division in combat throughout the Italian Campaign of 1944 – 1945 . Almond was chosen by Marshall to command the division because Marshall believed Almond would excel at what was seen as a difficult assignment . However , Almond performed poorly and went on to blame his poor performance on the fact that the division was made up of largely African American troops . He saw his troops as the source of his failure in combat , and went on to advise the Army against ever again using African Americans as combat troops . The Gothic Line . The 370th Regimental Combat Team , attached to the 1st Armored Division , arrived in Naples , Italy , 1 August 1944 and entered combat on 24th . It participated in the crossing of the Arno River , the occupation of Lucca and the penetration of the Gothic Line . Enemy resistance was negligible in its area . As Task Force 92 , elements of the 92nd attacked on the Ligurian coastal flank toward Massa , 5 October . By the 12th , the slight gains achieved were lost to counterattacks . On 13 October , the remainder of the Division concentrated for patrol activities . Elements of the 92nd moved to the Serchio sector , 3 November 1944 , and advanced in the Serchio River Valley against light resistance , but the attempt to capture Castelnuovo di Garfagnana did not succeed . Patrol activities continued until 26 December when the enemy attacked , forcing units of the 92nd to withdraw . The attack ended on 28 December . The attacking forces were mainly from the Italian 4th " Monte Rosa " Alpine Division ( four battalions ) , with the support of three German battalions . Aside from patrols and reconnaissance , units of the 92nd attacked enemy forces in the Serchio sector from 5 – 8 February 1945 , advancing against the Italian 1st " Italia " Bersaglieri Division , but enemy counterattacks nullified all Division advances . 1945 . On 1 April , the 370th RCT and the attached 442nd RCT ( Nisei ) attacked the Ligurian coastal sector and drove rapidly north against light opposition from the German 148th Infantry Division , which was supported only by Italian coastal units . The 370th took over the Serchio sector and pursued the retreating enemy from 18 April until the collapse of all enemy forces on 29 April 1945 . Elements of the 92nd Division entered La Spezia and Genoa on 27th and took over selected towns along the Ligurian coast until the enemy surrendered on 2 May 1945 . Note : The MOH was not awarded to these recipients until 1997 . Units . 92nd Division ( 1942 – 1945 ) Support Units : Attached Units : Task Force 1 ( February 1945 ) :