--- title: Black History Month: Rare Photos of Black Soldiers Training in WWII description: Photos from a time when thousands of African American troops trained to fight a "war for freedom" while still second-class citizens at home. canonical: https://time.com/3879184/african-american-soldiers-world-war-ii-photos-1943/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-26T18:19:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:03:46.306Z og:title: Black History Month: Rare Photos of Black Soldiers Training in WWII og:description: Photos from a time when thousands of African American troops trained to fight a "war for freedom" while still second-class citizens at home. og:url: https://time.com/3879184/african-american-soldiers-world-war-ii-photos-1943/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14d3d442726951e1/69884b35e20a8745d3a8ad85/140131-african-american-troops-17.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: African American troops 1943 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Black History Month: Rare Photos of Black Soldiers Training in WWII twitter:description: Photos from a time when thousands of African American troops trained to fight a "war for freedom" while still second-class citizens at home. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14d3d442726951e1/69884b35e20a8745d3a8ad85/140131-african-american-troops-17.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The War at Home: Rare Portraits of Black Soldiers Training for WWII by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Feb 26, 2014 6:19 PM UTC  Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943.Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Feb 26, 2014 6:19 PM UTC In August 1943, at the height of the [Second World War](http://life.time.com/world-war-ii/), LIFE magazine published a lengthy article titled, “Negro Division.” The racial tensions that have inexorably shaped American history and, in large part, defined American culture have rarely been more urgent or widespread than they were at that moment, when U.S. troops were “fighting for freedom” overseas while codified prejudice and legislative inequality remained in force throughout the United States. In fact, just months before the article appeared in LIFE, [a massive race riot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit%5FRace%5FRiot%5F%281943%29) tore through Detroit, leaving dozens dead, hundreds injured and thousands — mostly African Americans — under arrest. LIFE’s “Negro Division” article, meanwhile, chronicled and (somewhat mutely) celebrated the increasing number of black troops in American combat units, focusing primarily on one unit: the famed [93rd Infantry Division](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/93rd%5FInfantry%5FDivision%5F%28United%5FStates%29), its 16,000 enlisted men and its thousand officers — half of whom were African American — training at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Here, LIFE.com looks back at a pivotal moment in American history, when many thousands of citizens, men and women, were training to fight for and otherwise defend a country that had long resisted the very notion of “liberty and justice for all.” There’s more than heroism in that sort of effort; seen in a certain light, there’s a kind of radical optimism that, in the end, defines the imperfect, audacious [American experiment](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm) as well as anything ever has. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Not published in LIFE. American soldier, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Army's first all-black combat division, the 93rd, on parade after a 25-mile hike in the sweltering heat at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Troops marching, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Lieut. Vasco de Gama Hale (left) works with Major Thomas Simpson in directing live-ammunition practice, 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Enlisted women march in a group, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "With arms folded and steel helmets pulled down over their heads, Negro soldiers roll by in their vehicles during the division parade." Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Priscilla Taylor, an African American truck driver serving in the Women's Army Corps, 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Unidentified soldier, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. A soldier sends a teletype message, 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. An African American woman serving in the Women's Army Corps, 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "During infantry artillery practice at Fort Huachuca, Pfc. Alphonso Cohen and Cpl. Leslie Anderson line up target for their guns with careful use of an aiming circle." Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Soldiers on an obstacle course at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Unidentified member of the 369th Infantry, "The Harlem Hellfighters," Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Members of the 369th Infantry, "The Harlem Hellfighters," attend chapel services, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. A jam session at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. Steinheimer—TIme & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. African American troops in training, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 1943. Charles E. 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