473rd Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 473rd Infantry Regiment was a segregated African-American infantry regiment of the United States Army that served in Italy during World War II. Formed in 1944 from elements of the 92nd Infantry Division's service and support units, primarily the 370th Engineer General Service Regiment and the 365th Quartermaster Truck Company, it was reorganized and assigned a combat role due to severe personnel shortages in the Italian theater.

The need for the 473rd arose from heavy casualties sustained by Allied forces, particularly the 92nd Infantry Division, which experienced challenges integrating its African-American troops into the existing combat structure. Rather than integrate the replacement soldiers directly into existing white units, the Army created the 473rd Infantry Regiment as a separate, all-Black combat unit.

The regiment primarily operated in the Ligurian Alps sector of the Gothic Line, facing a determined German enemy in difficult terrain. They were responsible for holding a defensive line, conducting patrols, and engaging in skirmishes with enemy forces. While initially meeting resistance and suffering from logistical challenges related to its rapid formation and deployment, the 473rd eventually proved itself in combat.

The 473rd Infantry Regiment was disbanded after the end of World War II. Its soldiers, like many African-American veterans of the war, returned home to a nation still struggling with racial inequality, but their service contributed to the broader struggle for civil rights in the United States. The regiment's contribution is often overshadowed, but they represent a critical chapter in the history of African-American participation in the US military.