The 368th Infantry Regiment (Colored) was activated at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on March 1, 1941, and assigned to the 93rd Infantry Division on January 1, 1942. After training in Arizona, Louisiana, and California, it staged at Camp Stoneman and departed San Francisco on January 24, 1944. The regiment reached Bakina in the Russell Islands on February 7 and began a Pacific war marked by detached security, supply, and mop-up missions rather than a sustained divisional battle line.
In the Russells the 368th furnished fatigue details at docks, warehouses, and supply dumps. It moved to New Georgia between June 14 and July 3, 1944, and was attached to VI Island Command. There it patrolled, guarded radar and radio installations, and performed dock and port duties after the main New Georgia fighting had passed. In October it shifted to Hollandia, New Guinea, where it supported supply operations and provided secondary security for the base area.
The regiment moved to Morotai in April 1945 as the 93rd Division assumed tactical control of the island. Its work there included defending military installations and clearing the area between the Pilowo and Bobo Rivers while Morotai served as an air and logistics base. On June 29 the 368th departed Morotai and arrived at Zamboanga, Mindanao, on July 1, relieving elements of the 41st Infantry Division and taking responsibility for the Zamboanga sector and the islands of Palawan, Jolo, and Sanga Sanga. One battalion took over Palawan security; another was sent to mop up Jolo. Attached to X Corps, the regiment continued patrol, security, and base-defense duties through the Japanese surrender.
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