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On January 16, 1941, the War Department announced the first Army Air Corps squadron for black cadets. From the article:
"Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC), a precursor of the U.S. Air Force. Trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, they flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II. Their impressive performance earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and helped encourage the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces.
Segregation in the Armed Forces
During the 1920s and ‘30s, the exploits of record-setting pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart had captivated the nation, and thousands of young men and women clamored to follow in their footsteps.
But young African Americans who aspired to become pilots met with significant obstacles, starting with the widespread (racist) belief that black people could not learn to fly or operate sophisticated aircraft.
In 1938, with Europe teetering on the brink of another great war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced he would expand the civilian pilot training program in the United States.
At the time, racial segregation remained the rule in the U.S. armed forces—as well as much of the country. Much of the military establishment (particularly in the South) believed black soldiers were inferior to whites, and performed relatively poorly in combat.
But as the AAC began ramping up its training program, black newspapers like the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier joined civil rights groups like the NAACP in arguing that black Americans be included.
Tuskegee Experiment
In September 1940, Roosevelt’s White House responded to such lobbying campaigns by announcing that the AAC would soon begin training black pilots.
For the training site, the War Department chose the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, then under construction. Home to the prestigious Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, it was located in the heart of the Jim Crow South.
The program’s trainees, nearly all of them college graduates or undergraduates, came from all over the country. In addition to some 1,000 pilots, the Tuskegee program trained nearly 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engine mechanics, control tower operators and other maintenance and support staff.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Among the 13 members of the first class of aviation cadets in 1941 was Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a graduate of West Point and the son of Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, one of two black officers (other than chaplains) in the entire U.S. military.
The “Tuskegee Experiment” took a great leap forward in April 1941 thanks to a visit by Eleanor Roosevelt to the airfield. Charles “Chief” Anderson, then the chief flight instructor in the program, took the first lady on an aerial tour, and photos and film of that flight helped publicize the program.
Tuskegee Airmen in World War II
In April 1942, the Tuskegee-trained 99th Pursuit Squadron deployed to North Africa, which the Allies had occupied.
In North Africa and then Sicily, they flew missions in second-hand P-40 planes, which were slower and more difficult to maneuver than their German counterparts. After the commander of the 99th’s assigned fighter group complained about the squadron’s performance, Davis had to defend his men before a War Department committee.
Rather than being shipped home, the 99th was moved to Italy, where they served alongside the white pilots of the 79th Fighter Group. In early 1944, pilots from the 99th shot down 12 German fighters in two days, going some distance toward proving themselves in combat.
In February 1944, the 100th, 301st and 302nd fighter squadrons arrived in Italy; together with the 99th, these squadrons of black pilots and other personnel made up the new 332nd Fighter Group.
After this transfer, the pilots of the 332nd began flying P-51 Mustangs to escort the heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force during raids deep into enemy territory. The tails of their planes were painted red for identification purposes, earning them the enduring nickname “Red Tails.”
Though these were the best-known of the Tuskegee Airmen, black aviators also served on bomber crews in the 477th Bombardment Group, formed in 1944.
A popular myth arose during the war—and persisted afterwards—that in more than 200 escort missions, the Tuskegee Airmen had never lost a bomber. The truth wasn’t uncovered until years later, when a detailed analysis found that enemy aircraft shot down at least 25 bombers they escorted.
Nonetheless, that was a much better success rate than other escort groups of the 15th Air Force, which lost an average of 46 bombers."
"Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC), a precursor of the U.S. Air Force. Trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, they flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II. Their impressive performance earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and helped encourage the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces.
Segregation in the Armed Forces
During the 1920s and ‘30s, the exploits of record-setting pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart had captivated the nation, and thousands of young men and women clamored to follow in their footsteps.
But young African Americans who aspired to become pilots met with significant obstacles, starting with the widespread (racist) belief that black people could not learn to fly or operate sophisticated aircraft.
In 1938, with Europe teetering on the brink of another great war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced he would expand the civilian pilot training program in the United States.
At the time, racial segregation remained the rule in the U.S. armed forces—as well as much of the country. Much of the military establishment (particularly in the South) believed black soldiers were inferior to whites, and performed relatively poorly in combat.
But as the AAC began ramping up its training program, black newspapers like the Chicago Defender and Pittsburgh Courier joined civil rights groups like the NAACP in arguing that black Americans be included.
Tuskegee Experiment
In September 1940, Roosevelt’s White House responded to such lobbying campaigns by announcing that the AAC would soon begin training black pilots.
For the training site, the War Department chose the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, then under construction. Home to the prestigious Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, it was located in the heart of the Jim Crow South.
The program’s trainees, nearly all of them college graduates or undergraduates, came from all over the country. In addition to some 1,000 pilots, the Tuskegee program trained nearly 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engine mechanics, control tower operators and other maintenance and support staff.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Among the 13 members of the first class of aviation cadets in 1941 was Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a graduate of West Point and the son of Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, one of two black officers (other than chaplains) in the entire U.S. military.
The “Tuskegee Experiment” took a great leap forward in April 1941 thanks to a visit by Eleanor Roosevelt to the airfield. Charles “Chief” Anderson, then the chief flight instructor in the program, took the first lady on an aerial tour, and photos and film of that flight helped publicize the program.
Tuskegee Airmen in World War II
In April 1942, the Tuskegee-trained 99th Pursuit Squadron deployed to North Africa, which the Allies had occupied.
In North Africa and then Sicily, they flew missions in second-hand P-40 planes, which were slower and more difficult to maneuver than their German counterparts. After the commander of the 99th’s assigned fighter group complained about the squadron’s performance, Davis had to defend his men before a War Department committee.
Rather than being shipped home, the 99th was moved to Italy, where they served alongside the white pilots of the 79th Fighter Group. In early 1944, pilots from the 99th shot down 12 German fighters in two days, going some distance toward proving themselves in combat.
In February 1944, the 100th, 301st and 302nd fighter squadrons arrived in Italy; together with the 99th, these squadrons of black pilots and other personnel made up the new 332nd Fighter Group.
After this transfer, the pilots of the 332nd began flying P-51 Mustangs to escort the heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force during raids deep into enemy territory. The tails of their planes were painted red for identification purposes, earning them the enduring nickname “Red Tails.”
Though these were the best-known of the Tuskegee Airmen, black aviators also served on bomber crews in the 477th Bombardment Group, formed in 1944.
A popular myth arose during the war—and persisted afterwards—that in more than 200 escort missions, the Tuskegee Airmen had never lost a bomber. The truth wasn’t uncovered until years later, when a detailed analysis found that enemy aircraft shot down at least 25 bombers they escorted.
Nonetheless, that was a much better success rate than other escort groups of the 15th Air Force, which lost an average of 46 bombers."
Tuskegee Airmen
Posted from history.com
WWII World War Two
Racism
Discrimination
Military History
Aviation
Posted 4 y ago
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Great share, one of the last recently passed. https://www.revolt.tv/news/2021/1/10/22223808/tuskegee-airman-theodore-lumpkin-jr-dead-covid-19
Tuskegee Airman Theodore Lumpkin Jr. passes away from COVID-19
Lumpkin was close to his 101st birthday when he died of coronavirus complications.
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PO3 Phyllis Maynard
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen I can only imagine his thoughts in later years about how what he was doing at the time (unbeknownst to him) would be history and he would be right in the middle of it?
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P-51 PILOTS AND TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
The advent of the P-51s ushered in a new era because the fighters had the range to escort bombers to the target and back. The P-51s pilots and Red Tails were instrumental in attaining air superiority and conducting tactical ground attacks that shaped the conditions for Allied victory in Europe.
Just for your edification, Hitler made the mistake of committing to total war by sending V-2 rockets into London, but they did not have the requisite guidance systems to hit in a coordinated pattern. This made it easier for the Allied Air Forces to rationalize bombing German cities, but the devastation wrought by the allied Air Forces was much greater than the German strategic bombings of London, which were incomparable to the Allied bombings. Allied bombings often destroyed whole cities or a vast section of a city. The scale of Allied bombings were immense, the largest bombing run constituted 900 American bombers.
It is said that Allied bombings of cities created super hot weather systems and the immensely fast winds made eerie sounds and the crackle of the fires could be heard. Sometimes people would be melted into blobs of fat. Germans stacked charred bodies in the street like chords of wood. Underground bunkers were not always impervious to the bombings as the heat was so intense it baked the occupants.
The Red Tails and other P-51 pilots were instrumental in escorting strategic bombers. It is noted that the Red Tails were the only unit to fly with the bombers over the target areas. Prior to the P-51s, escort fighters had to return to their bases due to the lack or range. The Germans understood this process and attacked the bombers when the escort fighters turned around. In the process of escorting the bombers, the P-51 pilots shot down many German fighters which started to change the dynamics of the air war. The Luftwaffe experienced attrition which ultimately led to America's air superiority.
Air superiority did not only facilitate safer bomber runs. The Germans had to rely on more inexperienced pilots that were easier to shoot down. The P-51s often conducted ground tactical attacks after escorting the bombing runs. This caused attrition to the German army and many Luftwaffe planes were destroyed on the ground. So yes. The Red Tails were instrumental in the shaping of the war for the Allied victory in Europe. Their greatness is forever part of the lore of WWII.
The advent of the P-51s ushered in a new era because the fighters had the range to escort bombers to the target and back. The P-51s pilots and Red Tails were instrumental in attaining air superiority and conducting tactical ground attacks that shaped the conditions for Allied victory in Europe.
Just for your edification, Hitler made the mistake of committing to total war by sending V-2 rockets into London, but they did not have the requisite guidance systems to hit in a coordinated pattern. This made it easier for the Allied Air Forces to rationalize bombing German cities, but the devastation wrought by the allied Air Forces was much greater than the German strategic bombings of London, which were incomparable to the Allied bombings. Allied bombings often destroyed whole cities or a vast section of a city. The scale of Allied bombings were immense, the largest bombing run constituted 900 American bombers.
It is said that Allied bombings of cities created super hot weather systems and the immensely fast winds made eerie sounds and the crackle of the fires could be heard. Sometimes people would be melted into blobs of fat. Germans stacked charred bodies in the street like chords of wood. Underground bunkers were not always impervious to the bombings as the heat was so intense it baked the occupants.
The Red Tails and other P-51 pilots were instrumental in escorting strategic bombers. It is noted that the Red Tails were the only unit to fly with the bombers over the target areas. Prior to the P-51s, escort fighters had to return to their bases due to the lack or range. The Germans understood this process and attacked the bombers when the escort fighters turned around. In the process of escorting the bombers, the P-51 pilots shot down many German fighters which started to change the dynamics of the air war. The Luftwaffe experienced attrition which ultimately led to America's air superiority.
Air superiority did not only facilitate safer bomber runs. The Germans had to rely on more inexperienced pilots that were easier to shoot down. The P-51s often conducted ground tactical attacks after escorting the bombing runs. This caused attrition to the German army and many Luftwaffe planes were destroyed on the ground. So yes. The Red Tails were instrumental in the shaping of the war for the Allied victory in Europe. Their greatness is forever part of the lore of WWII.
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