The Tuskegee Airmen Story [NOOK Book]

Anyone interested in learning about World War II may unfortunately overlook a special example of dedication, patriotism and bravery. The African-Americans who trained to be pilots at Tuskegee, Alabama, not only had to contend with the German Luftwaffe pilots in World War II in the skies over Europe but also had to deal with racism, distrust and segregation at home.

In the early days of World War II, the U.S. was having a hard time finding enough pilots for the military. One solution came from a small university called Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. African Americans were training there to become military pilots but most of the country definitely wasn’t ready to accept any black pilot in the military.

Many traveled to Alabama from the big cities, such as New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit but others came from smaller towns across the country. Regardless of where they were from, these brave men nevertheless answered the call and became some of the best combat pilots that the United States ever produced.

The Tuskegee Airmen were both feared and respected by the German pilots, who called them the “Schwartze Voglemenschen” or “Black Birdmen.” They were revered by their fellow airmen as the “Redtails” or the “Redtail Angels” because of their distinct red-tailed aircraft as well as their success in safely defending Allied bombers and destroying enemy targets.

The Tuskegee Airmen, however, were more than that because they were the first black military airmen at a time when there were many people who thought that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism. Although these men faced harsh, frequent criticism and received little support, they proved they could fly and maintain military aircraft better than virtually anyone else.

The Tuskegee Airmen Story tries to capture the challenges and triumphs of these brave pilots who rose above discrimination to achieve historical status.

The 99th Fighter Squadron, led by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, was later joined by the 100th, 301st and 302nd FS to form the legendary 332nd Fighter Group. The Group first flew P-40s over North Africa in ground attack missions as well as participating in the destruction and surrender of Pantelleria, near Sicily. The "Redtails" were soon flying the P-51 Mustangs and flying escort missions deep into Germany.

The 332nd was successful not only in aerial combat (including destroying several new Me 262 jets), but also on strafing missions against vehicles and railyards; the 332nd even sunk a German destroyer. Perhaps an even more important achievement, however, was delivering another lesson of the absurdity of racial inequality and discrimination that existed in the U.S. The Tuskegee airmen, highly-educated and exceptionally motivated men, secured a significant place in American and black history for bravery in service on and off the battlefield.

The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen was the eventual desegregation of the United States miliary, the recognition that black pilots were equal to white pilots and the respect and admiration earned by, and given to, former Tuskegee pilots such as General Benjamin Davis, Jr. and General Daniel “Chappie” James.

The success of the Tuskegee Airmen also depended on the dedicated and often overlooked contributions of aviation pioneers such as Bessie Coleman, Earl Renfroe, Janet Bragg and many others. The first chapter talks about their contributions throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

I also include the photography of Toni Frissell amd her brilliant work showing the men of the 332nd stationed in Italy at the time.

****CONTENTS****
Introduction
Aviators Flying Against Prejudice
The Training Begins
The War Years
Photography Of Toni Frissell
Appendices