Tuskegee Airmen
"Spit Fire" (Motto)
Before World War II, black men were not allowed to serve as pilots in the United States Army Air Corps (the predecessor of the United States Air Force). However, as the war progressed the US government received pressure from both black servicemen and civilian groups to permit the training and deployment of black pilots. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had especially been advocating for African Americans to become military pilots. In January 1941, the War Department, at the behest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, formed the first all-black squadron of military pilots, the 99th Pursuit Squadron. This segregated unit was trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, and these first pilots would come to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
The 99thPursuit Squadron was trained to fly single engine planes, and their training was complete by March of 1942. The first commander of the Tuskegee Airmen was Benjamin O. Davis Jr. A graduate of West Point, Davis was a member of the first class of soldiers to graduate from the Tuskegee Airfield, and he was the first to lead the all-black pilot squadron. Following their training in Tuskegee, the squadron gained additional experience training in Morrocco. Their first mission was conducted on June 2nd, 1943. Seeing the success of the 99th Squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen expanded, adding three new squadrons by 1944 to form the 322nd Fighter Group. The Tuskegee Airmen operated in the European Theater and the Mediterranean where they conducted escort missions for American bombers as well as ground attacks. During their deployment in the European Theater, the Tuskegee Airmen gained the nickname “Red Tails” because of the distinct red paint on the tail end of their aircraft. Despite their success, the airmen still faced discrimination while serving abroad. Their legitimacy and performance were often questioned by white officers, but their service record proved that they were an effective and valuable force.
Eventually the Tuskegee Air Program was expanded again to train black airmen to pilot B-25 Bombers. However, World War II ended before this new unit could ever be deployed overseas. By the end of the War, over 900 African American pilots graduated from the Tuskegee program, and they flew in over 1,500 missions and destroyed over 250 enemy craft. With over 850 medals awarded to the airmen, they are one of the most decorated air squadrons in the history of the US Armed Forces.
The Tuskegee Airmen were pioneers in the American Armed Forces. Though their formation was imperfect as they were still a segregated unit, the airmen paved the way for every black pilot that followed in their footsteps. Their success is seen by some as a catalyst for the eventual desegregation of the US Armed Forces in 1948. The Smithsonian curator Paul Gardullo explained the Tuskegee Airmen’s significance quite well, saying that “they held themselves to a standard higher than the nation held them in esteem. It’s a powerful lesson, and its one we can’t ever forget when we’re thinking about what America is, and what America means.”
“Spit Fire!” (The Motto of the Tuskegee Airmen)
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tuskegee-Airmen
https://www.thenmusa.org/biographies/benjamin-o-davis-jr/
