Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about The Tuskegee airmen

Tuskegee airmen in training classroom Photo By Toni Frissell – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about The Tuskegee airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the United States Army Air Corps (AAC), which was a forerunner to the United States Air Force.

They were trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama and flew over 15,000 missions in Europe and North Africa during WWII.

Their outstanding performance won them over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses and aided in the eventual integration of the United States military forces.

They became the United States Army Air Forces’ 332d Expeditionary Operations Group and 477th Bombardment Group.

The following are some of the unbelievable facts about the Tuskegee airmen.

1. The Tuskegee Airmen had an excellent track record in bomber escort missions

The Tuskegee Airmen are best known for flying fighters in the Mediterranean theatre, first with the Twelfth Air Force, where they performed hundreds of missions, and subsequently with the Fifteenth Air Force.

The 332d Fighter Group and its 99th, 100th, 301st, and 302d Fighter Squadrons flew largely bomber escort flights for the latter and developed a reputation for brilliance while doing so.

They only lost 27 bomber escort missions out of 179, compared to an average of 46 for other 15th Air Force P-51 squadrons.

2. They were established with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson Picture By U.S. Air Force photo – Wikimedia Commons

Eleanor Roosevelt took a flight in the back of pilot C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson’s plane at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama in March 1941. It wasn’t quite that casual; in fact, the incident was highly significant – because Anderson was black.

Mrs Roosevelt commemorated the occasion with a photograph of herself and Mr Anderson, which she soon returned to her husband, President Franklin D.Roosevelt and successfully encouraged FDR to use the 99th Squadron in combat missions.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s enthusiasm for African-American pilots and the Institute’s training program was evident when she flew with Anderson. The Institute’s profile was bolstered by press coverage of her flight adventure, which helped advocate for these pilots’ competency.

Roosevelt was so taken with the program that she struck up a long-distance communication with a few of the pilots.

3. Tuskegee airmen were the first three black generals in the US Air Force.

Three Tuskegee Airmen rose through the ranks of the military to become generals.

Lucius Theus (1979) was the Tuskegee Airmen’s first and only mission support officer elevated to general, and the third Black Air Force general after Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. and Daniel Chappie James.

4. Red tails and Red tails angels were two of their nicknames.

Tuskegee Airmen Float, Bud Billiken Parade 2015 Picture By Daniel X. O’Neil – Wikimedia Commons

Following this transfer, the 332nd’s pilots began flying P-51 Mustangs to accompany the 15th Air Force’s heavy bombers on missions deep into enemy territory.

Their planes’ tails were painted red for identification, earning them the moniker “Red Tails.”

They are best renowned for their heroic actions during World Combat II’s air war, as well as for defying preconceptions that prevented black Americans from serving as pilots in the US Armed Forces.

5. They had to deal with segregation on base.

Racism, discrimination, segregation, and limited prospects for promotion plagued the airmen at home, overseas, and in the service, despite their valour.

President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948, requiring that all members of the United States Armed Forces be treated equally and given equal opportunities.

6. Tuskegee airmen were more than just pilots; they were pioneers.

Tuskegee airmen Picture By Toni Frissell – Wikimedia Commons

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of mostly African-American military pilots and airmen that served during WWII.

They are composed of the US Army Air Forces’ 332d Expeditionary Operations Group and 477th Bombardment Group.

They were the first Black military aviators in the Army Air Corps (AAC), which was the forerunner to the United States Air Force.

7. Some Tuskegee airmen died.

During the war, 355 African-American pilots trained at Tuskegee were deployed overseas, 84 were killed in action, a dozen perished on training and non-combat missions, and 32 were captured after being shot down.

Charles McGee, who flew 409 combat missions and was one of the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, died on January 16, 2022. He was 102 years old.

8. Tuskegee airmen received recognition for their achievements.

President George W. Bush and the United States Congress presented the Tuskegee Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal (CGM) on March 29, 2007, in a ceremony held in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.

The CGM is the highest civilian honour bestowed by the United States.

This award was given to the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots who served in the US Army Air Forces during WWII. More than 850 medals are believed to have been received by them.

9. All Tuskegee airmen who served in the Tuskegee army between 1941 and 1949 were known as the (DOTA)

Tuskegee Airmen Picture By National Archives and Records Administration – Wikimedia Commons

Anyone who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field or in any of the programs arising from the “Tuskegee Experience” between 1941 and 1949 is considered a documented Original Tuskegee Airman (male or female, military or civilian, black or white) (DOTA).

During World War II, they were a group of mostly African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen known as the Black Panthers.

10. All African-American military pilots received their training at Motor Field and Tuskegee Air Field, both located near Tuskegee, Alabama.

The all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron of the United States Army Air Corps (later the United States Army Air Forces) was founded in January 1941 by the War Department to be trained in single-engine planes at the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.

The NAACP, the black press, and others had been fighting hard for the government to allow African Americans to join the military as pilots.

The NAACP and the most influential black newspapers, on the other hand, were opposed to the notion of forming distinct black units, believing that it would only serve to maintain segregation and prejudice.

Moton Field at Tuskegee, Alabama, was the major flying training ground for the pioneering pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen due to segregation, and it is now operated by the National Park Service to highlight their history and achievements.

Moton Field honours African-American airmen who served in World War II.