Harpreet Singh

M9 Assignment: Nano-History Research Paper

Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were young and dedicated men who volunteered to become America's

first black military airmen to fight in WWII. The Tuskegee Airmen group was active from 1940 to

1948.This group was also known as the Red Tail Angels because of the red paint used on the tails of

fighter aircraft. Before WWII, military officials believed that African- Americans could not perform

well in a battle and were unqualified of flying.

In early1939, most of the universities had flight schools but American Africans were not

allowed to join them. By mid 1939, Appropriations Bill Law 18 was passed by Congress which funded

schools for training African-American pilots. By 1941, a new flight school was founded at the historic

Tuskegee University in Alabama. The Tuskegee program began in June 1941 with the 99th Pursuit

Squadron. Tuskegee was a good place for training pilots because it had good flying weather all year

long. Many government officials tried to shut down the Tuskegee program because of racism but

thanks to the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt who supported the program and flew with African-

American chief instructor.

Total of 996 pilots graduates from this program. Primary, basic and advanced training for pilots

at Tuskegee Army Air Field was beginning for the black who trained there. Some of the A-10 pilot

graduates from Tuskegee Army Air Field moved on to Mather Field, California, where they leaned how

to fly B-25 aircraft. The 99th fighter squadron was the first American black flying unit in combat. Out of

total graduates, 352 pilots were deployed in Europe for combat duty. They proved once and for all that

African Americans could fly and maintain refined combat aircraft.

 Captain Benjamin O. Davis was the first African American to become the Air Force general. By

end of 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan, the need for pilots skyrocketed. By 1942, the 100th

pursuit squadron was activated at Tuskegee Army, it was the second African-American Army Air Force

to be activated. By the end of the war, nearly 1,378 combat missions, 179 bomber escort missions were

logged. They manged to destroy 112 enemy aircraft. Over 68 pilots were killed in action and 32 were

captured as prisoners of war.

By the end of the twentieth century, the Tuskegee Airmen had become famous in newspaper,

magazine articles, films and museum exhibits. A movie named Red Tails about Tuskegee Airmen was

also made in 1955, which made millions of dollars in revenue.

 Work cited

https://www.military.com/history/the-tuskegee-airmen.html

https://worldofwarplanes.com/news/the-red-tailed-angels/

https://www.tuskegeemuseum.org/who-were-they/