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... ch was stationed at Fard journal, under the command of Colonel William Money. On the morning of June 2, 1943, one of the most important combat missions of the 99 th Squadron was about to take place. The mission was a strafing mission against the heavily fortified Island of Pantelleria. They were to fly as winged for pilots of the 33 rd Fighter Group. The mission was successful but unexciting.
Seven days passed before the group saw any enemy aircraft, on the eight day the Squadron was attacked by the enemy. The Squadron put up a good defense and damaged two German planes. Overall the squadron was instrumental in destroying all enemy resistance on the Island of Pantelleria. This was a first in the history of the Army Air Corps. After the former mission the Squadron moved to El Havuria, which is on the tip of Cape Bon. They were now operating with the 324 th Fighter Group in the battle of Sicily. "The 99 th mission was to fly escorts for medium bombers." While assigned with the 324 th squadron the 99 th received its first aerial victory and many more victories were to follow.
The Squadron earned the name "The Red Tail Angels, " because of their red painted tail wings and the reputation for staying with all the bombers they escorted, rather than leaving them to chalk up kills for their own personal glory. Consequently, they never lost an escorted bomber. On July 10, Lieutenant Richard Bolling was shot down while patrolling. The Squadron lost its first airmen in a two-plane crash. Overall the Squadron lost over 205 officers and enlisted personnel during World War II. In some of the most historical missions of World War II the 99 th was there.
On Sept. 10, 1944 four pilots of the 332 nd Squadron were presented the Distinguished Flying Cross. " Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. , Captain Joseph D. Elsberry, Lieutenant Jack Has claw, and Lieutenant Clarence Lester" all of which were from the 99 th. Lieutenant Colonel Davis was promoted and reassigned later as Commander of the 332 nd Squadron. The 332 nd flew missions along with the 306 th Fighter Group on June 7 th, and so did the 99 th, Colonel Davis' old squadron. The Fighter Group had orders from General Arnold to take offensive actions rather than to provide position defense for friendly bombers.
This meant escort pilots could break rank and pursue enemy fighters. With the freedom to pursue the 332 nd victories mounted quickly. Shooting down five German planes in one-day lead to 332 nd Fighter Group being awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for successfully escorting bombers and for outstanding and aggressive combat techniques. "The 332 nd Fighter Group flew its final mission in April 1945 ." The 332 nd group used the 99 th Fighter Squadron for the mission. The African-American aviators had proved the nation wrong in learning to fly, and were exceptional in World War II. "The war ends with the surrender of Japan on August 14, 1945 ." The 332 nd combat record was very impressive and its pilots received some of the following awards: " 150 Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Silver Star, 14 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, and over 744 air Medals and Clusters." In July 1945 after the war, members of the 99 th returned to the United States to these locations: The 447 th Tuskegee Army Airfield, or German Field, Fort Knox, KY.
The 332 nd was deactivated on October 17, 1945. By the time the Korean War started, blacks pilots were not only being integrated into white organizations, but some were assigned as instructors of cadets. It was estimated that about 21 blacks pilots and hundreds of enlisted men were employed in the Korean War. Lieutenant James Harvey Jr. was one of the first jets pilots to see action in the war, a former member of the 99 th.
It wasn't until the implementation of the Civil Right Act of 1964 that the Tuskegee airmen gained official acceptance on the great Air Force Team. The Tuskegee Airmen made history, a history that will forever stand out in the annals of the United States. The Airmen compiled an impressive record, completing " 1, 578 missions, destroying 260 enemy aircraft, sinking one enemy destroyer and demolishing numerous ground installations. Lost 62 men in combat with 32 shot down and became prisoner of war. They escorted 200 bombing missions without losing a bomber, at a time when about one-third of such missions ended with the bombers being lost." Their record made it easier later for President Harry Truman to integrate the armed forces. And that act, more than any other, says Roosevelt Lewis, was the foundation for the modern civil rights movement. "It's not about skin color, it's your performance and commitment that count, " Lewis says.
That was all laid out so purely, so clearly by the Tuskegee Airmen. The famed Tuskegee Airmen are renowned for their valor and courageous actions over the skies of North Africa, Sicily and Western Europe during World War II. The most impressive part of their record is that the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber under care to enemy fighters after training at Motion Field. The reputation of the Tuskegee Airmen still lives on, in Tuskegee, Alabama. The institute is still training pilots today and some have gone on to become very successful in many areas. Flying in every American battle in some of our country most sophisticated airplanes like the War, and the Stealth Bomber.
Sadly, one of the airmen we all should know is the late Dr. Ronald E. McNair who was killed in the Challenger Disaster in 1986. This is a brief account of a few young men with a dream of becoming a part of their country. Not by just serving in its armed forces, but being at the core of this great country. It tells of the struggles and adversities that they endeared in reaching their goal.
They proved that any man could over come adversity and shine in the end. Their actions paved the way for young black men and women who live in a nation where one may fulfill his or her dreams. May they live on in our forever they did a great job. Bibliography: Airmen Bibliography 1. Mckissack, Patricia and Frederick, Red-Tail Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, Walker Publishing, 1995. 2. Francis, Charles, The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation.
Boston, Mass. : Branden Publishing, 1988. 3. Herbert, Carter, The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen National Forum, 1995 4. New Standard Encyclopedia Volume 19 5. Smith, Gene, Colonel Parrish's Orders, Noel F.
Parrish and the Tuskegee Airmen The End of World War II, American Heritage, May-June 1995 6. Richard, Dalfuime, Desegregation of the Armed Forces University of Missouri Press, 1960
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