Some of the amazing items we have in our WallBuilders collection includes various signatures and pictures of the Tuskegee Airmen. There were also 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars, and 8 Purple Hearts awarded to individuals in this famous group. The 332nd was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for the longest bomber escort mission and the 99th had received two Presidential Unit Citations before joining the 332nd. About 150 Tuskegee Airmen were killed and an additional 32 were taken prisoner.įor their many acts of bravery, they received many awards. They were so successful that many bomber crews specifically requested them during their missions. The 332nd flew many of its combat missions as protective escorts for vulnerable bomber groups. They flew over 1,400 combat missions, destroying nearly 300 enemy aircraft, over 600 railroad cars, and 40 boats during the war. Known for the red paint on the tails of their planes, the 332nd were nicknamed “ Red Tails.” In July 1944, three additional all-black squadrons joined them to make up the 332nd Fighter Group. They formed the 99th Fighter Squadron and were sent overseas in 1942, with their first combat experience coming on Jon Pantelleria, an Italian island. The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of black pilots trained as part of the US Army Air Corps.īetween 1941-1946 nearly 1,000 pilots were trained at Tuskegee Institute ( founded in 1881 by Booker T. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt, anticipating possible war in Europe, started a pilot training program for civilians which was also opened to black Americans, and the 1940 Selective Training and Service Act allowed blacks to be drafted.
0 kommentar(er)
