The Experience | The Tuskegee Experience | Thier Stories | Squadrons

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans to be trained as WWII Military pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. This was a time when being black was more of a crime then being the enemy. Never in our nations' history has the idea of enemy lines been so blurred or has patriotism been so clearly defined. The Tuskegee Airmen challenged America's racist attitudes with the willingness to give their lives to a country not willing to serve them.

There were 992 pilots trained at Tuskegee, Alabama while over 10,000 Black maintenance personnel trained at Chanute Field in Illinois. Five hundred fifty bomber pilots and their crews were trained but the war ended before they were deployed overseas. The remaining 445 fighter pilots and their crews entered combat in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. The Tuskegee Airmen were forced to operate as segregated units and not allowed to train or fight alongside their white fellow countrymen. To identify themselves they painted the tails of their aircraft red, thus becoming the "Red Tails". The Tuskegee Airmen "Red Tails" carried their hopes and dreams of equality for themselves and their thirteen million African American countrymen into battle.

Shunned initially, the Red Tail pilots and their crews overcame the dire circumstances of discrimination and their performance became legendary. They soon became the “requested” fighter escorts by the white bomber pilots. Flying over 15,000 sorties in more than 1,500 missions, they complied an outstanding combat record. As bomber escorts, the Tuskegee Airmen lost very few bombers to enemy fighters, which earned them the nickname "Red Tail Angels". Sixty-six gave their lives in combat and 32 were captured as prisoners of war.

What began as an experiment ended with a path of success forged for all African Americans. The path however was not easy. Returning home the Airmen were once again mistreated by the country they had just defended. But the Tuskegee Airmen had defeated this racist enemy before and they would do it again. Using their education they went on to successful careers in the military, business and education while continuing the quiet fight for freedom. Unfortunately this story of how a group of African American aviators fought and won battles on two fronts: against racism at home and against facism in Europe has been left out of most history textbooks. The story can no longer go untold, not just because of its importance in black history, but because of its importance in American History.

Squadrons

332nd Fighter Group

99th Fighter Group

100th Fighter Squadron

301st Fighter Squadron