by Carr, Firpo
When First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1941, she insisted on taking a ride in an airplane with a black pilot—Chief Anderson—at the controls. P.H. Polk documented the event and Mrs. Roosevelt requested that the photographs be printed for her to take back to Washington D.C. to show the President. This photograph was instrumental in convincing F.D.R. to activate the participation of the Tuskegee Airmen in North Africa and in the European Theater.
In an interesting bit of historical symmetry, P. H. Polk was an honored guest at the shuttle launch of the first African American in space, Guion S. “Guy” Bluford, in August 1983, and documented the event at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with his camera.[78] (Emphasis supplied.)
This singular, bold and daring act on the part of the First Lady not only opened a fascinating chapter in Black and aviation histories, but it also facilitated the launching of the onslaught of one of America’s most intriguing secret weapons, the Tuskegee Airmen[†††††††].
Tuskegee Airmen:
Exploits and Victories
Careful records have been kept that reflect facts and figures about the very first school of its kind anywhere in the world—or in the world’s history for that matter.
While the school’s background has already been discussed, looking at statistics also proves enlightening.
A total of 992 pilots were graduated from the base at Tuskegee; 450 were sent overseas; 66 were killed in action. They flew nearly 1,600 missions and all the bombers they protected made it home. Five of their number are now Air Force generals.[79]
But, as mentioned above, neither the school nor its purpose is widely known, which can be attributable to the fact that information about the specialized institution or its mission statement has not been extensively published.
And as we shall further see, apparently the Tuskegee Airmen were trained very well as judged by the very impressive victories they registered against Nazi Germany.
Their discipline as trained fighter pilots also left its mark on friend and foe alike, as well as the casual observer.
After the First Lady’s gentle but persistent nudging to give the Tuskegee Airmen an opportunity to prove themselves, the impressive skill level of the Airmen eventually attracted the attention of the President Roosevelt.
After paying the Airmen well-deserved compliments, note what comes next regarding the President as reported by one researcher dedicated to revealing obscure factual details:
They flew in the tightest formations, hit their targets, and never, ever strayed from the bombers they were protecting. During 200 missions these fighter pilots escorted, not one bomber was lost to enemy fire.
In the bargain, they destroyed or damaged 409 enemy aircraft and earned a Presidential Unit Citation and 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses.
They were the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous black fighter pilots. And in the air, they were in their glory.[80]
“They loved us,” said [one retired Tuskegee Airman]. “We were setting an example. We flew very tight formations and we’d fly right over the bombers, so close we could see the guys’ faces and they’d be waving.”
“The other (fighter) pilots were up there to get a kill record, to score victories,” said Steward. “We were up there to prove that we could fly.”[81]
Suffice it to say that the exploits of these incredible Black pilots are legendary. If one did not know better, one could easily believe that the feats of the Tuskegee Airmen are mythical, yes, beyond belief.
Consider, for the example, the incident that happened toward the latter part of the war in June 1944.
In June 1944, Colonel Davis led the first escort mission of the 332nd, the larger all-black unit of which the 99th was a part, protecting U.S. B-24s that were bombing targets in southern Germany from being attacked by German fighters. The Tuskegee Airmen were flying P-47 Thunderbolts, fast, single-engine fighters, each equipped with eight machine guns and capable of reaching top speeds of more than 400 mph.
On that mission, 38 P-47s of the 332nd held off more than 100 top-of-the-line German fighter airplanes. At one point, Colonel Davis personally led a flight of eight P-47s, attacking 18 German fighters, scattering the German planes, and shooting down several. During the mission, the 332nd fighters shot down five German fighters and damaged another. None of the U.S. bombers was shot down or seriously damaged.[82] (Emphasis supplied.)
The superior skill of America’s elite Black pilots obviously did not go unnoticed by the Nazis. In fact, a fascinating piece of history that has not even qualified as “trivia” is as follows: Although the Nazis loathed Black people, they begrudgingly respected, and even feared, the Tuskegee Airmen, as stated at the outset of this chapter.
The Third Reich was so intimidated by the Sky Masters that they—surprisingly—introduced a brand new secret weapon against them. What was this weapon? Jet-powered fighter planes flown by specially trained, highly talented Nazi pilots!
These planes were much faster than the ones the Black Americans flew. The marvelous machines were the very latest that superior German technology and machinery had to offer. They were indeed a sight to behold!
How would the Tuskegee Airmen handle the most advanced airborne fighting machines known to man? Would they now think that their own aircraft was comparable to those mosquitoes back in Alabama when going against lightning bolts of the Teutonic Gods?
Let the astounding record speak for itself:
Perhaps the most spectacular mission flown by the 332nd was on March 24, 1945. On that day Davis led the 332nd on a 1,600-mile round-trip escort mission from bases in England to Berlin, the German capital. The Tuskegee Airmen encountered a new German weapon—jet-powered fighters, the first jet fighters used in World War II. The jets were much faster than the U.S. fighters, yet the Tuskegee Airmen destroyed three of the jets and damaged six others.
One Tuskegee Airman was lost on the mission, but no U.S. bombers were lost, despite the Germans’ pitting their latest and best fighters against the Americans.
The Germans both feared and respected the Tuskegee Airmen, calling them “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” (Black Birdmen). White U.S. bomber crews reverently referred to them as “The Redtail Angels” because of the identifying red paint on their planes’ tails. Soon word got around among white U.S. bomber pilots about the skill and fighting ability of the 332nd. Many bomber pilots began to request escort by the all-black group.[83]
This encounter with Germany’s secret weapon, “jet-powered fighters, the first jet fighters used in World War II,” was truly remarkable!
There was no warning whatsoever. No time to prepare. No time to practice evasive maneuvers. No data from military intelligence. No time to strategize the details of a counterattack. No, nothing.
The Sky Masters had to be just that: Masters of the Skies. “Collect yourself. Fight—and win!” was their mantra.
Nazi admiration, while highly unusual, did not phase the Black Birdmen. They continued their seemingly superhuman feats and legendary adventures in the skies by later sinking, of all things, a Nazi destroyer.
What is so remarkable about this? Were not these American warplanes equipped with missiles commensurate with the technological sophistication of the day? No.
Consider this: Tuskegee Airmen sank an Iron Monster in the form of a German destroyer with what would appear to be popguns to the Oppressive Juggernaut, namely, machine guns. Such an action was practically unheard of.
By the end of World War II in Europe (May 8, 1945), the Tuskegee Airmen had flown more than 10,000 missions. In 1944 and 1945, they shot down more than 100 enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat and destroyed many more on the ground. They also sank a German destroyer with machine guns (a unique accomplishment) and destroyed many trains and other transportation targets. During the war, 66 Tuskegee Airmen were killed and another 32 were taken prisoner.[84]
Success in air combat certainly was not limited to a few occasions. The Tuskegee Airmen, as has been so very w
ell documented, collectively had a well-deserved reputation of being the best in the sky—ever. Another example illustrates this:
The extended range of the Mustangs allowed the 99th, along with the rest of the 332nd, to fly escort missions over the Alps to bomber targets in Austria and Germany. …
They began to see more and more enemy fighters during those missions, and their victory tally began to rise. …
A formation of approximately 20 Messerschmitt Me-109s attempted to get through to the bombers, but the Mustangs forced the German pilots to break off their attacks before the Me-109s could get within range. The 332nd shot down 11 Messerschmitts that day, but lost three P-51s.[85]
It was not uncommon for a Red Tail pilot to fly well over 100 missions—double the 50 missions officially required for pilots flying in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. The group destroyed 111 enemy aircraft in the air including eight of the world’s first operational jet fighters, Messerschmitt Me-262s, by the time it flew its last mission on April 30, 1945. The 332nd also destroyed 115 aircraft on the ground.[86]
The Airmen themselves were understandably proud of their unbelievable accomplishments. After all, they gladly accepted a challenge that was most certainly not for the weak-kneed or faint of heart, and had emerged victorious in facing a most formidable opponent.
You engaged one of the most formidable military establishments in the world—the [German Air Force] ... When you engaged this force in combat and came away victorious, you carried not only your own pride and your personal accomplishments, but also the idea that never again would anybody deny a man or woman the opportunity to serve our country in any capacity because of the color of his or her skin.[87]
The enormity of their success was almost unfathomable in the minds of Pentagon brass and the few war historians who are intimately familiar with the Sky Masters.
And when measured against the backdrop from which the Black Birdmen came, their amazing aeronautical feats become even more impressive—if that were indeed possible.
Tuskegee Army Air Field:
The Armpit of the Army Air Corps
The Air Masters learned to fly from a hodgepodge of dedicated Black non-military pilots and disinterested White military flying instructors who were just passing through.
Some of the Caucasian instructors were less qualified to fly than several of their Black, so-called students. Even when encountered with these odds the Black students excelled.
While the pilots’ initial training at Tuskegee Army Air Field came from black civilian pilots, the more advanced training fell to white pilots who, in some cases, had even less flying experience than their black students.
Often, the white instructors used their time at Tuskegee as a quick springboard to promotion; others were assigned there as punishment, said Steward.[88]
And what were the individual backgrounds of the young Black men who became the Tuskegee Airmen? Were they the dregs of society? Or, were they just like the average, everyday Black country farmer from Alabama?
“We were the cream of the crop,” [one black student] said. “We were college presidents, doctors, lawyers, preachers, All-American athletes, intellectual geniuses. Can you imagine all these people being trained by instructors who didn’t want to be there?”[89]
Both academically and professionally one would be hard pressed to find another group of more qualified Black men anywhere in the world. Indeed, they were “the cream of the crop.” But, these credentialed men were not the only heroes.
Black farmers and sharecroppers demonstrated their ability to survive under the most trying of circumstances in the old Jim Crow South. They were champions themselves.
And being forced by circumstances beyond their ability to control to labor at menial tasks in Sweet Home Alabama, these Black workers had nothing to be ashamed of or to be embarrassed about.
Even though they had to work to make a living instead of having the luxury of pursuing an education—let alone a higher education—their contribution to the Black cause is of inestimable value.
Speaking of value, the invaluable contribution of Black women should not to be overlooked in the discussion of the Tuskegee Airmen. And this is not a reference to wives or mothers.
Tuskegee Airwomen?
After decades of quiescence on the matter, the Tuskegee Airmen finally began to get their due. But what about their Black female counterparts?
No, there were no “Tuskegee Airwomen” who engaged in dogfights with Nazi pilots in Nazi airspace. Nevertheless, and we might add surprisingly, there were indeed Tuskegee Women.
And, no, we are not just talking about cooks and maids. Just ask Ms. Willa Brown.
By the end of the war in 1945, 992 African Americans had passed through Tuskegee’s pilot training program, which wasn’t limited to men. Several women—including Willa Brown, who later trained pilots, and Janet Brogs, a registered nurse—also earned their wings at Tuskegee. And, for every black pilot, there were ten other civilian or military black men and women on the ground to support the planes and their fliers.[90]
The well-worn cliché that says, “behind every good man there’s woman” would, on the surface, seem apropos. However, the reality is that, for some Tuskegee Airmen, the Black woman was in front of him—in the classroom and in the air, as it were—because she was teaching him.
One of these students cherished “the idea that never again would anybody deny a [Black] man or [Black] woman the opportunity to serve our country in any capacity because of the color of his or her skin,” as quoted earlier.
Little did this student—this would-be hero—know that he and his entire group of fellow Tuskegee Warriors (women included) would be in for the bitterest of disappointments.
America’s Shameful Mistreat-
ment of Her “Soldiers of Color”
America’s mistreatment of the Tuskegee Airmen and other Black military personnel has been well documented. There is a growing awareness of the racism and discrimination visited upon them by the nation whose mantra, “The Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave,” reverberates worldwide.
To the victims, though, the echo betrays a hollowness, an emptiness that rings through the very words whose meaning and significance, they say, evaporates into thin air along with the very breath that carried them.
Hans Massaquoi was very familiar with the general mistreatment of Blacks in America from reading, as a child, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He later interviewed, before coming to America, African American men who felt the crush of racism in America. Massaquoi relates:
From the time I was a child and able to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I had known about the mistreatment of blacks in the United States. Later, I added to that knowledge through newspaper articles about race riots, lynchings, and Jim Crow. But I had never had an opportunity to learn the facts firsthand. When I asked the inevitable question, “How are Negroes treated in America?” both men replied in unison, “Like [manure]!” They then explained to me that cities in the North, like New York, Chicago, and Detroit, were “halfway okay,” but that anyplace in the South—“no matter where”—was “a bitch.”[91]
Sad as it was, the situation mentioned above did not involve Black military personnel. Black citizens of the United States of America suffered the indignities noted here.
But, does Massaquoi have anything to say about the foul humiliation Black soldiers suffered?
Incredibly, after reiterating the shameful reality that racism existed in America, Massaquoi makes a comparison between the United States government and the Nazis that few have dared to make.
It took me a while to psychologically digest my introduction to the American dilemma—America’s inability, or unwillingness, to live up to its creed of “liberty and justice for all.” I had known for quite a while that white people in America, especially in the South, did not always live up to that creed and, indeed, had committed some of the most brutal atrocities against their black fellow citizens, but I had no idea that racial dis
crimination was not only condoned but openly practiced by the United States government.
As much as I hated the Nazis for it, somehow, their overt racism and refusal to accept me in their military ranks seemed more honest to me than the United States’ lip service to democracy and eagerness to recruit blacks while keeping them at arm’s length in segregated, low-status service units commanded primarily by whites.[92] (Emphasis supplied.)
Also, consider the case of World War II veteran Mitchell Higginbotham. Although he never engaged the enemy overseas, he had another enemy here in America, and the battle he fought at home was no less dangerous:
World War II veteran Mitchell Higginbotham never served outside the United States, but the enemy he fought was just as formidable as Germany and Japan.
Higginbotham, a Tuskegee Airman and Dana Point [California] resident, says proudly that “my most outstanding contribution to the war was in the fight for racial equality.” Like thousands of other African Americans, Higginbotham enlisted to fight fascism abroad but also ended up fighting racism in the ranks.
It was a fight that earned him a place in U.S. military history as one of 61 young black officers arrested for disobeying an order barring them from a whites-only officers’ club.[93]
Black officers arrested for invading the precious sanctum of White officers? How dare they! But what, in fact, really happened? And how did the African American officers handle the situation?
These questions, and a new look at “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (not the one Massaquoi read about as a child), are discussed below.
Despite their distinguished fighting record, the Tuskegee Airmen continued to receive racial insults. In April 1945, shortly before the end of the war, a group of Tuskegee Airmen was sent to Freeman Air Force Base in Seymour, Ind., for further pilot training. When they arrived at the base, they discovered that they had been barred from the white officers’ club and had been assigned to a hastily built separate officers’ club informally called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
