After racial skepticism prohibited African Americans from flying in the US military, the Tuskegee Airmen became decorated heroes against Nazi forces.
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#TuskegeeAirmen #Documentary #Biography
Today's Daily Dose short history film covers the Tuskegee Airmen, which were all-black squadrons of airmen who fought with unparalleled valor and skill during World War Two. The filmmaker has included the original voice over script to further assist your understanding:
Today on The Daily Dose, The Tuskegee Airmen.
During the 1920s and 30s, the bold exploits of record-setting pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart captivated the nation, inspiring thousands of young men and women to seek adventure aloft. But young African Americans who aspired to become pilots met with significant push back, starting with the widespread racist belief that black people lacked the capacity to learn to fly or operate sophisticated aircraft. At the same time, racial segregation remained the rule in the U.S. armed forces—as well as most of the country at large—with military leaders insisting that black soldiers were inferior to whites, and performed relatively poorly in combat.
In September 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made good on his campaign promises designed to win over black voters, establishing the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, not far from the Tuskegee Institute founded by Booker T. Washington—both facilities nestled smack dab in the heart of the Jim Crow South. Over the course of its existence, The Tuskegee Air Program trained some 1,000 pilots, along with nearly 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engine mechanics, control tower operators and other maintenance and support staff. In April of 1942, the Tuskegee-trained 99th Pursuit Squadron deployed to North Africa, where they flew second-hand P-40 Warhawk fighter planes, which were slower and more difficult to maneuver than their German counterparts.
After the Nazis were driven out of North Africa, the 99th was moved to Italy, followed by the formation in 1944 of the 100th, 301st and 302nd Squadrons of the Fifteenth Air Force, where they were finally trained to fly the ultimate king of the jungle fighter plane, the P-51 Mustang.
Known as the Red Tails, despite their late entry into the war, , destroying 112 German planes in the air, 237 on the ground, as well as 1,000 rail cars and transportation vehicles, one German destroyer, and 40 boats and barges. On the loss side of the spreadsheet, the combined squadrons saw 68 Tuskegee airmen killed in action, while another 32 were captured and made Prisoners of War after being shot down. As a group, the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.
After their brave service, the Tuskegee Airmen returned home to a country where they continued to face systematic racism and prejudice. But they did represent an important step forward in preparing the nation for at least the racial integration of the military, which began when President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, which officially desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces and mandated equality of opportunity and treatment for all American servicemen.
And there you have it, The Tuskegee Airmen of World War Two, today on The Daily Dose.
