The Tuskeegee Airmen: They brought the boys home safely.

The Tuskegee Airmen were America’s first Black military pilots. They served as pilots (obviously), navigators, bombardiers, engineers, and mechanics. Many were college graduates or had passed rigorous entrance exams to qualify for pilot training.  

450 Black pilots flew in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. By July 1944, they joined the 332nd Fighter Group, the Red Tails. Working as a single unit, their job was to guide American bombers safely home. And they were amazingly successful at their job. 

They flew: “...179 bomber escort missions,[48]... losing bombers on only seven missions and a total of only 27, compared to an average of 46 among other 15th Air Force P-51 groups.”  As a result, the Tuskegee Airmen/Red Tails received countless commendations from grateful bomber crews. Even the often racist bomber crews from the southern states requested their protection due to the group’s remarkable success rate 

By guiding bombers home successfully, they played a vital role in the Allied victory. Despite this, they encountered a great deal ofacism when they returned home to America in the pre-Civil Rights era.

The Tuskegee Airmen earned many honors, including:\

● 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses

● 14 Bronze Stars

● 8 Purple Hearts

● 3 Distinguished Unit Citations

Bomber groups began to request the Tuskegee Airmen as their fame spread.

Black pilots played a major role in Allied success in WW2