Airmen of WWII
Racism is part of American history and is not forgotten. The Tuskegee Airmen of WWII left their mark on the military and their influence changed history. Many events had to happen for the majority of racism, at least in the military, to be changed, such as a war.
December 1940, the Army Air Corps planned an experiment for black aviators in an all black fighter squadron. This group would be called the 332nd fighter group and would consist of four fighter squadrons, the 99th, 100th, 301st, 302nd. (4 A). The squadrons that made the most history would be the 99th and the 100th. The 99th was to be made of 33 to 35 pilots and 278 ground crew men, but those accusations came from another source when the real number of men in the 99th would be a total of 12 black cadets and 1 officer trainee. 3 squadrons usually make up a fighter group so the 99th was nicknamed the “lonely Eagles”. They would be flying PT-17s, then BT-13s, and later AT-6s, that would have better landing flaps, retractable landing gear, and 650-horse power engines (Mckissack). They would be the first fighter squadron of the 332nd to go into combat over North Africa. Being part of the 12th Air force, they would fly tactical missions over the Mediterranean theater (Haulman). Going over in ships, April 15, 1943, they would arrive in Morocco, May 1943, only to be told that the battle between the Germans and North Africans was basically over. They then tested out P-40L War Hawks, and Curtis’s, that were built to reach up to 350 mph, climb over 22,000 ft., and ferry over 1,000 miles. The planes would be put through flight drills and mock dog fights. The 27th, part of another group, trained with the men in Africa. The war was always back and forth so the...
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Work Cited
Browniee, R.A. “John C. Robinson: Father of the Tuskegee Airmen/ The Tuskegee
Airmen: An Illustrated History: 1939-1949.” Oct. 2012. Vol. 65 Issue 4, pg. 316-319. 4p. Ebsco Host. Tucker, Phillip Thomas, 1953. Web.2014.
Haulman, Daniel L. “The Tuskegee Airmen in Combat.” Air Power History 57.3 (2012):
14-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Mckissack, Patricia and Fredrick. Red-Tail Angels. USA. Canada. Walker Publishing
Company, Inc. Thomas Allen and Son Canada. Limited, Markham, Ontario.
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Ray, Scott. “Segregated Skies During WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen volunteered to
Become America’s first black military aviators: [M2 Edition].” ProQuest
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“Tuskegee Airmen.” Compton’s by Britannica, v 6.0. 2009. Elibrary. Web 27. Feb. 2014.
Sanderson, Jefferey. "GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.” Last modified may 22, 1997. Accessed January 4, 2014. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a331356.pdf&ei=tYbHUtv3HcGs2gX2u4HAAQ&usg=AFQjCNFU5EzdWjKlt81w8gh_Bj2UEttaZw&sig2=aAz3jIZg7U6peDzL_i8w9w.
Those studying the experience of African Americans in World War II consistently ask one central question: “Was World War II a turning point for African Americans?” In elaboration, does World War II symbolize a prolongation of policies of segregation and discrimination both on the home front and the war front, or does it represent the start of the Civil Rights Movement that brought racial equality? The data points to the war experience being a transition leading to the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a fine example of many who had fought for equality between blacks and whites as well as many who had sought opportunity for blacks in those times, and had a high number of achievements and awards during their time in the military. Works Cited George, Linda and Charles. The Tuskegee Airmen. Canada: Children's Press, 2001. Brooks, Philip.
Haulman, Dr. Daniel L. "Tuskegee Airmen-Escorted Bombers Lost To Enemy Aircraft." Thesis. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 2008. Print.
As stated before, racism is not something that people thought of in the last ten years, it is an ongoing theme that has been flowing through the story of the United States. Starting from the enslavement of black Africans, and moving along to the days of when African Americans were separated from white Americans even though they lived in the same country and walked the same streets. Racism is seen all over the world. Hitler killed close to six million Jews during World War II due to the fact that he claimed that Germans were superior. He said that Jews polluted Europe and began “cleaning” it up. “Racism serves both to discriminate against ethnic minorities and to maintain advantages and benefits for White Americans.” This is what Mark Feinberg, PhD, stated about this issue and most people would agree.
Despite the fact the 1800s was two centuries ago, racism is still persistent in the 21st century. Even with the election of the first black president, Obama is biracial, yet he is still recognized as black. Many black Americans thought racism would cease to exist with Obama in office. The color of skin and race still lives on, after all the United States is multicultural. As in the 1800s, racism had astronomically effects on society; nonetheless American citizens have more laws and agencies to safeguard against racism. Remember, slavery is a part of America’s history and it can’t be erased like an error. Harriet Jacobs wrote, “There are wrongs which even the grave does not bury.” Despite the abolishment of slavery, racism has simply adapted to the changes within society.
Lawson, Robert L., and Barrett Tillman. U.S. Navy Air Combat: 1939-1946. Osceola, WI: MBI Pub., 2000. Print.
The Tuskegee Airmen succeeded by proving success has nothing to do with color and playing a major role ending racial discrimination in the army and in the U.S. These black pilots were the first black flying unit in the U.S military. This unit was organized when Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to established an all black unit. Their first training base was located in Central Alabama near a place so called Tuskegee (Gropman). Tuskegee was located in Macon County. Not all blacks appeared to become pilots after training , but several had to become engineers, navigators, and many other varieties of occupations. In order to be a pilot, you had to be a college graduate and a possible officer in the Air Force. Many blacks from all over the U.S came to this training site to serve their country. There were multiple training phases that the men had to achieve also to be a pilot. Many men didn’t make it through all phases. After a while, they made a much larger airfield between Tallassee and Elmore County known as the new Tuskegee Army Air Field. The commander of this new airfield was a white ...
In 1957, the army began developing a new fighting force based on the helicopter. ...
In the world today, racism and discrimination is one of the major issues being faced with. Racism has existed throughout the world for centuries and has been the primary reasons for wars, conflicts, and other human calamities all over the planet. It has been a part of America since the European colonization of North America beginning in the 17th century. Many people are not aware of how much racism still exist in our schools, workforces, and anywhere else that social lives are occurring. It started from slavery in America to caste partiality in India, down to the Holocaust in Europe during World War II.
Davis, Jr. was one of the first African-American pilots in the Army Air Corps and was given command of the first all-black air unit, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, popularly know as the Tuskegee Airmen. Davis later commanded the 332nd Fighter Group. The 332nd became know as the Red Tails because of the readily identifiable design on their planes. Davis fought two enemies during World War II, the Axis and th...
...on of African Americans is historic with racism as the primary source. Racism is not confined in the Southern states as it was once viewed. We are all born free but far from being equal as society fights to manage their differences fifty five years after the March on Washington in 1963 for jobs and freedom. Consequently, racial inequality toward African American is here to stay.
Racism in the United States made it very tough on multiple races. It was hard for people that weren’t white to live out there dreams or to make a living. Racism had an affect politically and in society. There were three races that dealt with racism. These races were African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. When people hear the world racism they immediately think African Americans and slavery. Although blacks probably had it a lot worse then most races there were still some other races that were not treated equally. Racism has always been around and it is still around today. It is something that will never go away. After the Civil War, racism in the south rose higher than it ever had before.
Alex Kershaw’s “The Few The American ‘Knights Of The Air’ Who Risked Everything To Fight In The Battle Of Britain” doesn’t just tell the story of the seven American aviators who flew for the British as but also their enemies, the Luftwaffe’s point of view. This book is told through this group of Americans and from the viewpoint of the Royal Air Force pilots they fought with but also the perspective of the Luftwaffe fliers that they fought against during the battle. For example, in one part of the book, there was this one German lookout who had commented on how much of an advantage the British had because of their radars that could locate enemy planes while they crossed the English Channel; the lookout considered the radar an “unfair” tool.
Unikoski, Ari. “The War in the Air - Summary of the Air War”. First World War.com. 2009. http://www.firstworldwar.com/airwar/summary.htm