Before 1940, African Americans were not allowed to apply for pilot positions within the U.S. Air Force due to racial discrimination. The establishment of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American military pilots who fought in World War II, marked a significant change. Prior to their formation, there had never been an African American military pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Eugene Bullard, who is recognized as the first African American to serve as a pilot, flew for the French Air Force during World War I after being rejected by the U.S. Air Force.
In 1938, as Europe was on the brink of a major conflict, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the expansion of civilian pilot training programs in the United States. On April 3, 1939, the Civilian Pilot Training Act, Public Law 18, was amended by Congress to include funding for training African American pilots.
By 1940, 124 African American pilots were trained at separate Air Force schools, including Moton Field, the Tuskegee Army Airfield, and Tuskegee University in Alabama. This group also included pilots from Haiti, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic who were brought to the U.S. for training.
In March 1941, the first African American air squadron, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, was formed, three months before the U.S. Air Force was established as a separate entity to ensure more effective management and operations within the military.
Trainees at Tuskegee included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, technicians, and support staff for various aircraft types, including fighters and bombers. The 477th Bombardment Group was trained with B-25 Mitchell bombers but never saw combat.
The first graduating class included Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., and Lieutenants Mac Ross, Lemuel R. Custis, Charles H. DeBow, Jr., and George S. Roberts. Davis was assigned as a staff officer; the others became the first African American pilots in the 99th Pursuit Squadron in the North African theater.
The Tuskegee-trained African American pilots were highly successful in their missions throughout World War II. They escorted medium and heavy bombers and transport planes during missions in Italy and Germany and participated in ground attack operations supporting Army campaigns, notably the Allied landings at Licata and Anzio, Italy.
In April 1942, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, trained at Tuskegee, was deployed to North Africa, where the Allies had established a presence. In North Africa and later Sicily, they flew older P-40 aircraft, which were slower and harder to handle compared to German planes.
By early 1944, pilots from the 99th had shot down 12 German fighters in just two days. In February 1944, other African American squadrons, including the 100th, 301st, and 302nd, joined the 99th in Italy, forming the new 332nd Fighter Group.
The 332nd Fighter Group then began flying the legendary P-51 Mustang, escorting heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force on deep penetration raids. The tails of these aircraft were painted red for identification, earning them the nickname “Red Tails.” Rumors claimed that the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber to enemy fighters in over 200 escort missions. However, detailed analysis revealed that enemy aircraft had shot down at least 25 bombers they escorted.
By the time the 332nd Fighter Group flew its last mission on April 26, 1945, two weeks before Germany’s surrender, the Tuskegee Airmen had completed over 15,000 sorties in two years of combat. They directly and indirectly contributed to the failure of 36 German aerial operations and 237 ground operations. Nearly 1,000 trains, transport vehicles, and a German destroyer were destroyed.
In total, 66 pilots trained at Tuskegee died during World War II, and 32 were captured as prisoners of war. Over 300 African American pilots or their relatives were awarded medals by the U.S. Government and Congress.
The 332nd Fighter Group still exists today and is no longer an exclusively African American unit. Throughout American history, the unit has been deactivated and reactivated multiple times. Currently, the 332nd is on a mission in the Middle East, a region with potential instabilities.
