The Tuskegee Airmen

January 16, 1941, the War Department announced the formation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron. But this was not a normal fighter squadron. This was the first all black fighter squadron unit in the U.S. military. The squadron faced disbanding multiple times but its performance showed they had at least the same efficiency of other squadrons. They flew the P-40 and scored 32 victories. They eventually transferred to Europe as part of the 332nd fighter group.  They flew P-47s for a time before being transferred to the now famous P-51. They flew a total of 172 bomber escort missions with only 27 bombers lost. They became known as the Red Tail Angels because of their good record.
Awards and decorations included:
  • Three Distinguished Unit Citations
    • 99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May–11 June 1943 for actions over Sicily
    • 99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful air strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy
    • 332nd Fighter Group (and its 99th, 100th, and 301st Fighter Squadrons): March 24th 1945: for a bomber escort mission to Berlin, during which pilots of the 100th FS shot down three enemy ME-262 jets. The 302nd Fighter Squadron did not receive this award as it had been disbanded on March 6th 1945.
  • At least one Silver Star
  • 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses to 95 Airmen; Captain William A. Campbell was awarded two.
  • 14 Bronze Stars
  • 744 Air Medals
  • 8 Purple Hearts
The Tuskegee airmen opened the door to black aviators by proving they could be just as good and even better than all white groups. The 332nd was eventually disbanded in 1949 as part of the Army's desegregation processes. 

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