Tuskegee Airmen
Deployed to North Africa, the 99th Pursuit Squadron engaged in combat missions, including Operation Corkscrew, which resulted in the surrender of Pantelleria due to relentless aerial assaults. Despite their success, the unit faced unjust criticism from some quarters. However, an investigation vindicated their performance, leading to the award of a Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron played pivotal roles in subsequent campaigns, including Operation Husky in Sicily and supporting the US 5th Army during critical operations in Italy.
The Tuskegee Airmen, as they became known, transitioned to flying P-51 Mustangs and distinguished themselves as elite fighter pilots. They escorted heavy bombers on strategic raids across Europe, facing intense aerial combat. Notably, during a mission over Berlin in March 1945, they engaged and successfully downed German Me 262 jet fighters, earning another Distinguished Unit Citation. The Tuskegee Airmen’s combat record was impressive, flying numerous missions with notable success, despite facing racism and discrimination. Their valor and skill paved the way for the integration of the United States Air Force, leaving a lasting legacy of excellence and breaking barriers for future generations.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Air Power History, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Fall 2010) – The Tuskegee Airmen in Combat
American Revolution Org – The Revolution’s Black Soldiers
Black Past – Deacons For Defense and Justice
Black Then – Stephen Blucke: Black Loyalist and Birchtown Founder
Bright Hub Education – Famous African Americans of the Revolutionary War
Broadnax, Samuel L. – Blue Skies, Black Wings: African American Pioneers of Aviation (2007)
Brown, Wallace – The Good Americans: The Loyalists in the American Revolution (1969)
Canada’s Digital Collections – The Black Pioneers
Daily Beast – The Nonviolent Sit-Ins That Desegregated Nashville’s Lunch Counters
Egerton, Douglas R. – Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America (2009)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Tuskegee Airmen
Francis, Charles E. – The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation (1997)
History Collection – Wildly Bizarre Decisions That Shaped Early America
Moye, Todd J. – Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of WWII (2010)
Nalty, Bernard C. – Strength for the Fight: A History of Black Americans in the Military (1989)
Online Institute For Advanced Loyalist Studies – A History of the Black Pioneers
Schama, Simon – Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution (2006)
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – Black Wings: African American Pioneer Aviators
Vivian, Cordy Tindell – It’s in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior (2021)
