Famously known as the Red Tails, the first Black military pilots in the U.S. first flew over the skies of Tuskegee, Alabama when U.S. military officials selected the Tuskegee Institute to train pilots, in part because of its commitment to aeronautical training. Tuskegee in the early 1940s had the facilities, the engineering and technical instructors, and a climate at the time for year-round flying for flight training.
The first Civilian Pilot Training Program students completed instruction in May of 1940 — and the Tuskegee Airmen were initiated into the U.S. Armed Forces on February 19, 1942.
The program soon expanded into the center for Black aviators during World War II, and the Tuskegee Airmen quickly overcame their barriers of segregation and prejudice, conclusively proving themselves as a highly respected fighter group of World War II.
The “Tuskegee Airmen” name applies to not just the pilots but also the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses — and even the cooks and other support personnel. Despite the fantastical myths, the outstanding performance and professionalism of the 15,000+ men and women who shared the “Tuskegee Experience” from 1942 to 1946 are documented and commemorated at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama.
There’s a list online from Tuskegee University of over 1000 pilot graduates [HERE], preserving a little-known but renowned chapter of fire aviation history in the country.
Below: Members of the 332nd Fighter Group, Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945 photo by Toni Frissell
Image: Members of the 332nd Fighter Group attending a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy, March, 1945 (Frissell, Toni, photographer), LOC
More from the NPS here: nps.gov/tuai/learn/historyculture/