Page 5 - Aerotech News and Review, June 25, 2021

JUNETEENTH, from 4
under 1,000 Black pilots, about a third of whom five additional jet fighters, her it was “a promise for you to be what you can the accomplishments of the unit.
were to fly bombers, mostly twin-engine B-25 • The 332nd Fighter Group distinguished itself be.” She said she is proud of the legacy her dad For the future, the AIAA Juneteenth Seminar
Mitchells. But in the straightjacketed book of in June 1944 when two pilots flying P-47 Thun- and others left by paving the way. offered a salute to the U.S. Air Force’s new Boe-
USAAF regulations at the time, separate-but- derbolts discovered a German destroyer in the Michael Wallace, a 35-year career engineer ing T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer to re-
equal staffing and facilities for an air base was harbor of Trieste, Italy. and executive in aerospace, said he first heard place the Northrop T-38 Talon. Employing new
not only impractical, but wasteful and unaf- Only in two categories were the combat re- of the Tuskegee Airmen when he enlisted in the Air Force Digital Century Series design and test-
fordable. In the end, ranks of Tuskegee Airman cords of the Red Tails seemingly and perhaps in- Air Force. “They were the ones that helped to ing concepts and capabilities, the T-7A builds off
eventually swelled well beyond officers wearing explicably at odds. An unexpectedly low number inspire me,” to go forward to earn engineering the legacy of the Tuskegee Airman, illustrated in
wings to more than 20,000 needed for bomber of Red Tails pilots qualifying for the “Ace” title degree, Wallace said. the iconic Red Tail paintjob.
crews and all those who supported and main- by shooting down five enemy aircraft seemed
tained the bases to keep ‘em flying. counter-intuitive to the group’s strong reputation Several panelists commented that even chil- The AIAA Juneteenth panel segment was
Learning to fly in PT-15, PT-19 and Stearman for being among the best, if not the best, fighter dren living in areas where the Red Tails are a moderated by AIAA official Christianna Taylor,
PT-17s, and given advanced training in the North escorts, losing the fewest bombers. part of local history aren’t being taught about CEO of Intelligence Space.
American AT-6 Texan, the early Tuskegee fighter Pointing out that many American bomber
pilots transitioned to Bell P-39 Airacobras, later crews actively requested that Red Tails be as-
deploying in 1942 to North Africa where they signed to protect bombing missions, the answer
flew Curtiss P-40 Warhawks in ground support came from knowing why bomber crews pre-
missions for Allied troops fighting the Afrika ferred protection by Tuskegee Airmen.
Korps. Moving north to fly and fight in Sic- Bomber pilots noticed that when Luftwaffe
ily, Italy, and the underbelly of Europe, Tuske- interceptors were sighted, some of their fighter
gee’s growing groups of fighters and bombers escorts would break formation to chase the in-
transitioned to the powerful and versatile P-47 coming enemy. Bomber crews also noticed that
Thunderbolt fighter-bombers and the USAAF’s other German fighters would quickly show up to
air superiority P-51-C and D Mustang for long- attack while the U.S. escorts were off to score
range bomber escort missions. points in the race for Ace status. Red Tails, on
Combat record numbers of the Tuskegee Air- the other hand, maintained their disciplined de-
men Red Tails speak for themselves: fensive stance to fend off attackers.
• 700-plus War Department commendations, Although the Red Tails held the unmatched
• Air support and aerial combat in the 12th record of having one of the lowest loss records
Air Force in Italy, among all escort fighter groups, while being in
• Prior to joining the 332nd Fighter group, constant demand for their services, reports that
the 99th Squadron was awarded two Presidential they never lost a customer were exaggerated. As
Unit Citations (June-July 1943 and May 1944) panelists pointed out, bomber crews faced many
for outstanding tactical group, threats beyond the help of escort pilots, includ-
• The 332nd Fighter Group was awarded the ing ground-based anti-aircraft fire, mechanical
Presidential Unit Citation for its’ longest bomb- failures, inflight accidents and weather. Courtesy photograph
er escort mission to Berlin on March 24, 1945. Panelist Karen Robinson, whose father was a Maj. James A. Ellison returns the salute of Mac Ross, as he reviews the first class of Tuskegee
cadets on the flight line at U.S. Army Air Corps basic and advanced flying school in Tuskegee,
During this mission, the Red Tails destroyed Tuskegee Airman, recalled asking what moved Ala., in 1941.
three German ME-262 jet fighters and damaged him to fight for the United States, and he told

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