Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen (founded 1941)
A group of the most skilled military pilots were trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. The Tuskegee experiment was the most successful military experiment in United States history. Before the U.S. entered the Second World War, very few Black men were licensed pilots in the United States. As a result, little confidence existed that Black pilots could successfully operate airplanes, especially in war.
While the military remained segregated, the Tuskegee experiment allowed Black citizens an opportunity to train in Alabama and fly for the Stars and Stripes in war. But they first had to overcome the stigma associated with their mere existence. White pilots initially refused to fly with Black pilots.
The Tuskegee pilots quickly earned notoriety for their discipline and courage. Tuskegee pilots were often tasked with escorting bomber regiments to drop sites. Their success ratio for ensuring bombers returned home was unmatched. All-white bomber regiments began requesting Tuskegee escorts to drop sites.
By the end of World War II, Black pilots had flown over 200 combat missions escorting heavy bombers to drop sites throughout Europe. In all those combat missions combined, Black pilots did not lose a single bomber to enemy aircraft. That escort group set a record that was never broken during World War II.
The Tuskegee Airmen are not just important because they were the first Black pilots in the U.S. military. Tuskegee Airmen dispelled the myth of Black pilot inferiority or incompetence and paved the way for Black pilots today.
