Training over Tuskegee
Primary training at Tuskegee was at Moton Field, just three nautical miles north of town. This was accomplished in an airplane built by Boeing Stearman. The early models were the PT-13 with the later models being the PT-17. They were a rugged brute of a biplane that made a great deal of wonderful, deep-throated noise […]
James Harvey
James Harvey attempted to enlist with the United States Army Air Corps in January 1943; however, he was turned down because of his race. Drafted into the U.S. Army in April 1943, Harvey was initially assigned to the United States Army Air Corps as an engineer. After applying for the Aviation Cadet Training Program, Harvey […]
Albert Manning
Albert Manning graduated from Tuskegee Army Airfield on May 28th, 1943 in Class 43-E-SE. He was now a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Air Forces and trained to be a fighter pilot. He was assigned to the 99th Fighter Squadron and was with them when the squadron was redeployed from North Africa to Italy. […]
Lee Archer
While flying with the 302nd Fighter Squadron as a fighter pilot, Lee Archer was given the nickname “Buddy”. Archer flew 169 combat missions in the European Theatre of World War II, flying the Bell P-39 Airacobra, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. Flying a P-51C fighter with the distinctive red tail […]
Claude Davis
Tuskegee Airman Claude Davis was a cadet in Class 44-GTE. Class 44-GTE translates into the seventh class of 1944 for twin-engine pilot training. Claude and the rest of the class were training to be B-25 Mitchell pilots and aircrew. The first ten weeks of classes were considered “pre-flight.” This is when they learned about using […]
Herman “Ace” Lawson
Herman Lawson was from the Fresno area of California. He attended Marysville High School where he picked up the nickname “Ace” as the schools star football player. After having a ride in a friend’s airplane, Lawson became interested in becoming a pilot. He took flying lessons and upon getting his license, he became one of […]
AT-6 Texan
In the flight training process, new cadets learned how to fly a small airplane, like a Piper Cub. After the Cub, they had dual instruction in an aircraft like the Boeing Stearman PT-17. At that point, they were transferred to Tuskegee Army Air Field for basic training in the Vultee BT-13. The final step […]
332nd Ground Crew
While the pilots tended to get the glory, the often overlooked finely tuned fighter squadron are the people who make everything work. The ground crew are people who might not be talked about much, but are essential to the success of the squadrons and their pilots. Without the skill of the aircraft maintainers, […]
George “Spanky” Roberts
Airman George “Spanky” Roberts had already received his pilot’s license in the Civilian Pilot Training Program when he entered flight training in the first class at Tuskegee, Alabama. It was July 1941 and the US Army wasn’t convinced that young black men would make good military pilots. There were 13 pilot cadets in the first […]
Turner and Briggs
Andrew Turner enlisted into the US Army on October 8, 1942 as a member of class 42-I-SE at Tuskegee, Alabama. He received his wings and was inducted into the US Army Air Force on October 9, 1942. He deployed into WWII with the 100th Fighter Squadron. After a mission in which the 100th’s commanding officer, […]
Tuskegee’s First Five
Tuskegee’s first five cadets to receive their wings and become official US Army Air Force pilots were in Class 42C-SE. This group of black pilots completed their pilot training on March 6, 1942, at Tuskegee Army Air Field, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Of the 13 original cadets, five graduated: Charles DeBow Jr., Benjamin O. Davis Jr., […]
Robert Diez
Robert Deiz was born on June 17, 1919, in Portland, Oregon. Prior to World War II, in the late 1930s, Diez enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Swan Island in Portland, Oregon, receiving his pilot’s license. After graduation from the University of Oregon, Deiz joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. On […]
Colonel William Campbell
Tuskegee Class SE-42-F. He graduated from the program on July 3, 1942 as a second lieutenant. Campbell was then assigned to the 99th Pursuit Squadron. Campbell flew in the first combat mission of the 99th Pursuit Squadron on June 2, 1943. Having completed a long first combat tour, Campbell was sent back to […]
Mac Ross
Ross’s alma mater, West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University) had a Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) created by the Civil Aeronautics Authority in 1939 to increase the number of active pilots in America in response to the ongoing war in Europe. The federal government had selected Tuskegee Institute as the official pilot […]
Benjamin O. Davis – Part 3
With the end of WWII in Europe, Col. Davis returned to the United States in June 1945 to command the 477th Composite Group at Godman Field, Kentucky. He later became base commander. In March 1946, he went to Lockbourne Army Air Base, Ohio, as commander of the base, and in July 1947 became Commanding Officer […]
Benjamin O. Davis – Part 2
In July 1941, Davis entered aviation cadet training with the Tuskegee Airmen’s first class of aviation cadets, Class 42-C-SE. On March 6, 1942, Davis graduated from aviation cadet training with Captain George S. Roberts, 2nd Lt. Charles DeBow Jr., 2nd Lt. Mac Ross, and 2nd Lt. Lemuel R. Custis. Davis and his four classmates became […]
Benjamin O. Davis – Part 1
In the summer of 1926, at the age of 13, Benjamin Davis went for a flight with a barnstorming pilot at Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. This proved to be a life-changing experience. Now he was determined to become a pilot himself. In 1929, amid the Great Depression, Davis graduated from Central High School in […]
Charles Hall
Tuskegee Airman Charles Hall made history for himself and his fellow 99th Fighter Squadron pilots. After three years of college, Charles enlisted in the US Army as an aviation cadet. He was a member of Tuskegee Class 42-F-SE. On completion of training, Charles B. Hall was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the U.S. […]
Robert Ashby
Bob Ashby enlisted in the Army Air Corps at age 17 as a candidate for the Aviation Cadet program. He was called to active duty in August 1944. Bob was assigned to Keesler Field, Mississippi, for basic training and testing for entry into the Aviation Cadet Program. In December 1944, Ashby was sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, to begin cadet […]
Capt. Freddie E. Hutchins
Freddie Hutchins of Donaldsonville, GA, graduated from flight training on April 29, 1943, at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. In December, he deployed to Italy with the 302nd Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group. The 302nd Fighter Squadron flew its first combat mission on February 5, 1944. Hutchins scored his first aerial […]
Paul Lehman
Paul David Lehman, Jr. was born on October 4, 1922. He enlisted in the United States Army in Los Angeles, California in November of 1942. He opted for aviation cadet training and quickly found himself on a train heading to Tuskegee, Alabama. Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Airfield were the focal points for the training […]
Charles Alfred Anderson, Part 2
In 1941, the Tuskegee Institute Board of Directors decided to construct an improved airfield to enable more students to train for and obtain their pilot’s licenses. To do this, $200,000 would be needed to build the runway and facilities. One of the entities contacted as a possible source for funding was the Julius Rosenwald […]
Charles Alfred Anderson, Part 1
As a young boy, Charles Alfred Anderson was fascinated by airplanes and knew he just had to fly. By the time he was 20, he had saved enough money for flying lessons; however, no one would teach a young black man to fly. Not deterred, Anderson attended aviation ground school, where he learned airplane mechanics, […]
Charles Bailey
Charles Phillip Bailey was born on November 25, 1918, in Punta Gorda, Florida. He was the son of Archie Bailey and Josephine Bailey. Bailey attended the historically black university Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he played football on a full scholarship. Bailey possessed a deep desire in becoming a pilot but, Bethune-Cookman University […]
Roscoe J. Brown, Pt. 2
The Messerschmitt 262 Jet Kill On March 24, 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen flew their longest mission of the war, escorting heavy bombers to Berlin (which was farther from their base in Italy than from American airfields in England). Over the German capital, they encountered Messerschmitt Me 262 jets. To confront the bombers and fighters, the […]
Roscoe J. Brown Jr., Pt 1.
Roscoe C. Brown Jr. was squadron commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group. During combat, he served as a flight leader and operations officer. He had graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School on March 12, 1944, as a member of class 44-C-SE. The 100th Fighter Squadron deployed to the war […]
Alexander Jefferson
When visiting with Alex, I immediately found him to be a very gracious and humble person. He has a bright personality that is accompanied by a joyful grin. Alex is simply a great person to be around. He is now 100 years old! Originally from Detroit, Alexander attained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and […]
First Lt. Walter Palmer
First Lt. Walter J.A. Palmer became a US Army Air Force pilot in 1943, graduating in class SE-43-F. He flew 158 combat missions over Italy and Germany during World War II. He was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group. In February 1944, the 100th, 301st, and 302nd fighter squadrons […]
Rusty Burns
I met Rusty Burns while I was painting the Tuskegee Airmen mural at the Palm Springs Air Museum. I was up a ladder in the middle of the painting when I noticed a fellow watching me. I asked him if I could answer any questions. His reply was, “You’re painting me!” I came down from the […]
Lt. Col. Clarence Jamison
Clarence Jamison was a pioneering Tuskegee Airman with a 22-year history of military service during and after World War II. His life was one of historic firsts and accomplishments. While living in Chicago with an uncle and attending the University of Chicago, Clarence learned about the US government-sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program. The idea […]