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How did blacks overcome racism during the 1940s?

The Tuskegee Airmen were pioneers of World War II, having been the first black aviators to serve as fighter pilots in the military.  The Tuskegee Airmen originated from the United States Army Air Corps program called the “Tuskegee Experiment” that began in the summer of 1941 at the historic Tuskegee University in Alabama.  The “Tuskegee Experiment” was a military experiment to see if blacks could be trained to fly combat aircrafts.  However, not only was the experiment a milestone in training blacks as military pilots, but the Tuskegee Airmen proceeded to succeed with flying colors.  These pilots earned some of the most envied military records in history.  More importantly, they advanced the American Civil Rights Movement by setting the standard that would make the American military begin to integrate fully before the end of the decade.  The black service members who graduated from the Tuskegee Army Air Field at the time when the military officially accepted racist attitudes, was a testament to the men’s extraordinary determination to succeed as pilots.  During this time period, aviation was considered to be the one of the most academically and psychologically challenging areas of military service.

A 1925 Army War College study of black troops in WWI concluded that Negroes, as blacks were called back then, were subservient, mentally inferior, and “barely fit for combat” (Swick).  The “Tuskegee Experiment” was developed mostly in order to satisfy the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other black activists.  However, it was also the best opportunity for the military and the service members at Tuskegee to communicate and interact to clear away the old misunderstanding, distrust, and prejudice.  The black service members at the Tuskegee Army Air Field realized that old bigoted attitudes still remained in the military at this time, so they looked at this period as an opportunity to demonstrate their military worthiness.  The Tuskegee Air Field proved that “you can’t judge a man by the color of his eyes or the shape of his nose; on the flight strip you judge a man by the way he flies” (History.com).

The Tuskegee Airmen all flying under the 332^nd Fighter Group, were assigned different responsibilities during the WWII campaign.   They were nicknamed Red Tails because they all painted their tail wings red for easier recognition.  The 99^th Pursuit Squadron, the most well known squadron of the 332^nd Fighter Group, was assigned to escort bombers to target strikes throughout Southern Europe and Berlin.  Their commander instructed them to stay close to the bombers which were flown by white pilots and to not peel off in pursuit of enemy pilots.  They performed so well that white bomber pilots began to request them as bomber escorts.  They gained a great reputation throughout the war and were believed to never have lost a bomber that they escorted in over 200 missions.  Other Tuskegee Airmen Squadrons flying with the 332^nd Fighter Group were assigned routine morning patrols that flew over Italy, Burma, Holland, Germany and even China searching for the enemy.  They often faced three to one odds when facing the Nazi’s, but instead they were able to destroyed three Nazi planes for every one of theirs destroyed (Grahl).  Contrary to long held beliefs, the Tuskegee Airmen 332^nd Fighter Group did, in fact, lose 27 bombers they escorted.  They were shot down by the enemy aircraft.  The stories of the Red Tails never losing a bomber were a widespread belief until the 21^st century when researchers made comparisons of flight logs, mission reports, and bomber losses.  However, the average number of bombers lost by other escort groups of the 15^th Air Force was 46, nearly double the loss rate of bombers protected by the Red Tails.  The group’s kill total was 103 for enemy aircraft.  Although credited with sinking a German destroyer using only their machine guns, researchers proved the ship was instead put out of commission for the rest of the war because of the heavy damaged it sustained at the hands of the Tuskegee Airmen (Swick).  The Red Tails accomplishments are still impressive even knowing the extent of the corrections.

The military advertised the “Tuskegee Experiment” as training for blacks that would be equal to the training that white servicemen received in preparation to become fighter pilots.  Three years after first graduating class of Tuskegee Airmen, only a small number were alive.  Also, three years after the founding of the Tuskegee Air Field, 750 pilots had been trained for combat and just 50 percent had flown combat missions.  The military promotion of equal training and equal opportunity for blacks in aviation could not be completely supported by these results.

The “Tuskegee Experiment” was an extremely significant event that helped blacks in their struggle for opportunities to serve in non-subservient roles in the U.S. Military.  The actions of the Tuskegee Airmen as pioneers opened up opportunities for thousands and tens of thousands of other military men (Grahl).  The newly trained black aviators used their unique opportunity to provide escort cover for white bomber crews to show the military that they were ready, disciplined, and capable of flying combat missions against America’s enemies.  Their exemplary performance opened the door for the racial integration of the military services, beginning with the Air Force, and contributed ultimately to the end of racial segregation in the United States (Swick).

Citations

Grahl, Chris. "Tuskegee Airmen." Tuskegee Airman. Chris Grahl, 2009. Web. 10 May 2015.  <http://www.havefunwithhistory.com/movies/tuskegeeAirmen.html>.

Swick, Gerald D. "Tuskegee Airmen." History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online RSS. World History Group, 2015. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.historynet.com/tuskegee-airmen>.

"Tuskegee Airman Luther Smith Video." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 10 May 2015.  <http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history/videos/tuskegee-airman-luther-smith>.