The 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd
Fighter Squadrons during
World War II,
collectively the 332nd Fighter
Group. The 332nd Fighter Group's
pilots were
African-Americans,
known as the Tuskegee Airmen. They were
purposely put through more
rigorous training than their white
comrades because they were black. They also had to fight
discrimination and
racism throughout their
careers as pilots in the
U.S. Air Force. Some people
thought they couldn't
fly as well as
Caucasians, and so were looked upon as
second rate pilots.
The 332nd Fighter Group was commanded by Col. Benjamin O. Davis, who later became the first black Lt. General in the U.S. Air Force. The 450 Tuskegee Airmen flew over 15,000 sorties, completing 1,578 missions, in Sicily, North Africa and Europe. They destroyed 409 enemy aircraft, and sunk an enemy destroyer using only machine gun fire. Sixty-six of the Tuskegee Airmen were killed in combat and thirty-two were shot down and captured.
Combined, the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 1 Legion of Merit, 1 Silver Star, 14 Bronze Stars, 8 Purple Hearts, and 744 Air Medal and Clusters.