Tuskegee Airmen Facts: The Red
Tails
Franklin Roosevelt was
the 32nd American President who served in office from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945,
the day of his death.
One of the important events during his presidency was
the events of WW2 and the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen
who bravely fought in the Red Tails.
Tuskegee Airmen and the Red Tails
The Tuskegee Airmen’s aircraft had
distinctive crimson paint markings on the vertical
stabilizers that led to the name, "The Red Tails".
Tuskegee Airmen Facts
for kids: The Red Tails
The following fact
sheet contains interesting information, history and
facts on Tuskegee Airmen for kids.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts for kids: The Red Tails
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 1: The United States
armed forces were not integrated until 1948, so
throughout WW2 the military was still racially
segregated.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 2: Census reports
compiled in January 1939 revealed that there were then
only 25 licensed African American pilots in the United
States. None were in the U.S. military.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
3: Congress passed
the Civilian Pilot Training Act on 27 June 1939 that
included a provision that no one would be excluded from
the program because of race.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 4: The Civilian Aeronautics
Administration (CAA) certified the Tuskegee Institute and the
Alabama Air Service as a civilian pilot training school on 15
October 1939.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 5: The pilots, who became known
as the Tuskegee Airmen, received ground training at Tuskegee and
their flight training at Montgomery Airport that was located about
40 miles away.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 6: The first recruits entered the
civilian pilot training at Tuskegee Institute in November 1939 and
by January 1940 began their flight training at Montgomery. The
cadet's trip to
Montgomery airfield was short lived as improvements were
made to the Tuskegee airfield which was approved for
flight training
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 7: C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson, an
American aviator who is known as the "The Father of
Black Aviation", served as the Chief Civilian Flight
Instructor for its new program to train the black
aviation cadets of the 99th Pursuit Squadron
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 8: Congress
introduced the Selective Service and Training Act on
September 16, 1940 requiring men between the ages of 21
and 35 register with local draft boards and lifted
racial restrictions on recruits
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
9: The US entered WW2
on December 8, 1941 when it declared war on Japan following the
Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The nation needed to quickly mobilize its military
forces to fight in WW2.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
10: The War Department announced on 16
January 1941 that a “Negro pursuit squadron” would be
established within the Army Air Corps and the 99th
Pursuit Squadron was established on 19 March 1941. The
U.S. Air Force did not yet exist as a separate entity.
Continued...
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts for kids: The Red Tails
Facts
about the Tuskegee Airmen Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts
on Tuskegee Airmen for kids.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts for kids: The Red Tails
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 11: The 99th squadron was finally considered ready
for combat duty by April 1943 and shipped out of Tuskegee on 2
April, 1943 bound for North Africa where it flew its first combat
mission on 2 June, 1943.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 12: Their primary missions were to escort
bombers striking targets in Europe.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 13: The 99th would
eventually join three other squadrons of Tuskegee Airmen
in the 332nd Fighter Group, known as "The Red Tails" due
to the distinctive crimson paint markings on the tail of
their aircraft.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
14: The Tuskegee
Airmen were initially equipped with P40 Warhawks and
later with P47 Thunderbolts (June-July 1944) and finally
with the airplane that they would become most identified
with, the P51 Mustang (July 1944).
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 15: A total of 992
pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1940 to 1945 of
whom 445 were deployed overseas. 150 Tuckegee Airmen
lost their lives in training or combat and 32 were
captured as prisoners of war.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
16: The pilots were involved in 1578
missions and 15,533 combat sorties of individual
aircrafts
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 17: A total of 112 German aircraft were destroyed in
the air and an additional150 aircraft on the ground
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
18: Nearly 1000 railcars, trucks and
other military vehicles were destroyed by the Red Tails
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
19: An enemy Torpedo boat was sunk by
P-47 Thunderbolt machine gun fire
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
20: The Tuskegee
Airmen supported the "Double V" Campaign, a wartime
struggle aimed at fighting the war abroad and for civil
rights at home. The "Double V" stood for 'Double Victory
- victory over Hitler's racism abroad and victory over
racism at home.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 21: In April 1945 men of the 477th
Bombardment Group enter the whites-only Officer's Club to protest
against segregation practices at Freeman Field, near Seymour,
Indiana. This protest led to the arrest of 101 officers and the
eventual integration of military installations across the United
States.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
22: The Tuskegee
Airmen received numerous honors, awards and decorations
including 3 Distinguished Unit Citations, the 99th
Pursuit Squadron for actions over Sicily, the 99th
Fighter Squadron for successful air strikes against
Monte Cassino, Italy and the 332d Fighter Group for a
bomber escort mission to Berlin.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 23: Individual awards
to Tuskegee Airmen included the Silver Star, 8 Purple
Hearts, 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 744 Air
Medals
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 24: Executive Order 9981 was issued on July 26, 1948
abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces
and eventually led to the end of segregation in the services
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
25: On March 29, 2007
the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold
Medal the highest civilian honor available in the United
States by President George W. Bush.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts - 26: There have been several movies made about the Red
Tail pilots including the 'Wings for This Man' a 1945 movie narrated
by Ronald Reagan. The 'Tuskegee Airmen' was a 1995 movie starring
Laurence Fishburne. The latest movie is 'Red Tails' 2012 movie by George
Lucas starring Cuba Gooding Jr.
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts -
27: To learn more
about the first US African American aviators visit the
Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen
Museum houses a full-sized replica of a red-tail P-51
Mustang that was flown by 1st Lt. Robert W. Williams,
named the "Duchess Arlene".
Tuskegee Airmen
Facts for kids: The Red Tails
Tuskegee Airmen Facts for kids - President Franklin Roosevelt Video
The article on the
Tuskegee Airmen Facts provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Franklin Roosevelt video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 32nd American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945.
Tuskegee Airmen Facts: Red Tails
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Interesting Facts about Tuskegee Airmen for kids and schools
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Tuskegee Airmen Facts for kids
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Tuskegee Airmen Facts with important dates and key
events
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Franklin Roosevelt
Presidency from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945
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Fast, fun, Tuskegee Airmen Facts for kids
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Foreign & Domestic
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