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The Tuskegee Airmen was the popular name of a group of African American pilots who flew with distinction for the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.

Prior to the Tuskegee Airmen all combat pilots had been white. However a series of legislative moves by the United States Congress in 1941 forced the Air Corps to form an all-black combat unit, much to the War Department's chagrin. In response they set up a system to accept only those with a level of flight experience or higher education that they expected to be hard to fill, a half-hearted effort to eliminate the unit before it could begin. This policy backfired, and soon the Air Corps was receiving applications from men who clearly met the grade.

The U.S. Army Air Corps had established the Psychological Research Unit 1 at Maxwell Army Air Field, Alabama, and other units around the country for Aviation Cadet Training, which included the identification, selection, education, and training of pilots, navigators, and bombardiers. Psychologists were employed in these studies and training programs using some of the first standardized tests to quantify IQ, dexterity, and leadership qualities in order to select and train the right personnel for the right role (pilot, navigator, bombardier). The Air Corps determined that the same existing programs would be used as well for all-black units. At Tuskegee, this effort would continue with the selection and training of the Tuskegee Airmen.

On March 19, 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron (Pursuit being an early WWII synonym for "Fighter") was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois Over 250 enlisted men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground support trades. This small number of enlisted men was to become the core of other black squadrons forming at Tuskegee and Maxwell Fields in Alabama -- the famed Tuskegee Airmen.

In June 1941 the Tuskegee program was officially started with the formation of the 99th Fighter Squadron, formed up at the Tuskegee Institute, a famous school founded by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama. The unit included an entire service arm, including ground crew, and not just pilots. After basic training at Moton Field, they were moved to the nearby Tuskegee Army Air Field about 10 miles to the west for conversion training onto operational types. They were put under the command of Captain Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a West Point graduate. Colonel Noel Parrish took over as commander. Parrish, though white, was open-minded and petitioned Washington to allow the Airmen to serve in combat.

The 99th was ready for combat duty during the USA's first actions and was transported to Casablanca, Morocco on the USS Mariposa. From there, they travelled by train to Oujda near Fes. From here, they made their way to Tunis to operate against the Luftwaffe. The flyers and ground crew were largely isolated by the segregation policies of the military, and left with little guidance from battle-experienced pilots. The 99th's first mission was to take the island of Pantelleria. For a time they were attached to the 33d Fighter Group, whose commander left them out of most missions. Things changed when they were moved to Sicily and attached to the 79th Fighter Group, whose commander involved them fully. The Airmen were initially equipped with P-39 Airacobras, later with P-47 Thunderbolts, and finally with the airplane that would become their signature, the P-51 Mustang. The squadron took bomber escort duty, helping make the Anzio Campaign a success. Here they quickly racked up an impressive combat record, often entering combat against greater numbers of superior planes, and coming out victorious. The Luftwaffe soon awarded them the nickname, "Schwarze Vogelmenschen," or Black Birdmen, and started to avoid them when possible. The Allies called the Airmen "Redtails" or "Redtail Angels" because of the distinctive crimson paint jobs on their aircraft' vertical stabilizers. Although bomber groups would request Redtail escort when possible, most bomber crewmen never knew at the time that the Redtails were black. The Redtails were the only fighter group who never lost a bomber to enemy fighters.

By this point more graduates were ready for combat, and the all-black 332d Fighter Group had been created from three new squadrons, the 100th, 301st and 302d. Under the command of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, these were moved to mainland Italy, where they were eventually joined by the 99th. The Airmen eventually served on bombing raids into Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. The 477th Bombardment Group (Medium), was forming in the US, but completed training too late to see action.

By the end of the war the 332d had claimed over 400 Luftwaffe aircraft, a destroyer sunk only by machine gun fire, and numerous fuel dumps, trucks and trains. They flew more than 15,000 sorties and 1500 missions. The unit received recognition through official channels, and won two Presidential Unit C

North American T-6D Mosquito and Douglas C-124C Globemaster

During the Korean War, airborne forward air controllers (FACs) chose the T-6 as the best available aircraft because it could operate from small, rough airstrips and was easy to maintain. More importantly, the T-6 was faster and more rugged than the light liaison aircraft they initially flew. Even though this World War II trainer was not designed to fly in combat, it performed well in its role as an airborne FAC (or "Mosquito"). The T-6, originally known as the Texan, was the sole single-engine advanced trainer for the USAAF during WWII, and 15,495 were built between 1938 and 1945. The T-6 continued to train pilots in the newly formed USAF.

The T-6D on display at the museum (S/N 42-84216) flew as an early Mosquito with the 6147th Tactical Air Control Group during the first two years of the Korean War. Ironically, it was converted to a mosquito spraying aircraft in 1952. Two years later, the USAF transferred it to the fledgling Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). After retiring this aircraft, the ROKAF placed it on display outside for several years. The National Museum of the United States Air Force acquired it in 1995, and after restoration it went on display in 2001.

Specifications:

Maximum speed: 206 mph

Range: 1,000 miles with a 55-gallon drop tank

Span: 42 ft.

Length: 29 ft. 6 in.

Height: 10 ft. 10 in.

Weight: 5,617 lbs. loaded

Serial number: 42-84216

C-124 Globemaster

C-124s provided heavy airlift during the Korean War and the Southeast Asia War. Other important airlifts conducted by C-124s included resupply missions to Antarctica, refugee evacuation in the Congo and mercy flights to Morocco, Chile and elsewhere throughout the world following floods and other natural disasters.

The C-124 evolved from the earlier Douglas C-74. The first flight of the C-124 took place on Nov. 27, 1949, and deliveries of C-124As began in May 1950. The U.S. Air Force bought 448 C-124s before production ended in 1955.

To facilitate cargo handling, the C-124, or "Old Shakey" as it was affectionately known, featured "clamshell" loading doors and hydraulic ramps in the nose and an elevator under the aft fuselage. It was capable of handling such bulky cargo as tanks, field guns, bulldozers and trucks. It could also be converted into a transport capable of carrying 200 fully-equipped soldiers or 127 litter patients and their attendants in its double-decked cabin.

Most C-124s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard by 1970, and all were released from active service in mid-1974. The aircraft on display was assigned to the 165th Tactical Airlift group of the Georgia Air National Guard following its service with the USAF. It was flown to the museum in August 1975.

Specifications:

Maximum speed: 320 mph

Range: 2,175 miles

Span: 174 ft. 1 in.

Length: 130 ft.

Height: 48 ft. 4 in.

Weight: 216,000 lbs. maximum

Serial number: 52-1066