The Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the “Red Tails,” were the first African American military airmen in the United States. Of the more than 14,000 Black airmen who trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, 992 were pilots. They flew 312 missions between June 1944 and the end of April 1945, including 179 bomber escorts. There were 66 airmen killed in action, 84 killed in training and noncombat missions, and 32 taken prisoners of war. They received 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Distinguished Unit Citations. Flying red-tailed P–51 Mustangs earned the fighter group its nickname.
Related Articles
