did ww 2 black / tuskegee airmen squadrons serve in pacific?
Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:40 pm
the heroic exploits of the ww 2 tuskegee airmen in north africa, italy, & europe are well documented. my question is this..... did any black or tuskegee identified fighter or bomber squadrons operate in the pacific during ww 2?? if they did maybe their combat record wasn't as good as their european veteran counterparts, hence the historical obscurity of their service in that theater. if they did serve their, then the story is certainly worth telling regardless!! i know that mexico operated a p-47 fighter squadron in the philippines in 1945 at mindanoa i think. even they are more better known than any u.s. black air groups operating in the pacific region. regards, tom
Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:21 pm
Tom,
No expert here, but I believe there was a BG training in B-25s to go to the Pacific but the war ended before that could happen.
Bill
No expert here, but I believe there was a BG training in B-25s to go to the Pacific but the war ended before that could happen.
Bill
Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:52 pm
Tom--
That would be the all-black 477th BG, which worked up on Mitchells at Godman Field, Kentucky, toward the end of the war and would in all likelihood have gone to the Pacific theatre (5th AF, presumably) had not the war ended somewhat suddenly.
The Tuskegee Airmen story is covered quite well in a little book by Robert Rose called "Lonely Eagles"--worth looking for. (I got my copy on clearance at one of the major museums--either Dayton or NASM, I forget which. Probably long out of print now but I bet they're out there on eBay or abebooks...) Now will George Lucas finally make that 332FG film!
Cheers
S.
That would be the all-black 477th BG, which worked up on Mitchells at Godman Field, Kentucky, toward the end of the war and would in all likelihood have gone to the Pacific theatre (5th AF, presumably) had not the war ended somewhat suddenly.
The Tuskegee Airmen story is covered quite well in a little book by Robert Rose called "Lonely Eagles"--worth looking for. (I got my copy on clearance at one of the major museums--either Dayton or NASM, I forget which. Probably long out of print now but I bet they're out there on eBay or abebooks...) Now will George Lucas finally make that 332FG film!
Cheers
S.