The only black pilots in combat with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II believed they had something to prove.

They knew if they performed well in battle, the decision to accept them in a role from which they had previously been excluded would be vindicated. Excellent combat performance also would contribute to expanding opportunities for African-Americans, not only in the military, but in American society. Later known as the Tuskegee Airmen because they had trained to fly at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, members of the 332nd Fighter Group and its four squadrons more than met the challenge.

The 99th Fighter Squadron, the first black fighter squadron, was formed before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the first class of black pilots graduated from flight training on March 6, 1942. The 332nd Fighter Group was created three months later, along with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 301st Fighter Squadron and the 302nd Fighter Squadron.

In October 1943, Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., commanding officer of the 99th Figther Squadron in Europe, returned to the United States to assume command of the 332nd Fighter Group. In February 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group, with its three fighter squadrons, moved to the Mediterranean Theater. The 99th Fighter Squadron joined the group on May 1.

The 332nd Fighter Group was one of seven groups was assigned to escort heavy bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force on raids against enemy strategic targets in southern and central Europe. By the end of May, the 332nd Fighter Group was equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt fighters and settled at Ramitelli Air Field in Italy.

On June 9, Davis led the 332nd Fighter Group as it escorted bombers of the 304th Bombardment Wing on a raid to Munich, Germany. Over the Udine area of northeastern Italy, up to 20 enemy fighters challenged the formations and a battle ensued. Four pilots from the 332nd Fighter Group shot down five enemy aircraft that day, and Davis earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism. Success was dampened, however, by the death of Lt. Cornelius G. Rogers.

During July, the 332nd Fighter Group downed 36 enemy aircraft, the most it ever scored in a single month. The group had begun flying the P-51 Mustang, which was faster and more maneuverable than the previous fighters the group had flown. The pilots painted their aircraft tails red to distinguish them from the fighters of the other six groups of the Fifteenth Air Force, each of which had its own color scheme.

On July 12, the 332nd Fighter Group escorted a formation of B-24 heavy bombers of the 49th Bombardment Wing to the marshaling yards at Nimes in southern France. Near the target, enemy Focke-Wulf 190 fighters attacked the formation from above, diving through it. Four enemy planes were shot down: Capt. Joseph Elsberry of the 301st Fighter Squadron shot down three of the enemy planes, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross.

On July 16 and 17, the 332nd Fighter Group shot down five more enemy planes, but July 18 would be the best day yet for the group. The 332nd Fighter Group shot down 12 enemy aircraft, beating the previous one-day record of 10. While escorting 5th Bombardment Wing B-17 bombers on a raid against an air field at Memmingen, Germany, at least 30 German Messerschmitt 190s approached from different directions and altitudes in groups of two and five. Most of the day's victories belonged to the pilots who engaged those German aircraft, but the P-51s that continued to the target area shot down two more FW-190s that dived on the bomber formations over Memmingen. Three pilots went missing that day: Lt. Gene C. Browne of the 301st Fighter Squadron survived and was taken prisoner; two other pilots were killed.

On July 20, the 332nd Fighter Group escorted heavy bombers to targets in the Friedrichshafen area of Germany and conducted a fighter sweep northeast of the target. Of the 44 P-51 escorts on the raid, 20 peeled off to engage an equal number of fighters that attacked the rear wave of bombers in the Udine area. Four enemy aircraft were shot down.

Some days, bombers and fighters faced more danger from anti-aircraft artillery, or flak, than from enemy aircraft. Other days, enemy fighters were out in force.

July 26 was a day of triumph and tragedy. The 332nd Fighter Group shot down four ME-109s while escorting the 47th Bombardment Wing on a mission against Markendorf airdrome, Austria. At least 18 enemy aircraft, peeling off in pairs, attacked the bombers in the target area. Capt. Edward L. Toppins collected his fourth aerial victory, more than any other pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group to that time. But Lt. Charles Jackson of the 100th Fighter Squadron was forced to bail from his plane after reporting engine trouble. Jackson was able to evade capture and returned to his squadron a month later.

The next day was better: 37 pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group escorted B-24 bombers on a raid against an arms factory in the Budapest area of Hungary. North of Lake Balaton, they were met by more than 25 enemy fighters, who attacked from all directions. In the ensuing battle, eight enemy aircraft were shot down.

Opportunities for victories diminished as the war continued. During August, the 332nd Fighter Group encountered fewer enemy aircraft; the group collected five aerial credits that month. The group rarely saw enemy aircraft in September or October, except for one memorable day. On Columbus Day, Oct. 12, the group destroyed nine enemy airplanes as it strafed railroad traffic in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. The 302nd Fighter Squadron encountered a twin-engine Heinkel 111, a German bomber, near Tapolca, Hungary, and Capt. Wendell O. Pruitt peeled off to attack it. When he did, nine other enemy airplanes arrived, including two more bombers. A furious air battle followed in the next 15 minutes. Lt. Lee A. Archer shot down three ME-109s in rapid succession, bringing his total of enemy aircraft destroyed to four. Pruitt got the HE-111 he originally targeted, plus an ME-109. Lt. Carrol S. Woods' plane was hit by flak and crashed. Woods survived, but was captured and became a prisoner of war.

On Nov. 16, the 332nd Fighter Group collected its only other aerial victory of 1944. As three of the group's P-51s escorted a crippled B-24 heavy bomber toward Allied territory, they were attacked by eight ME-109s near the Udine area of Italy. Capt. Luke J. Weathers of the 302nd Fighter Squadron chased one of the planes as it descended rapidly in a defensive maneuver. He hit the plane, and it crashed to the ground. Another ME-109 got behind Weathers. Weathers chopped his throttle; the enemy airplane overshot and ended up in front of Weathers. Attempting to evade fire from Weathers' plane, the enemy pilot crashed into a mountainside. The other six ME-109s got away.

From Nov. 16 to March 16, 1945, the 332nd Fighter Group scored no aerial victories; in part because harsh winter weather, and shortages of enemy pilots and fuel discouraged aerial encounters. The Luftwaffe concentrated its forces in northern Europe, where Allied forces advanced from the east and west. In January and February 1945, pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group occasionally spotted enemy aircraft but they were too fast and too far away to challenge.

As the weather improved in March, so did the opportunity to shoot down enemy airplanes. On March 16, five pilots descended on Mettenheim air field to strafe enemy aircraft on the ground. Lt. William S. Price III shot at an ME-109 just as it became airborne, and it quickly cartwheeled into the ground. It was the first of 16 victories for the month.

The next victories came on March 24: 43 of the 332nd Fighter Group's P-51s escorted B-17s of the 5th Bombardment Wing on a raid against the Daimler-Benz tank factory in Berlin. Twenty-five enemy planes rose to challenge the bombers, including jet ME-262s and rocket-propelled ME-163s. While the ME-262 and ME-163 could fly at least 100 mph faster than the P-51 Mustangs, they could not turn as quickly. Rapid fuel consumption also restricted the time jets and rockets could engage in combat. Three pilots from the 100th Fighter Squadron each shot down one of the ME-262s, the first members of the 332nd Fighter Group to destroy jets. For its outstanding performance in combat that day, the 332nd Fighter Group earned a Distinguished Unit Citation. The day was not without loss: One of the jets shot the right wing off a P-51 and its pilot, Capt. Armour G. McDaniel, went down and was captured.

In terms of aerial victory credits, the best day for the 332nd Fighter Group was March 31. Members shot down 13 airplanes, the most since the 12 they got on July 18, 1944. The 332nd Fighter Group was conducting a fighter sweep of the Munich area and strafing rail targets in southern Germany when it was challenged by enemy aircraft. Six members of the 99th Fighter Squadron shot down six planes; the 100th Fighter Squadron shot down seven more.

On April 1, the 332nd Fighter Group was to escort B-24s to the St. Polten marshaling yards. Eight of the 47 P-51s that launched preceded the bombers, then flew a fighter sweep of the Linz area of Austria when they spotted four enemy planes flying in the same direction but about 2,000 feet below them. They dived to attack, but 12 more enemy aircraft appeared from a higher altitude. A series of individual dogfights ensued: Seven members of the 301st Fighter Squadron shot down 12 enemy airplanes that day. But three of the P-51s disappeared: Flight Officer James H. Fischer was forced to bail from his plane; Flight Officer William P. Armstrong and Lt. Walter Manning were killed.

The group's final day for aerial victories was April 26. Three P-51s spotted five ME-109s that rocked their wings to appear to be friendly. Not fooled, the Mustang pilots turned toward the enemy planes, which took evasive action. Only one of the ME-109s escaped. A few days later, the war in Europe ended.

The Tuskegee Airmen earned an indelible place in the history of their service, their country and the world.

During World War II, 72 black fighter pilots shot down 112 enemy aircraft. Pilots also knocked out more than 600 railroad cars, and sank one destroyer and 40 boats and barges. On most missions, the group escorted heavy bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force on raids against targets in Germany, Austria and other parts of central Europe. Tuskegee trained 992 pilots and sent 450 overseas.

The 332nd Fighter Group returned to the United States and was inactivated on Oct. 19, 1945. The unit was reactivated for two years starting in July 1947 as the 332nd Fighter Wing, part of Tactical Air Command, and trained with P-47 Thunderbolts and ferried aircraft. On July 26, 1948, President Harry S Truman signed Executive Order 9981, officially ending segregation in the U.S. military. The 332nd Fighter Wing was reactivated on Nov. 19, 1998, as the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group. It became the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group in 2005 as part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq, now Joint Base Balad.

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BY THE U.S. AIR FORCE HISTORICAL RESEARCH AGENCY | Posted: Saturday, September 26, 2009 12:00 am | (0) comments.

332nd Fighter Group sets records, helps lead to integration