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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful History of a Pioneer Fighter Group!, February 14, 2007
This review is from: 332nd Fighter Group - Tuskegee Airmen (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
The black airmen who comprised the 332nd Fighter Group fought two enemies in World War II - Axis fliers and bigoted American military commanders who believed blacks were only fit for menial tasks. That the "Red Tails" not only survived but thrived reflects greatly on men who served in the group and especially on its lone wartime commander, Benjamin O. Davis. The story of the 332nd's two-front war is told in this excellent Osprey 'Aviation Elite Units' volume by Chris Bucholtz.
The racism that was rampant in America was reflected in the top American leadership, SecWar Stimson stating that Negroes did not possess leadership abilities. If not for the efforts of President Roosevelt and his wife, blacks may indeed have been relegated to staffing mess halls in World War II.
Eventually the all-black 99th FS, commanded by Capt. Davis, was formed and entered combat in the MTO in June 1943 flying P-40s. Attached to the 33rd FG, the 99th turned in a commendable performance yet 33rd FG CO William Momyer & higher 12th AF commanders actively schemed against the unit and even misrepresented its achievements in official documents. Davis was forced to return stateside and testify before a Congressional committee. Following a comprehensive investigation of all MTO P-40 units, Davis and his squadron were vindicated. The 99th was later transferred to the 15th AF and joined into the all-black 332nd FG. Known as the "Red-Tails," the 332nd, equipped with P-51s and led by now-Col. Davis, ran up an outstanding record on bomber escort missions, claims being made that the Group never lost a bomber to enemy action while under their care. By war's end the Tuskegee Airmen had racked up over 400 e/a destroyed including 119 air kills, and earned a DUC. Almost 100 black airmen became POWs or were KIA.
Author Chris Bucholtz' narrative is a finely balanced effort showcasing the Group's aerial combats - and fighter bomber missions - while underscoring the dogged determination of Davis & Co. to prove that black airmen were equal to the task. Unlike other 'Aviation Elite Unit' books which basically relate the combat history of a unit, this volume also gives you a glimpse of the social history of the times these men lived in. Over 100 black and white photographs and eight pages of top-notch Jim Laurier color profiles compliment the text.
All in all, a fascinating, exciting chronicle of some very brave, determined men and their tough-as-nails commander.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just the facts, just the dry facts, September 5, 2008
This review is from: 332nd Fighter Group - Tuskegee Airmen (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
The main point in favor of this book is the large number of illustrations and pictures. The author has certainly done the research and has complied a very large number of historical photographs.
Beyond that however, I found I simply skimmed very long parts of this book. It begins with a promising narrative on the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen and the people and work involved to make it happen in what was obviously a very oppressive environment. Once the squadron heads off to the front however, the book turns into a very long bullet by bullet recounting of each and every truck, bridge, and enemy aircraft encountered. The squadron moves from mundane patrols in the most obsolete aircraft to bomber escort in the famous P51 fighters, but very little is revealed about what was going on behind the scenes, who was working in their favor and who not. We are given only a couple of 'because of their record' paragraphs to introduce the upgrade to each more advanced fighter.
I was perhaps most disappointed to not get a good deal more background on the famous Red Tails who escorted bombers. We are treated to many pictures and a section of wonderful full color illustrations of each of the squadron P51's. But the historical record presented is again limited to a day by day recount of strafing runs and technical descriptions of dogfights. What I was really wishing to see was interview recollections from the pilots and, just as important, the airmen in the bombers they were escorting.
The subject of discrimination is discussed a good deal during the opening chapter about the formation of the group, but later, is seems to shrink to the occasional mention of a compliant over a segregated area in a post movie tent. I wanted to know what really happened. Who's attitudes where changed and who's where not and for that reason, I did not feel satisfied with this book as anything more than something to thumb through.
So, to summarize - Technical recap of the specifics of air combat by the group A+. Historical narrative about the group and its place in time and history C-.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
332nd FIGHTER GROUP-TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, January 10, 2011
This review is from: 332nd Fighter Group - Tuskegee Airmen (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
332nd FIGHTER GROUP-TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
CHRIS BUCHOLTZ
OSPREY PUBLISHING, 2007
QUALITY SOFTCOVER, $22.95, PHOTOGRAPHS, ILLUSTRATIONS, COLOR PLATES, 128 PAGES
The black airmen who comprised the 332nd Fighter Group fought two enemies in World War II-Axis fliers and bigoted U.S. military commanders who believed blacks were only fit for menial tasks. That the "Red Tails" not only survived but thrived reflects greatly on the men who served in this unit and especially on its lone wartime commander, Benjamin O. Davis. The racism that was rampant in America was reflected in the top American leadership-Secretary of War Stimson stating that blacks didn't possess leaderrship abilities. If not for the efforts of FDR and his wife, blacks may indeed have been relegated to staffing mess halls in World War II.
Eventually the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron, commanded by Captain Benjamin O. Davis, was formed and entered combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in June, 1943 flying P-40s. Attached to the 33rd Fighter Group, the 99th turned in a commendable performance. But the 33rd's CO, William Momyer and higher 12th Army Air Force commanders actively schemed against the unit and even misrepresented its achievements in official documents. Davis was forced to return to the United States and testify before a Congressional committee. Following a comprehensive investigation of all MTO P-40 units, Davis and his squadron were vindicated. The 99th was later transfered to the 15th Army Air Force and assigned to the all-black 332nd Fighter Group. Now commanded by a newly promoted Colonel Davis, the 332nd or "Red Tails", would transition to the new P-51 Mustang. By the war's end, the Tuskegee Airmen had racked up over 400 enemy aircraft destroyed including 119 air kills and awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). Almost 100 members of the 332nd became POWs or were KIA.
The author provides numerous, if brief statements on individual missions and members' personalities and accounts of various engagements, accidents, victories, bail-outs, downed pilot rescues, and E & Es or Escape and Evasions. It also touches on members' post-war accomplishments. This book crams an incredible amount of information into a space of just over 120 pages and is rich with photographs and detailed color illustrations of aircraft and insignia. The only additional information I would have liked to have seen would be appendices devoted to KIAs and awards.
As a note, the claim of never having lost a bomber that they escorted has recently been corrected; another note must be made on the 332nd's overall performance-the highest scoring group in the ETO was the 354th Fighter Group, which had 701 confirmed aerial victories between December, 1943 to V-E Day and 45 aces with the highest scoring pilot Glenn Eagleston who is credited with 20.5 kills. The 354th flew P-51s for most of its tour; so there is no great disparity in equipment. To the extent there is, it might favor the 332nd only because the 354th spent November, 1944 to February, 1945 flying the less capable (certainly at air-to-air) P-47, conducting ground-attack missions in support of General Patton's Third Army before returning to P-51Ds to finish the war. The second highest air-to-air total was the 56th Fighter Group's 677 from a tour lasting from December, 1942 through V-E Day, with 50 aces including the highest-scoring American in the theater, Francis Gabreski with 28 kills (to which he added six more flying F-86s in Korea). The 56th's air-to-air score is noteworthy: the group never flew the P-51 Mustang in combat, keeping P-47 Thunderbolt's through V-E Day. The U.S. Army Air Corps' (and overall U.S.) leading ace was Richard Bong with 40 kills, all scored in a P-38 Lightning against the Japanese.
With that being written, it still doesn't diminish their war record which they can be proud of. The author has written a fascinating and exciting account of some very brave and determined men who overcame the obstacles of racism and indifference.
Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida
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