Customer Reviews

SEGREGATED SKIES (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight)

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This book has a hard time deciding if it is a scholarly work or a popular narrative. The style attempts to mix close analysis and an engaging storyline. These two elements are incompatible paragraph by paragraph, and bog each other down. The author changes references to major figures' titles, given names, and especially rank, back and forth without order or explanation. It smacks of rushed scholarship.

Despite these flaws, the book tells an important story. It covers a lot of old material on the Tuskeegee Airmen, but offers up some important new aspects: Evolution of Air Force policy on integration and race, and the role of Black Airmen in the Bomber forces. These two themes were largely based on original research and interviews, The general background of the Tuskeegee airmen less so.

In short, this book has some really good new material on racial politics in the US military during and just after World War II. Its coverage of the combat exploits of the all black US fighter squadrons is objective, but nothing new.

This is a wonderful book which sheds much needed light on an aspect of the Second World War that has either been overlooked or marginalized for much too long -- the contributions made by African Americans who served in the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).

Herein the reader will become acquainted with the history of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the 332nd Fighter Group, and the 477th Composite Group (which, owing to racial bias among the USAAF's leadership, never saw combat). Taken together, these units constituted the Tuskegee Airmen.