Thread by @USArmyCMH

UNIT PROFILE – 99TH FIGHTER SQUADRON (TUSKEGEE AIRMEN)

Among the most iconic units to fight in WWII were the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of all-Black fighter and bomber units which proved that Black airmen were just as capable as their white counterparts.

#Armyhistory #USArmy

The leading edge of the Tuskegee Airmen was the 99th Fighter Squadron (originally the 99th Pursuit Squadron). The first of the U.S. Army Air Forces units collectively called the Tuskegee Airmen, the men of the 99th began training in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941.
#TRADOC #WW2

Armed with P-40 Warhawks, the 99th shipped off to the Mediterranean Theater in APR 1943. Under the command of LTC Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (who went on to become the USAF’s first Black general), the 99th provided critical tactical combat support to U.S. Army operations. @TradocCG

One of the 99th’s earliest exploits was Operation CORKSCREW (18 MAY 1943). Tasked with attacking the island of Pantalleria in advance of an invasion, the 99th was so successful in its bomber escort/ground-attack mission that the island surrendered before troops could land.

Although this was heralded as the first time a fortified position had been captured by airpower alone, the 99th was attacked for its “inferior” combat record, a racist charade dispelled by an analysis of P-40 units which proved the 99th to be the equal of all-white units.

The 99th further proved its mettle in the skies over Italy, providing crucial close air support to the embattled beachhead at Anzio and at Monte Cassino, where its close air support helped breach the Axis positions during the final assaults on Monastery Hill in MAY 1944. #TRADOC

In 1944 the 99th replaced its P-40’s with P-51 Mustangs and flew the iconic fighter through the end of the war; by 1945, three additional all-Black fighter squadrons and one bomber group followed in the 99th’s footsteps and were collectively called the Tuskegee Airmen. @USArmy

In recognition of their valor and skill, the 99th received three Distinguished Unit Citations over the course of the war, and the Tuskegee Airmen as a group were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. #TuskegeeAirmen #RedTails #BlackHistoryMonth #ArmyHeritage #WWII