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Essay On African American Aviation During Ww2

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During World War II, the United States Army Air Corps made many advancements making it possible to better protect the troops and bring them home. Not only were there many improvements in aircraft technology, but there also began to be changes in society’s views on African Americans in the military. The increase of aviation technology that developed during this World War was a defining characteristic of the outcome of the war. Each country fought for control of the air to gain the advantage over the opposing side. Aviation and improved aircraft were crucial to the strategies and developments that took place. Some of the new improvements included, replacing all the metal additions that were in fighter planes with fabric and other lightweight …show more content…

military. That does not mean however that they were treated equally. Society was dead set on believing that people with darker skin were not as capable as those who fit their societal ideals. There was much racial discrimination happening in the world during this time period. Despite the attempts by the government to intertwine the two cultures, there were just too many close minded people to see the truth. Generally, people do not like to accept change and in this case, they weren’t willing to let go of their misconceptions and stereotypes; which were only doing more damage and affecting them …show more content…

They served in the Army Air Corps and were trained as ferry pilots, similar to the WASPs. However the young and ambitious boys wanted to be trained to be fighter pilots. Due to the amount of discrimination that spread throughout, it was exceptionally difficult for them to receive this training. Captain Luther Smith had compassion on these soldiers and really fought for their cause and supported them. Having the desire from a young age, they wanted to fight for their country and despite the many obstacles they had to overcome, they didn’t let the views of society bring them down. Eventually, they were granted the right to begin training and they became the 332nd Fighter Group; they were also known as the Red Tails. The Tuskegee Airmen were very successful and completed 133 combat missions within only eight

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Haulman, Ph.D., The Chief of the Organizational Histories Branch of the Air Force Historical Research Agency, who did most of the research in the 21st century that dispelled many stories about the 332nd, said “The Tuskegee Airmen were neither the inferior flyers their opponents described nor the supermen depicted by their supporters”. Although debunking some of the myths, were both positive and negative, Mr. Haulman concluded that, "If they did not demonstrate that they were far superior to the members of the six non-black fighter escort groups of the Fifteenth Air Force with which they served, they certainly demonstrated that they were not inferior to them. Moreover, they began at a line farther back, overcoming many more obstacles on the way to combat. I was intrigued with the amount of controversy surrounding the airmen. Some of the sources I used to study the famed fighter group were openly aimed at shaming them into obscurity.

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During World War II the United States created several Special Fighting Forces. Each team was comprised of unique Americans with special talents, without which the war would not have been a victory for the Allies. The Tuskegee Airmen Fighter combat units were vital to winning the war in both Europe and the Pacific. As a result, every man who could fly a plane was recruited.

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Luke was known for his legendary skill and aggressive flying style as a member of the 27th Squadron of the American First Pursuit Group known as "The Fighting Eagles”. “He shot town 18 airplanes and balloons in his short military career” (“2ND LT FRANK LUKE JR.”). Even though these accomplishments set him apart from most other American pilots in World War I, Rickenbacker proved to

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Pornpavich Siriroj US History Mrs. Morelle’s Period 1 The Tuskegee airmen During World War II, there was a group of African-American military pilots called the Tuskegee Airmen or the 322nd Fighters and its four elements, the 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter squadrons. They were the first African-American pilots in the US military, changing the way people felt about the US military and African-American people by fighting bravely on the front lines, somethings that African-American had never done before. The Tuskegee airmen made history, the history we will never forgot.

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(The Tuskegee Airmen Heritage, Red tails reborn). During the war in combat the airmen shot about 400 soldiers out of the air. “Facts show that only 25 bombers that were being escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen were shot down by enemy aircraft.” http://acepilots.com/usaaf_tusk.html (Sherman, Stephen. The Tuskegee Airmen).

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African Americans had limited opportunities to play a role in the US military due to racial discrimination, quotas and just being flat out rejected. The US military limited roles for African Americans because

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World War One led to many changes in the U.S and the world itself, but what affects did it have on the domestic issues of America such as segregation and unjust treatment of African Americans, and women 's suffrage. While greatly affecting domestic issues, World War One led to large changes in the demographics because of migration of african americans from southern states because of oppressive laws and racial prejudice to the northern states. It also changed the roles of African Americans and women on society, and led to women 's right to vote, Being a time of such large impact one might never think of what was happening here in America during World War One but in reality it was a time of much change in America. African Americans roles were beginning to change in society because during World War One from 1914 and 1920, roughly 500,000 black southerners packed their bags and headed to the North, fundamentally transforming the social, cultural, and political landscape of cities such as Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

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“The Tuskegee Airmen served a nation not willing to serve them. Their legacy made my rise in the military possible. I stood on their shoulders. They made America better for all of us.” General Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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People got discriminated for being from a different race or a different colour from everybody

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Schomp also wrote that “Segregated units were almost always under white officers.” It was difficult for blacks to advance into higher rankings in the military. There was not equal pay between whites and blacks in the Union Army. As stated by Thomas Streissguth, writer of The Civil War: The North, African Americans received lower pay than the whites. African Americans were, “Only paid $10/month with $3 withheld for uniforms and equipment.”

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They were treated poorly within their communities, segregated from the rest of the population, and forced to work like slaves. Within these times of harsh racism, there were few people who believed everyone should

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