African American Fighter Pilots on Training | World War 2 Documentary | 1945

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This short film – originally titled as "Wings for This Man" – is a propaganda documentary produced by the U.S. Army Air Forces about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first unit of African-American pilots in the US military formed during World War 2. It is narrated by then AAF Captain and future President Ronald Reagan and was released in 1945.

The film celebrates and delineates the history and service of the first African-American pilots and crewmen trained at Tuskegee Air Base in Alabama. During the war, Several hundred pilots graduated from the program and made remarkable records against enemy aircraft and installations.

The film begins with dramatic footage shot over Italy, showing an outnumbered American squadron successfully fighting a Luftwaffe formation made up of German Messerschmitt Bf 110 aircraft. When the pilots land they step out and are revealed to be black.

The picture then tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, starting with the Tuskegee Institute and the founding of the airstrip near it. The narrator notes that the airmen had to overcome exceeding odds to get the unit created and notes that "there was misunderstanding, distrust and prejudice that had to be cleared away" before the unit could form. A rather standard training sequence then follows, culminating in the third anniversary celebration of the unit followed by a parade.

At the the third anniversary celebration scene, the speech was delivered by Major General Smedley Butler (United States Marine Corps).

"Wings for This Man" is one of the last films produced by the U.S. Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit. The Army Air Forces’ film division also started another production about the African-American airmen titled “Red Tails” but it was presumably aborted. Later movies, such as Red Tails (2012) by George Lucas, are also inspired by the fascinating story of the Tuskegee Airmen.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND / CONTEXT

The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) who fought in World War 2 (1941-1945). Officially, they formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel for the pilots.

All black military pilots who trained in the United States trained at Moton Field, the Tuskegee Army Air Field, and were educated at Tuskegee University, located near Tuskegee, Alabama.

Although the 477th Bombardment Group trained with North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, they never served in combat. The 99th Pursuit Squadron (later, 99th Fighter Squadron) was the first black flying squadron, and the first to deploy overseas (to North Africa in April 1943, and later to Sicily and Italy). The 332nd Fighter Group, which originally included the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons, was the first black flying group. It deployed to Italy in early 1944. In June 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group began flying heavy bomber escort missions, and in July 1944, with the addition of the 99th Fighter Squadron, it had four fighter squadrons.

The 99th Fighter Squadron was initially equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter-bomber aircraft. The 332nd Fighter Group and its 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons were equipped for initial combat missions with Bell P-39 Airacobras (March 1944), later with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts (June–July 1944), and finally with the aircraft with which they became most commonly associated, the North American P-51 Mustang (July 1944). When the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group painted the tails of their P-47s red, the nickname "Red Tails" was coined.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces. During World War 2, African-Americans in many U.S. states were still subject to the Jim Crow laws and the American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to discrimination, both within and outside the army.

For more information about Tuskegee Airmen, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
African American Fighter Pilots on Training | World War 2 Documentary | 1945

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NOTE: THE VIDEO DOCUMENTS HISTORICAL EVENTS. SINCE IT WAS PRODUCED DECADES AGO, IT HAS HISTORICAL VALUES AND CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A VALUABLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENT. THE VIDEO HAS BEEN UPLOADED WITH EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. ITS TOPIC IS REPRESENTED WITHIN HISTORICAL CONTEXT. THE VIDEO DOES NOT CONTAIN SENSITIVE SCENES AT ALL!

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