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68-685: Formerly known as Tuskegee Army Airfield , Sharpe Field was used to train the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II . It provided advanced training for the graduates of nearby Moton Field . Most of the history of the Tuskegee Airmen was made at this site. The airfield was designed by the African American architect Hilyard Robinson and built in 1941. Construction began on July 12, 1941. Training flights began in November of

136-443: A Distinguished Unit Citation. Pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group earned 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses. Their missions took them over Italy and enemy-occupied parts of central and southern Europe. Their operational aircraft were, in succession: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk , Bell P-39 Airacobra , Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft. With African-American fighter pilots being trained successfully,

204-572: A U.S. military pilot . In 1917, African-American men had tried to become aerial observers but were rejected. African-American Eugene Bullard served in the French air service during World War I because he was not allowed to serve in an American unit. Instead, Bullard returned to infantry duty with the French. The racially motivated rejections of World War I African-American recruits sparked more than two decades of advocacy by African-Americans who wished to enlist and train as military aviators. The effort

272-516: A control tower. By September 1943, Tuskegee had 4 runways & a total of 225 buildings. In addition to the main airfield, known sub-bases and auxiliaries which supported pilot training were: Aircraft used at Tuskegee during World War II included the PT-17 biplane primary trainer, BT-13 monoplane basic trainer, AT-6 Texan advanced trainer, and P-40 Warhawk (used for fighter transition training). The first class of African-American aviation cadets entered

340-463: A massive Daimler-Benz tank factory in Berlin, was heavily defended by Luftwaffe aircraft, including propeller-driven Fw 190s , Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered fighters, and 25 of the much more formidable Me 262s , history's first operational jet fighter. Pilots Charles Brantley, Earl Lane and Roscoe Brown all shot down German jets over Berlin that day. For the mission, the 332nd Fighter Group earned

408-482: A ramp, and a large number of buildings north of the field. The AT-10 twin-engine trainer was replaced at Tuskegee by the TB-25 Mitchell in 1945. The last pilot class graduated at Tuskegee in 1946, bringing the total number of pilots trained at the base to 992. Tuskegee AAF was inactivated in 1946, and the property reverted to the town of Tuskegee. Many of the base's buildings were moved into the town, and two of

476-530: A separate but equal club would be built for black airmen. The 477th was transferred to Godman Field , Kentucky before the club was built. They had spent five months at Selfridge but found themselves on a base a fraction of Selfridge's size, with no air-to-ground gunnery range and deteriorating runways that were too short for B-25 landings. Colonel Selway took on the second role of the commanding officer of Godman Field. In that capacity, he ceded Godman Field's officers club to African-American airmen. White officers used

544-406: A single 5,000' asphalt Runway 18/36, and the operator was listed as Sharpe Aviation Service. The Tuskegee airfield was evidently closed once again at some point between 1965 and 1971, as it was not listed among active airfields in the 1971 Flight Guide. In 1976, an attempt was made to reuse the abandoned base as an oil refinery, but this did not work out. It was depicted as an abandoned airfield on

612-535: A trustee of the Julius Rosenwald Fund to arrange a loan of $ 175,000 to help finance the building of Moton Field . On 22 March 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron was activated without pilots at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois . A cadre of 14 black non-commissioned officers from the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments were sent to Chanute Field to help in the administration and supervision of

680-472: The Adriatic coast . From Ramitelli, the 332nd Fighter Group escorted Fifteenth Air Force heavy strategic bombing raids into Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. Flying escort for heavy bombers, the 332nd earned an impressive combat record. The Allies called these airmen "Red Tails" or "Red-Tail Angels," because of the distinctive crimson unit identification marking predominantly applied on

748-600: The Mediterranean Sea to clear the sea lanes for the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The air assault on the island began 30 May 1943. The 99th flew its first combat mission on 2 June. The surrender of the garrison of 11,121 Italians and 78 Germans due to air attack was the first of its kind. The 99th then moved on to Sicily and received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for its performance in combat. By

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816-533: The Psychological Research Unit 1 at Maxwell Army Air Field , Montgomery, Alabama , and other units around the country for aviation cadet training, which included the identification, selection, education, and training of pilots, navigators and bombardiers . Psychologists employed in these research studies and training programs used some of the first standardized tests to quantify IQ , dexterity, and leadership qualities to select and train

884-486: The 1998 World Aeronautical Chart. In 2019 Sharpe Field was used to test a blimp deployment of FirstNet . The field's current state was seen in a commercial by AT&T [2] . The site of Tuskegee AAF was purchased by the Bradbury Family Partnership around 2000. It is strictly a private development. However, in 2003, Sharpe Field was once again listed as an active private airfield. Only one runway

952-514: The 332nd Fighter Group. The dive-bombing and strafing missions under Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. were considered to be highly successful. In May 1942, the 99th Pursuit Squadron was renamed the 99th Fighter Squadron. It earned three Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC) during World War II. The DUCs were for operations over Sicily from 30 May – 11 June 1943, Monastery Hill near Cassino from 12 to 14 May 1944, and for successfully fighting off German jet aircraft on 24 March 1945. The mission

1020-415: The 477th Composite Group could get into action. The 618th Bombardment Squadron was disbanded on 8 October 1945. On 13 March 1946, the two-squadron group, supported by the 602nd Engineer Squadron (later renamed 602nd Air Engineer Squadron), the 118th Base Unit, and a band, moved to its final station, Lockbourne Field . The 617th Bombardment Squadron and the 99th Fighter Squadron disbanded on 1 July 1947, ending

1088-478: The 477th and its associated units. Freeman Field had a firing range, usable runways, and other amenities useful for training. African-American airmen worked in proximity with white ones; both lived in a public housing project adjacent to the base. Colonel Selway turned the noncommissioned officers out of their club and turned it into a second officers' club. He then classified all white personnel as cadre and all African-Americans as trainees. One officers' club became

1156-476: The 477th peaceably tried to enter the whites-only officer's club. Selway had been tipped off by a phone call and had the assistant provost marshal and base billeting manager stationed at the door to refuse the 477th officers' entry. The latter, a major, ordered them to leave and took their names as a means of arresting them when they refused. It was the beginning of the Freeman Field Mutiny . In

1224-416: The 616th Bombardment Squadron was established as the initial subordinate squadron of the 477th Bombardment Group , an all-white group. The squadron was activated on 1 July 1943, only to be inactivated on 15 August 1943. By September 1943, the number of washed-out cadets on base had surged to 286, with few of them working. In January 1944, the 477th Bombardment Group was reactivated—an all-Black group. At

1292-531: The Army Air Force now came under political pressure from the NAACP and other civil rights organizations to organize a bomber unit. There could be no defensible argument that the quota of 100 African-American pilots in training at one time, or 200 per year out of a total of 60,000 American aviation cadets in annual training, represented the service potential of 13 million African-Americans. On 13 May 1943,

1360-653: The Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic-Advanced). Tuskegee AAF was assigned to the Southeast Training Center of the Army Air Force Training Command. It was commanded by the 318th Army Air Force Base Unit. By the end of 1942, Tuskegee had a total of 3,414 personnel. The March 1943 14M Regional Aeronautical Chart labeled the airfield as "Tuskegee Army Flying School" and indicated that the field had

1428-706: The Army Air Forces. On 23 March 1943, the group departed Tuskegee for Selfridge Field, Michigan, where they received air combat training by First Air Force and eventually were deployed overseas for combat operations in Italy. Twin-engine training commenced at Tuskegee in 1943, at first using the AT-10. The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields described Tuskegee AAF as having a 5,000' hard-surface runway. As constructed during World War II, Tuskegee AAF consisted of four asphalt runways (the longest being 5,200'), taxiways,

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1496-577: The Tuskegee Airmen had logged over 900 flight hours by this time. Nevertheless, by Colonel Selway's fiat, they were trainees. Off base was no better; many businesses in Seymour would not serve African-Americans. A local laundry would not wash their clothes and yet willingly laundered those of captured German soldiers . In early April 1945, the 118th Base Unit transferred in from Godman Field; its African-American personnel held orders that specified they were base cadre, not trainees. On 5 April, officers of

1564-489: The Tuskegee Airmen was Vance H. Marchbanks Jr. , MD, a childhood friend of Benjamin Davis. The accumulation of washed-out cadets at Tuskegee and the propensity of other commands to "dump" African-American personnel on the post exacerbated the difficulties of administering Tuskegee. A shortage of jobs for them made these enlisted men a drag on Tuskegee's housing and culinary departments. Trained officers were also left idle as

1632-409: The U.S. Army required gave way in the face of the requirements for complex training in technical vocations. Typical of the process was the development of separate African-American flight surgeons to support the operations and training of the Tuskegee Airmen. Before the development of this unit, no U.S. Army flight surgeons had been black. Training of African-American men as aviation medical examiners

1700-414: The ablest and most intelligent African-American applicants were able to join. Airman Coleman Young (Second Lieutenant), later the first African-American mayor of Detroit , told journalist Studs Terkel about the process: They made the standards so high, we actually became an elite group. We were screened and super-screened. We were unquestionably the brightest and most physically fit young blacks in

1768-647: 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 red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red empennage ; the P-51B, C and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces. The Tuskegee Airmen were

1836-497: The audience sat in random patterns as part of "Operation Checkerboard," the movie was halted to make men return to segregated seating. African-American officers petitioned base Commanding Officer William Boyd for access to the only officer's club on base. Lieutenant Milton Henry entered the club and personally demanded his club rights; he was court-martialed for this. Subsequently, Colonel Boyd denied club rights to African-Americans, although General Hunter stepped in and promised

1904-464: The aviation cadets at Tuskegee entered advanced flying training with P-40 Warhawks in January 1942. The 100th Pursuit Squadron was activated at Tuskegee on 19 February 1942. It was the second African-American Army Air Forces unit ever to be activated. The first class of African-American pilots at Tuskegee completed advanced pilot training on 7 March. There were only five of class 42-C-SE who completed

1972-409: The best-suited personnel for the roles of bombardier, navigator, and pilot. The Air Corps determined that the existing programs would be used for all units, including all-black units. At Tuskegee, this effort continued with the selection and training of the Tuskegee Airmen. The War Department set up a system to accept only those with a level of flight experience or higher education which ensured that only

2040-473: The cadre's club. The old Non-Commissioned Officers Club, promptly sarcastically dubbed "Uncle Tom's Cabin", became the trainees' officers club. At least four of the trainees had flown combat in Europe as fighter pilots and had about four years in service. Four others had completed training as pilots, bombardiers and navigators and may have been the only triply qualified officers in the entire Air Corps. Several of

2108-492: The construction of the facilities needed for the military program at Tuskegee. However, he was transferred on 12 January 1942, reputedly because of his insistence that his African-American sentries and Military Police had police authority over local white civilians. His successor, Colonel Frederick Kimble , then oversaw operations at the Tuskegee airfield. Contrary to new Army regulations, Kimble maintained segregation on

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2176-564: The core of other black squadrons forming at Tuskegee Fields in Alabama. While the enlisted men were in training, five black youths were admitted to the Officers Training School (OTS) at Chanute Field as aviation cadets. Specifically, Elmer D. Jones, Dudley Stevenson, and James Johnson of Washington, DC; Nelson Brooks of Illinois, and William R. Thompson of Pittsburgh, PA successfully completed OTS and were commissioned as

2244-527: The country. We were super-better because of the irrational laws of Jim Crow. You can't bring that many intelligent young people together and train 'em as fighting men and expect them to supinely roll over when you try to fuck over 'em, right? (Laughs.) The budding flight program at Tuskegee received a publicity boost when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt inspected it on 29 March 1941, and flew with African-American chief civilian instructor C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson . Anderson, who had been flying since 1929 and

2312-413: The end of 1942, nine classes of African-American pilots had completed training at Tuskegee AAF. On 13 October 1942 the 332d Fighter Group was activated at Tuskegee, and the pre-existing 100th Fighter Squadron was assigned to it. The 301st and 302d Fighter Squadrons were also activated for the first time at Tuskegee, and assigned to the 332d Fighter Group. This group was the first African-American group in

2380-419: The end of February 1944, the all-black 332nd Fighter Group had been sent overseas with three fighter squadrons: The 100th , 301st and 302nd . Under the command of Colonel Davis, the squadrons were moved to mainland Italy, where the 99th Fighter Squadron, assigned to the group on 1 May 1944, joined them on 6 June at Ramitelli Airfield , nine kilometers south-southeast of the small city of Campomarino , on

2448-501: The field in deference to local customs in the state of Alabama, a policy that was resented by the airmen. Later that year, the Air Corps replaced Kimble. His replacement had been the director of training at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Major Noel F. Parrish . Counter to the prevalent racism of the day, Parrish was fair and open-minded and petitioned Washington to allow the Tuskegee Airmen to serve in combat. The strict racial segregation

2516-612: The first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces. During World War II, black 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 of the army. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, no African-American had been

2584-458: The first Black Army Air Corps Officers. In June 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron was transferred to Tuskegee, Alabama, and remained the only black flying unit in the country, but did not yet have pilots. The famous airmen were actually trained at five airfields surrounding Tuskegee University (formerly Tuskegee Institute)--Griel, Kennedy, Moton, Shorter, and Tuskegee Army Air Fields. The flying unit consisted of 47 officers and 429 enlisted men and

2652-478: The hangars were relocated. Although the 1962 Birmingham Sectional Chart depicted Sharpe Field as having 4 paved runways (with the longest being 5,000'), the Aerodromes table included the remark "North/South only usable runway." Sharpe Field was reopened as a civilian airport at some point between 1945 and 1962, as that is how it was listed in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory. Sharpe Field was described as having

2720-464: The money into funds of civilian flight schools willing to train black Americans. War Department tradition and policy mandated the segregation of African-Americans into separate military units staffed by white officers, as had been done previously with the 9th Cavalry , 10th Cavalry , 24th Infantry Regiment and 25th Infantry Regiment . When the appropriation of funds for aviation training created opportunities for pilot cadets, their numbers diminished

2788-489: The nation. The exclusionary policies failed dramatically when the Air Corps received an abundance of applications from men who qualified, even under the restrictive requirements. Many of the applicants had already participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program , unveiled in late December 1938 (CPTP). Tuskegee University had participated since 1939. The U.S. Army Air Corps had established

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2856-477: The new African-American crewmen also took place at Sioux Falls, South Dakota , Lincoln, Nebraska , and Scott Field, Belleville, Illinois . Once trained, the air and ground crews were spliced into a working unit at Selfridge. The new group's first commanding officer was Colonel Robert Selway , who had also commanded the 332nd Fighter Group before it deployed for combat overseas. Like his ranking officer, Major General Frank O'Driscoll Hunter from Georgia, Selway

2924-534: The only Army installation performing three phases of pilot training (basic, advanced, and transition) at a single location. Initial planning called for 500 personnel in residence at a time. By mid-1942, over six times that many were stationed at Tuskegee, even though only two squadrons were training there. Tuskegee Army Airfield was similar to already-existing airfields reserved for training white pilots, such as Maxwell Field, only 40 miles (64 km) distant. African-American contractor McKissack and McKissack, Inc.

2992-600: The plan to shift African-American officers into command slots stalled, and white officers not only continued to hold command but were joined by additional white officers assigned to the post. One rationale behind the non-assignment of trained African-American officers was stated by the commanding officer of the Army Air Forces, General Henry "Hap" Arnold : "Negro pilots cannot be used in our present Air Corps units since this would result in Negro officers serving over white enlisted men creating an impossible social situation." The 99th

3060-627: The rosters of these older units. In 1941, the War Department and the Army Air Corps, under pressure — three months before its transformation into the USAAF — constituted the first all-black flying unit, the 99th Pursuit Squadron. Because of the restrictive nature of selection policies, the situation did not seem promising for African-Americans, since in 1940 the U.S. Census Bureau reported there were only 124 African-American pilots in

3128-605: The same year, even though construction was nowhere near completion. A graded (but not yet paved) portion of the north–south runway was used to conduct initial flight training. On 23 July 1941 the Air Corps established an Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Tuskegee; it was activated two weeks later, on 6 August. It was later renamed the Tuskegee Advanced Flying School; the Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School; and

3196-417: The second phase of military flight training (Basic) at Tuskegee AAF on 8 November 1941, under military instructors. Only 7 of the 13 original cadets remained. The 99th Pursuit Squadron moved to Tuskegee from Maxwell Field , Alabama on 5 January 1942. The Air Base Detachment would later be redesignated as the 318th Air Base Squadron and still later as the 318th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Five of

3264-469: The tail section of the unit's aircraft. A B-25 bomb group, the 477th Bombardment Group , was forming in the U.S. but was not able to complete its training in time to see action. The 99th Fighter Squadron after its return to the United States became part of the 477th, redesignated the 477th Composite Group. The only black air units that saw combat during the war were the 99th Pursuit Squadron and

3332-433: The time, the usual training cycle for a bombardment group took three to four months. The 477th eventually contained four medium bomber squadrons. Slated to comprise 1,200 officers and enlisted men, the unit operated 60 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers. The 477th went on to encompass three more bomber squadrons–the 617th Bombardment Squadron, the 618th Bombardment Squadron, and the 619th Bombardment Squadron. The 477th

3400-548: The trainees. A white officer, Army Captain Harold R. Maddux, was assigned as the first commander of the 99th Fighter Squadron. A group of 271 enlisted men began training in aircraft ground support trades at Chanute Field in March 1941 until they were transferred to bases in Alabama in July 1941. The skills being taught were so technical that setting up segregated classes was deemed impossible. This small number of enlisted men became

3468-561: The training and they were Capt. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. and second lieutenants George S. Roberts, Charles H. DeBow, Jr., Mac Ross, and Lemuel R. Custis. On 17 April the Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Tuskegee Army Air Field was redesignated as Tuskegee Advanced Flying School. The second class 42-D-SE consisting of three African-American pilots, Charles Dryden, Sydney Brooks, and Clarence Jamerson graduated as second lieutenants from flying training on 29 April. By

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3536-599: The wake of the Freeman Field Mutiny, the 616th and 619th were disbanded and the returned 99th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the 477th on 22 June 1945; it was redesignated the 477th Composite Group as a result. On 1 July 1945, Colonel Robert Selway was relieved of the Group's command; he was replaced by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. A complete sweep of Selway's white staff followed, with all vacated jobs filled by African-American officers. The war ended before

3604-464: The whites-only clubs at nearby Fort Knox, much to the displeasure of African-American officers. Another irritant was a professional one for African-American officers. They observed a steady flow of white officers through the command positions of the group and squadrons; these officers stayed just long enough to be "promotable" before transferring out at their new rank. This seemed to take about four months. In an extreme example, 22-year-old Robert Mattern

3672-670: Was a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II . They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks, and other support personnel. The Tuskegee airmen received praise for their excellent combat record earned while protecting American bombers from enemy fighters. The group

3740-402: Was a racial segregationist. Hunter was blunt about it, saying such things as "...racial friction will occur if colored and white pilots are trained together." He backed Selway's violations of Army Regulation 210–10, which forbade segregation of airbase facilities. They segregated base facilities so thoroughly that they even drew a line in the base theater and ordered separate seating by race. When

3808-754: Was anticipated to be ready for action in November 1944. The home field for the 477th was Selfridge Field , located outside Detroit, with forays to Oscoda Army Air Field in Oscoda, Michigan . Other bases were used for various types of training courses. Twin-engine pilot training began at Tuskegee while the transition to multi-engine pilot training was at Mather Field, California . Some ground crews trained at Mather before rotating to Inglewood . Gunners learned to shoot at Eglin Field, Florida . Bombers-navigators learned their trades at Hondo Army Air Field and Midland Air Field, Texas or at Roswell, New Mexico . Training of

3876-617: Was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations . All black military pilots who trained in the United States trained at Griel Field, Kennedy Field, Moton Field , Shorter Field, and the Tuskegee Army Air Fields. They were educated at the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), located near Tuskegee, Alabama . Of the 922 pilots, five were Haitians from the Haitian Air Force and one pilot

3944-414: Was backed by an entire service arm. On 19 July 1941, thirteen individuals made up the first class of aviation cadets (42-C) when they entered preflight training at Tuskegee Institute. After primary training at Moton Field , they were moved to the nearby Tuskegee Army Air Field, about 10 miles (16 km) to the west for conversion training onto operational types. Consequently, Tuskegee Army Air Field became

4012-619: Was conducted through correspondence courses, until 1943, when two black physicians were admitted to the U.S. Army School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field, Texas . This was one of the earliest racially integrated courses in the U.S. Army. Seventeen flight surgeons served with the Tuskegee Airmen from 1941 to 1949. At that time, the typical tour of duty for a U.S. Army flight surgeon was four years. Six of these physicians lived under field conditions during operations in North Africa, Sicily, and other parts of Italy. The chief flight surgeon to

4080-399: Was finally considered ready for combat duty by April 1943. It shipped out of Tuskegee on 2 April, bound for North Africa, where it joined the 33rd Fighter Group and its commander, Colonel William W. Momyer . Given little guidance from battle-experienced pilots, the 99th's first combat mission was to attack the small strategic volcanic island of Pantelleria , code name Operation Corkscrew , in

4148-596: Was from Trinidad . It also included an airman born in the Dominican Republic and one born in Jamaica . The 99th Pursuit Squadron (later the 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 other parts of Italy). The 332nd Fighter Group , which originally included the 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons,

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4216-615: Was in charge of the contract. The company's 2,000 workmen, the Alabama Works Progress Administration , and the U.S. Army built the airfield in only six months. The construction was budgeted at $ 1,663,057. The airmen were placed under the command of Captain Benjamin O. Davis Jr. , one of only two black line officers then serving. During training, Tuskegee Army Air Field was commanded first by Major James Ellison. Ellison made great progress in organizing

4284-577: Was led by such prominent civil rights leaders as Walter White of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , labor union leader A. Philip Randolph and Judge William H. Hastie . Finally, on 3 April 1939, Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 was passed by Congress containing an amendment by Senator Harry H. Schwartz designating funds for training African-American pilots. The War Department managed to put

4352-841: Was listed as being active, the 5,300' asphalt Runway 14/32. The airfield is currently closed and has been deactivated. The owner was listed as the Bradbury Family Partnership of Woodstock, Georgia. The purpose of the airfield having been reactivated is unknown, although the old ramp area was used as an asphalt plant for a number of years. Some of the equipment can still be seen on the ramp area. Sharpe Field covers an area of 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) at an elevation of 253 feet (77 m) above mean sea level . It has one asphalt paved runway designated 14/32 which measures 5,300 by 46 feet (1,615 x 14 m). [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen / t ʌ s ˈ k iː ɡ iː /

4420-458: Was promoted to captain , transferred into squadron command in the 477th days later, and left a month later as a major . He was replaced by another white officer. Meanwhile, no Tuskegee Airmen held command. On 15 March 1945, the 477th was transferred to Freeman Field , near Seymour , Indiana. The white population of Freeman Field was 250 officers and 600 enlisted men. Superimposed on it were 400 African-American officers and 2,500 enlisted men of

4488-549: Was responsible for training thousands of rookie pilots, took his prestigious passenger on a half-hour flight in a Piper J-3 Cub . After landing, she cheerfully announced, "Well, you can fly all right." The subsequent brouhaha over the First Lady's flight had such an impact it is often mistakenly cited as the start of the CPTP at Tuskegee, even though the program was already five months old. Eleanor Roosevelt used her position as

4556-701: Was the first black flying group. It deployed to Italy in early 1944. Although the 477th Bombardment Group trained with North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, they never served in combat. 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

4624-766: Was the longest bomber escort mission of the Fifteenth Air Force throughout the war. The 332nd flew missions in Sicily, Anzio , Normandy, the Rhineland , the Po Valley and Rome-Arno and others. Pilots of the 99th once set a record for destroying five enemy aircraft in under four minutes. The Tuskegee Airmen shot down three German jets in a single day. On 24 March 1945, 43 P-51 Mustangs led by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis escorted B-17 bombers over 1,600 miles (2,600 km) into Germany and back. The bombers' target,

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