The documentary series “The Red Tailed Angels” depicts the challenges, battles, and ultimately victories of the Tuskegee Airmen
The US Air Force (USAF) video production team created a video series to commemorate the Tuskegee Airmen and their influence on the war and society as a whole in honor of the 75th anniversary of World War II.
The Tuskegee Airmen’s challenges, failures, and eventual accomplishments are shown in the documentary series “The Red Tailed Angels” (you can view the trailer here).
“The Tuskegee Airmen represent a part of American history, which for far too many years languished in obscurity after WWII,” said Anthony Young, Air Force Television senior producer, in the article Air Force releases “Red Tailed Angels” docuseries, written by Staff Sgt. Jeremy L. Mosier, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. “This documentary is an attempt to tell their story through the words of those who lived it, highlighting not only the obstacles they faced but the perseverance they exhibited in overcoming it. Though they have been revered for their exploits during the war, I think their legacy is evident not only throughout the U.S. armed forces, but within society as a whole, given the many doors their success has led to the opening.”
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the US Army Air Corps, a precursor of the US Air Force. Pilots, navigators, maintainers, bombardiers, instructors, and support staff all trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 sorties during World War II in Europe and North Africa.
The US Army Air Corps, which was the forerunner of the US Air Force, used the Tuskegee Airmen as its first black military aviators. The Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama served as a training ground for pilots, navigators, maintainers, bombardiers, instructors, and support personnel. During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen flew almost 15,000 missions over Europe and North Africa.
The Tuskegee Airmen applied a red-tailed paint scheme to their Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, and North American P-51 Mustangs.
Today, pilots from the Alabama Air National Guard regularly fly their F-16 Fighting Falcons while sharpening their abilities in routine training flights, leaving flashes of red in the skies above lower Alabama. The members of Dannelly Field’s 100th Fighter Squadron Red Tails are aware of their history and the importance of the red paint on their jets’ tails. The Tuskegee Airmen are also the direct descendants of the 301st Fighter Squadron. Currently, the unit flies the F-22 Raptor.
You may see the first of the three parts of the series here on the Air Force Blue Tube Channel. Soon after will be the second and third segments.
Photo by U.S. Air Force