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Tuskegee Airmen Fight in World War II “Everything went the same as in training except for the real bullets... Until then, the danger of the mission had never occurred to me.” — Lt. C. D. “Lucky” Lester
Tuskegee’s 99th Fighter Squadron became the first squadron of black pilots to face combat in World War II. The 99th arrived in Casablanca, Morocco, on April 24, 1943, more than two years after Congress activated the first black unit. Under the command of Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the 99th flew its first combat sortie over Pantelleria, an island near Sicily, on June 2, 1943. One month later, Lt. Charles B. Hall scored the squadron’s first air victory by downing a Focke-Wulf Fw 190. That victory was tinged with sadness: the 99th lost two of its pilots that day. READ MORE | VIEW IMAGES FROM THIS SECTION |
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