On March 19, 1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps activated the famed African-American aviation unit known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Digging Deeper
Consisting of the 377th Fighter Group and the 477th Medium Bomber Group, the connection with Tuskegee University's involvement with the Civilian Pilot Training Program is how the units got its colloquial name. Also known as “Red Tails” or “Red Tail Angels” due to the markings on their planes, the Tuskegee Airmen were pioneers in aviation as prior to their formation, the U.S. military had not allowed pilots of African descent to fly military planes. In World War I, numerous volunteers were turned away for this reason, but apparently by World War II, the military finally had enough sense to change this policy.
