Tuskegee Airmen WWII Fighter Pilots: The Story of an Original Tuskegee Pilot, Lt. Col. Hiram E. Mann

This book honors the Tuskegee Airmen - African American pilots knownas the "Red Tails," who never lost escorted bombers during World WarII. These decorated pilots overcame the prejudicial conclusion of the 1925War Department Study that "blacks cannot fly a complex airplane." EleanorRoosevelt, who was flown by a black Tuskegee pilot, dispelled these myths alongwith their success during WWII. Two issues are clarified: 1) the Tuskegee Pilotsnever lost a bomber they escorted during WWII, and 2) the difference betweenthe Tuskegee Experiment and the Tuskegee Pilot Experience. Chronicled arethe events leading up to the Tuskegee pilot training and their achievementsduring and after the war, which culminated with each pilot receiving HonoraryDoctorate degrees from Tuskegee University and being awarded the U.S.Congressional Gold Medal.This book also documents Tuskegee Airman, Ret. Lt. Col. Hiram E. Mann'sprogress from bellman at a hotel, to studying romance languages at PhilanderSmith College, to becoming a pilot in the 99th Pursuit Squadron and the 332ndFighter Group. Lt. Col. Mann's personal diary accounts provide insights into thestruggles of the pilots in the 1940s, the values that anchored their success, andtheir experiences fighting the enemy in Europe only to return to a segregatedmilitary and civilian life.