AVIATION ELITE UNITS No 24 332nd FIGHTER GROUP

The USAAF's Tuskegee Experiment, designed to prove that African-Americans were not capable of flying combat aircraft, ironically resulted in the creation of one of the USAAF's elite units. The 332nd Fighter Group were able to boast 111 aerial kills, 150 strafing victories and even the sinking of a German destroyer by the war's end. The group were both feared and respected by the Germans, who called them the "Scwartze Voglemenschen" (Black Birdmen), and revered by others as the "Black Red-tail Angels", partly because of their distinct red-tailed aircraft, and partly because they never lost a bomber under escort to enemy attack. This book reveals the true story of the unit who rose above discrimination to achieve elite status. Colour artwork by Jim Laurier.