Red Tails
Black combat pilots
Red Tails refers to the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military pilots in U.S. history, who flew combat missions in World War II.
The name comes from the distinctive red paint on the tails of their P-51 Mustang fighters.
My grandfather was one of the original Red Tails.
The term gained wider recognition from the 2012 film of the same name.
American WWII fighter aircraft
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
- propellerRotating blades creating thrust
- dogfightingClose aircraft battle
- aerial maneuversStunts performed in flight
airspeed · altitude · throttle · machine guns · strafing · dive · climb · roll
Creation or arrangement
- wingmenSupportive companions in pursuit
- missionPurpose-driven task
- sortieArmed raid outward
- escortOne who accompanies another
patrol · bomber escort · flight operations · briefing · deployment · combat missions · reconnaissance · air superiority
Alabama HBCU town
- P-51 MustangAmerican WWII fighter aircraft
- 1944Mid-forties wartime year
- dogfightClose combat between aircraft
- aerial combatWarfare between aircraft
George Lucas · Terrence Howard · premiere · soundtrack · cinematography · box-office · screening · critics
Forced separation by group
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- proving groundLocation for trials
- AlabamaDeep South state
- military integrationEnding armed forces segregation
pioneering · excellence · legacy · decorated veterans · racial prejudice · determination · military history · trailblazers
German military aviation
- European TheaterWWII's western combat zone
- Nazi GermanyHitler's fascist dictatorship
- aerial warfareArmed conflict aloft
- MesserschmittGerman military aircraft maker
strategic bombing · D-Day · 1940s · wartime · military service · theater of operations · air raids · war effort
P-51 Mustang
American WWII fighter aircraft
- cockpitPilot's control compartment
- propellerRotating blades creating thrust
- dogfightingClose aircraft battle
aerial maneuvers · airspeed · altitude · throttle · machine guns · strafing · dive · climb · roll · pursuit
formation
Creation or arrangement
escort · patrol · bomber escort · flight operations · briefing · deployment · combat missions · reconnaissance · air superiority · kill count
Tuskegee
Alabama HBCU town
- P-51 MustangAmerican WWII fighter aircraft
- 1944Mid-forties wartime year
- dogfightClose combat between aircraft
George Lucas · Terrence Howard · aerial combat · premiere · soundtrack · cinematography · box-office · screening · critics · tribute
segregation
Forced separation by group
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- proving groundLocation for trials
- AlabamaDeep South state
military integration · pioneering · excellence · legacy · decorated veterans · racial prejudice · determination · military history · trailblazers · honor
Luftwaffe
German military aviation
- European TheaterWWII's western combat zone
- Nazi GermanyHitler's fascist dictatorship
- aerial warfareArmed conflict aloft
Messerschmitt · strategic bombing · D-Day · 1940s · wartime · military service · theater of operations · air raids · war effort · homeland defense