Local UAW 2021 presents: 'Red Tails'

FOSTORIA — The UAW Local 2021 Civil & Human Rights Committee will be host to its third annual Black History Month Movie Night at 7 p.m. Saturday at 1675 Union St. The event is open to the public with popcorn provided for a showing of "Red Tails," a movie highlighting the Tuskegee Airmen. In the film, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (today known as the FAA) selects 13 black cadets to become part of an experimental program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, aimed at training black personnel to become fighter pilots for the Army. However, they are met at every step with discrimination, racism, and lack of institutional support among other things. Despite this, the program became extremely effective. Who are the Tuskegee Airmen? Whilst the war was ongoing, members of the Tuskegee airmen flew P-40, P-39, P-47, and P-51 aircraft. Many of their missions were flown in red-tailed P-51 Mustangs, and for that reason, they are sometimes called the "Red Tails." According to the National WWII Museum's website, the total number of Tuskegee Airmen-escorted bombers shot down by enemy fighters was 27, while the average number lost by each of the other six fighter escort groups in the Fifteenth Air Force was 46. A presentation at the museum hosted by Daniel Haulman, Ph.D., one of the world's leading authorities on the all-African-American Tuskegee Airmen shares some interesting facts about the group. There were 992 Tuskegee Airmen pilots trained at Tuskegee, including single-engine fighter pilots, twin-engine bomber pilots, and liaison and service pilots. The total number of Tuskegee Airmen, counting ground personnel such as aircraft mechanics and logistical personnel, was more than 14,000. Haulmen previously shared the following, explaining how effective the group was at their job: "Between early June 1944 and the end of April 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen flew 312 missions, 179 of which were bomber escort missions. They lost escorted bombers to enemy aircraft on only seven of those missions." He continued, saying the total number of Tuskegee Airmen-escorted bombers shot down, according to his research, was 27, while the average number lost by each of the other six fighter escort groups in the Fifteenth Air Force was 46.