Book Reviews: 1. The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation 2. Tides of War 3. Gideon's Spies 4. Army Relations with Congress: Thick Armor, Dull Sword, Slow Horse

• Author: Major Karen S. White, Usaf
• Pages: 06

180 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 169

THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN: THE MEN WHO CHANGED A NATION1

MAJOR KAREN S. WHITE, USAF2

"In combat a man is respected if he has 'guts' no matter where he is from, what his religious beliefs are, or the color of his skin."3 That respect, however, doesn't always transcend the battlefield. Such was the experience of the African-American aircrews of World War II, known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Charles Francis chronicles the Tuskegee Airmen's struggle for acceptance, their performance during combat, and their eventual integration into the Air Force. The stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and their contributions are intriguing and important to understanding the struggle for integration of the armed forces.

The Tuskegee Airmen is a chronological accounting of the "experiment"4 of African-American squadrons before, during, and after World War II. The book is designed to tell the stories of the African-American airmen who fought and died in World War II, as well as those who fought a battle on the home front to "achieve for black Americans the same rights, privileges, treatments, and opportunities enjoyed by white Americans."5

The Tuskegee Airmen is a tribute to the men of the 99th Fighter Squadron, the 332nd Fighter Group, and the 477th Bombardment and Composite Groups, and for that purpose the author and editor included the accomplishments and contributions of as many Tuskegans as possible

throughout the book.6 The level of detail in the book results in sometimes-difficult reading, as the details of the pilots' names and hometowns often overshadow the results of the mission. This does not diminish the importance of the details, however, if the purpose in reading the book is to account for the contribution of the individuals, and not to track the results of the battles.

Mr. Francis uses another effective method of paying tribute to individual Tuskegans by including photographs of many of the airmen. The photos add a personal touch to the stories and put a face with some of the names and details recounted in the narrative. The pictures give the effect of looking through someone's photo album, fleshing out the stories told in the narrative, and sometimes adding pieces that aren't specifically covered in the factual accounting. For example, there are many pictures of proud family members admiring the smartly uniformed soldier. The pictures vividly display the families' pride in a way words can not portray.

Throughout the book, Mr. Francis presents the facts without commentary, letting the reader draw her own conclusions from the events and facts presented. Although this method is appropriate to an historical rendering of the topic, it is frustrating to a reader who wants to know why Mr. Francis believed the Tuskegee Airmen changed a nation. Given the time frame when the book was originally written,7 Mr. Francis's choice was probably well made. His approach avoids criticism of bias, which would have diminished the credibility of the story he was trying to tell. For a reader today, however, the facts are fairly undisputed, and the real issue is whether the reader believes the Tuskegee Airmen forced or effected a change, or whether other forces were equally or more responsible for the change. This book does not support any particular theory; it is simply a presentation of the facts.

Even though the book may be short on commentary, Mr. Francis does present the facts of an interesting story. The book begins with a description of the struggle facing the early advocates for acceptance for African-Americans in the Air Service. Mr. Francis details the persistence of Walter White, Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Robert Moton, President of Tuskegee Institute; and later Se

ator Schwartz and Congressman Dirksen, in opening the Air Corps to African-Americans. He also highlights the futility that many young African-Americans felt when they attempted to enlist in the Air Corps, only to be told that they were welcome to enlist, but there were no training or operational slots available for them. He recounts the circular arguments of the War Department, claiming non-interest of African-Americans, used to justify the non-existence of African-American programs.

After describing the struggle to open the door for African-Americans to begin aviation training, Mr. Francis describes the meager beginnings of the training at Tuskegee Army Air Field. He describes the lack of facilities and the lack of a completed airfield, leading to difficult conditions for the first group of cadets. In one passage he describes the particular challenges faced:

When the first class completed primary training and arrived at the Advanced Flying Field, it found the field incomplete. Only one runway was sufficiently ready for flying. The ground school was located in a temporary wooden structure, which housed the offices and classrooms. One of the unusual things about the building interior was that there were no partitions separating the classes from the offices. The babble of voices was accompanied by the clicking of typewriters. Concentration was most difficult for the cadets. The six cadets were divided into three classes. One could almost take lecture notes from the different classes at the same time.8

Despite these conditions, training continued as did progress on the airfield. The description of this time period is somewhat disjointed, but probably accurately reflects the actual occurrence of the project.

Mr. Francis also introduces the men who formulated and implemented the transformation of Tuskegee Army Air Field. Most notable of these individuals was Colonel (COL) Noel F. Parrish, a southern-born and educated man who would become one of the only commanders to publicly commend the Tuskegee Airmen during the turmoil surrounding integration after World War II.

The book next moves to the Tuskegee Airmen's preparations to go overseas. Mr. Francis describes the additional ground and flying training and the frustration felt by many of the airmen at what appeared to be stalling tactics to make things difficult for them. He quotes one of the airmen's comments about the experience:

They made us fly all Christmas Day and New Years Day. You know, even in combat they wind down for Christmas. It is an unwritten agreement by the enemy and the Allies that they would respect the Lord's birthday. We knew it and we were angry. We said the sneaky bastards just wanted to give us a hard way to go.9

Mr. Francis does not specifically mention whether the additional training gave the Tuskegee Airmen an advantage as they headed into combat. There is no comparison to the white pilots' training programs to allow the reader to know whether the African-American pilots were actually given different training than the other pilots and what effect that had on their effectiveness in combat. The quoted complaint is valid if, in fact, other units had different training schedules, or if the training was unnecessary. It is also possible, however, that the additional training given to the Tuskegee Airmen resulted in better preparation for their eventual combat missions, thereby leading to increased success.

The description of the debarkation of the 99th Fighter Squadron gives the reader a vivid picture of the anticipation, then confusion, then sadness, as the men left their country on the way to their first overseas posting. The narrative moves easily through the journey to Fez, and effectively uses several recollections to describe the satisfaction that the Airmen felt upon their arrival. Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., commander of the 99th, recalled, "[t]he town of Fez was found to be one of the most delightful spots that any of us had ever visited."10 Notable to COL Davis was the "unusual"11 ability of the men to visit the town without any "unpleasant incident[s]."12 Surely, this was one of the first times that many of the men

had been able to freely frequent a town's establishments without any restrictions.

Another significant incident, subtlely mentioned, is a visit from some white P-39 pilots who had traveled with the Tuskegee Airmen. Colonel Davis describes the event as an indication that "a considerable bond existed among those who fly regardless of color or race."13 Mr. Francis does not expand on this quotation, but in fact it is very significant to his proposition that the Tuskegee Airmen changed a nation. The fact that the bond that existed between airmen didn't necessarily extend beyond the battlefield became an important part of the discussion regarding integration of the Air Force. In fact, there were some who denied the bond existed at all.14

The descriptions of the missions flown by the Tuskegee Airmen and the various changes in operating location and alignment cover several chapters. These chapters are full of details of the individual accomplishments of the members of the 99th Fighter Squadron. As part of the chronicle of the Tuskegee Airmen, these details are important, but for the general reader the descriptions are too detailed. The most interesting parts of these chapters are the personal reminiscences of the Airmen. The words of the men themselves give great insight into how they felt about their contributions and the overall situation. It is easy to visualize the speaker excitedly recounting the battle to his squadron mates or in the barbershop several years later.

Things were not always as nice as they were at Fez for the members of the 99th Fighter Squadron. The squadron was attached to the 33rd Fighter Group, commanded by COL William Momyer. Colonel Momyer did not want the 99th attached to his group and was openly critical of the skill of the 99th's pilots. The 99th pilots found themselves in a situation where they were assigned missions where they encountered no enemy pilots, and then were criticized by their commander for failing to gain victories. As a result of COL Momyer's criticism...