SEGREGATED SKIES (SMITHSONIAN HISTORY OF AVIATION AND SPACEFLIGHT SERIES) - Hardcover

SANDLER STANLEY

4.3

10 ratings by Goodreads

9781560981541: SEGREGATED SKIES (SMITHSONIAN HISTORY OF AVIATION AND SPACEFLIGHT SERIES)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1560981547 ISBN 13: 9781560981541

Publisher: Smithsonian, 1992

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"Sandler does a fine job of emphasizing the unjustness of the segregation policy as well as the excellence of the men who flew in segregated skies. He provides a good look at this lesser known aspect of (World War II).--"Retired Officer". 38 photos.

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From Kirkus Reviews:

An expert recounting of the Tuskegee Airmen, the four all- black fighter squadrons that pioneered the desegregation of the US Army Air Corps. Sandler, a military historian, demonstrates how WW II, which became a crusade against racism, caused the beginning of the end of the racial polarization of American society. He tells how--even though blacks performed with distinction in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and WW I--military brass consistently undermined and failed to promote black military men. Under some pressure (the Selective Service Act provided for induction of blacks in proportion to their representation in the general population), the Army inducted blacks into its Air Corps, at first relegating them to menial noncombatant tasks like grave- registration, housecleaning, supply, and transport. With the organization of four black squadrons in July 1941, however, the combat role of blacks in aviation began. Sandler relates how black airmen had to overcome prejudice during the training and ``testing and proving'' phases of their service, and how they showed themselves the equal of white airmen in battle over North Africa and Italy. The author contends that the success of the black airmen was more than simply a matter of pride to the black community: It added impetus to the argument that blacks' fight against Jim Crow was as important as the fight against Hitler. Sandler goes on to present two contrasting stories of black air groups, which demonstrate the different ways in which the units obtained the respect of the white military establishment: The 332nd Fighter Group became an effective and important air unit, while the 477th Bombardment Group never entered combat and staged a historic nonviolent protest against discrimination. Overall, Sandler says, ``the experiences and accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen...ensured that there would be no more segregated skies.'' First-rate, sobering, and inspired. (Forty b&w illustrations- -not seen.) -- Copyright �1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

Sandler chronicles the pioneering efforts of the all-black 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Medium Bomber Group during WW II, emphasizing how painfuly aware the pilots and ground crew were of having to "prove" themselves as no white squadron had to. For example, Air Corps chief Gen. Henry Arnold resented their presence in his service: "The Negro tires easily," he wrote in a notorious memo. In a postwar evaluation, the Air Force concluded that the 332nd was a mediocre outfit, "not worth the time and effort"; but Sandler ( The Emergence of the Modern Capital Ship ) argues that the record demonstrates that it was a "good to average" group whose efficiency was warped by the demands of racial segregation. The unit's war record was unique in one respect: in its hundreds of escort missions, the 332nd did not lose a single bomber to enemy aircraft. The 477th never saw action. Drawn from interviews and offical documents, this important history reveals how the wartime experience of a relative handful of black pilots and crewmen opened the way for racial integration of the armed forces within five years after the end of the war. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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