In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Ollie North Critiques "Red Tails"
pwillie
Member Posts: 20,253 ✭✭✭
Its just about to come on Fox,stay tuned!
Comments
The depiction of the squadron as elite or even invincible fighters is patently untrue. In fact, the squadron was almost disbanded after it first mission over due to a poor performance. There was a congressional hearing, but congress decided to keep the unit for political reasons. It was believed that the pilots would be role models for America's black youth. The mission in question, which was over the tiny Island of Pantelleria, was a tiny island with a small Axis force. The enemy troops were bombed into submission by a massive bombardment by numerous British ships. The black pilots of the 99th Squadron were one of several units that straffed ground forces.
The unit was nearly disbanded because the black pilots fled from the small number of Axis planes while white pilots engaged them. Years later a fictional narrative was invented that the black unit forced the ground forces to surrender without the aid of the British Navy or white US pilots. In fact, mythologists now call it "the first time in world history a ground force surrendered to an air assault." The tiny enemy force surrounded primarily because of a massive naval bombardment and blockade.
Air Force was not a Branch of Service.
September 18, 1947 Was when it started.
Since you all are always correcting people It would have been Army Air Corps.
Air Force was not a Branch of Service.
September 18, 1947 Was when it started.
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on July 2, 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces, established in 1941. Although abolished as an organization in 1942, the Air Corps remained as a branch of the Army until 1947.
as was the "Hollywood" version of the Memphis Belle's 25th mission,
as was Greg Boyington embellished by Hollywood.
Still going to see the movie probably. But I am preparing myself to it being "Star Wars with P-51s and a whole lot of Landos" [8D]
My take on the real squadron is that they did pretty well for a bunch of men whom "proper society" did not consider capable of even learning to handle a plane at the time [:D]
of course their story is embellished,
as was the "Hollywood" version of the Memphis Belle's 25th mission,
as was Greg Boyington embellished by Hollywood.
Still going to see the movie probably. But I am preparing myself to it being "Star Wars with P-51s and a whole lot of Landos" [8D]
My take on the real squadron is that they did pretty well for a bunch of men whom "proper society" did not consider capable of even learning to handle a plane at the time [:D]
I would expect any subject that Hollywood adopted to be embellished. However, the story of the Tuskegee Airman was closer to fiction well before Hollywood got ahold of it...
.
Still going to see the movie probably. But I am preparing myself to it being "Star Wars with P-51s and a whole lot of Landos" [8D]
That was my thought when I saw the trailer.
Oh, do you mean ...They did their JOB?
I have read a lot and done some research and read stories of surviving airman of that era.
Those men flew their hearts out and did as good a job as anyone could have...
Their are many a B17,B-29 pilot/crewman that owe their very lives to them,and would tell U so..
quote:Originally posted by SWAT 50
Oh, do you mean ...They did their JOB?
I have read a lot and done some research and read stories of surviving airman of that era.
Those men flew their hearts out and did as good a job as anyone could have...
Their are many a B17,B-29 pilot/crewman that owe their very lives to them,and would tell U so..
And they all were doing their jobs also. as did I when I served and as didmost here when they did.
Think I'll wait for it to come on "Starz." If there's no golf or bowling on I may watch it.
Right after you get done watching Posse...lol
Pilots lost-70
Bombers lost-25
Enemy planes shot down-112
Enemy planes destroyed on the ground-150
Sorties-15,533
Enemy ships destroyed-1 Destroyer
Aces-0
Captain (later Colonel) Lee Archer was at first credited with five aerial victories, but Archer's record was later reduced to 4 1/2 victories after it was discovered that his last kill was a damaged aircraft that had already been shot up by a squadron mate. Regardless of the controversies, The men of the 332nd Fighter group were brave men who did their jobs just as all American airmen did during WWII. As a historian, I am waiting to see the movie so that I can critique Hollywood.
I may go see it for the flying and gun camera scenes.
I met one of their pilots at the Oshkosh Fly-In a few years ago who said his P40 was a dog that wouldn't perform as advertized.
He was a pleasant, modest man.
The current "Aviation History" magazine politely debunked this movie as embellished history.
I may go see it for the flying and gun camera scenes.
I met one of their pilots at the Oshkosh Fly-In a few years ago who said his P40 was a dog that wouldn't perform as advertized.
He was a pleasant, modest man.
But it had a kick * sound system with a bank of woofers where the radio should have been.[:D]
But it had a kick * sound system with a bank of woofers where the radio should have been.[:D]
[:D][:D]