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Ultimate Wingman coming to Tinker Nov. 9 Tuskegee Airman, World War II ace to speak at theater, visit ALC

  • Published
  • By Maj. Paul Brawley
  • 72nd Operational Support Squadron Director of Operations
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  There is perhaps no better "Wingman" role model in the Air Force than retired Lt. Col. Lee "Buddy" Archer, the only Tuskegee Airman "Ace" with five confirmed enemy kills.
   Col. Archer will help kick off Tinker's Wingman Day Nov. 9. He will speak at the base theater at 9 a.m. and will follow that with a visit to Hollywood and Vine in the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center between 11:30 and 12:30 a.m. All are welcome and encouraged to come learn from the "ultimate" Wingman how to be the best Wingman possible.
   Col. Archer served with the famous Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, not losing a single bomber. Below is his story.
   October 12, 1944: The 302nd Fighter Squadron was taking part in strafing attacks on a sweep along the Danube River. A two ship of North American Aviation P-51 Mustangs came across a lone Heinkel 111 bomber. The lead aircraft fired on the Heinkel, sending it to the ground in flames. The two-ship, as well as the rest of their squadron, was then attacked by seven Messerschmitt Bf-109's and two more He 111's.
   The two P-51s turned head on into the enemy fighters firing their guns as they closed head-to-head. After flying through the Germans, the second P-51 made a tight turn and pulled behind one of the Bf 109's and closed his range. He fired several short burst into the 109. A wing ripped off the German fighter and it plunged to earth. Number two then pulled up behind his lead to protect his wing and watched as he shot down another Bf-109.
   Suddenly another Bf-109 slid between lead and his wingman and closed on lead's Mustang. Number two sped to the rear of the German and when the 109 filled his gun sight he fired. The 109 exploded throwing the pilot into the air.
   Lead had been busy lining up another German in his sights when his guns jammed. Number two pulled up next to lead seeing that something was wrong. The 109 was headed for the protection of its airfield. Number two fired several burst into the German fighter as it lined up the airfield for a landing causing it to crash on the runway.
   Before the end of the war, this Wingman would down two more enemy aircraft for a total of five kills, the required minimum to be recognized as an Ace. In fact, then-Capt. Archer would fly 169 missions and become the only confirmed Tuskegee Airman to qualify for this high achievement during World War II. He was also credited with six enemy aircraft on the ground. Col. Archer was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 18 Clusters, the Distinguished Unit Citation and many other service medals. After 29 years of service, he retired in 1970 as a lieutenant colonel.
   It's hard to believe that the legend of Col. Archer sprung from what was known as an "experiment" by the Army Air Corps in 1940 to see if black men could fly combat aircraft. The so-called experiment resulted from the Selective Training and Service Act which banned racial discrimination in conscription and cleared the way for blacks to be trained for Air Corps service.
   In March 1941, the Air Corps formed its first-ever black combat unit, the 99th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron. Reflecting contemporary American custom and War Department policy, Tuskegee's black aviators remained segregated in an all-black organization. The unit included 47 officers and 429 enlisted men; ground crews trained at Chanute Army Air Field, Ill., while pilots trained at Tuskegee.
   The Tuskegee Airmen fought both the Germans and segregation during World War II. By the end of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen had earned such a reputation that Bomber crews were specifically asking for the "red-tailed angels" as their escort. Col. Archer and the other Tuskegee Airmen are some of the Air Forces' greatest examples of what a "Wingman" really is.
   Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
   The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who volunteered to become America's first black military Airmen.
   Those who possessed the physical and mental qualifications and were accepted for aviation cadet training were trained initially to be pilots, and later to be either pilots, navigators or bombardiers.
   Tuskegee University was awarded the U.S. Army Air Corps contract to help train America's first black military aviators because it had already invested in the development of an airfield, had a proven civilian pilot training program and its graduates performed highest on flight aptitude exams.
   · The all-black, 332nd Fighter Group consisted originally of four fighter squadrons -- the 99th, the 100th, the 301st and the 302nd.
   · From 1940-1946, some 1,000 black pilots were trained at Tuskegee.
   · The Airmen's success during World War II -- not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions -- is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.
   · The 99th Squadron distinguished itself by being awarded two Presidential Unit Citations (June-July 1943 and May 1944) for outstanding tactical air support and aerial combat in the 12th Air Force in Italy, before joining the 332nd Fighter Group.
   · The 332nd Fighter Group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, Germany, March 24, 1945. It destroyed three German ME-262 Jet fighters and damaged five additional jet fighters without losing any of the bombers or any of its own fighter aircraft to enemy fighters.
   · The 332nd Fighter Group had also distinguished itself in June 1944 when two of its pilots flying P-47 Thunderbolts discovered a German destroyer in the harbor of Trieste, Italy.
   · C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson earned his pilot's license in 1929 and became the first black American to receive a commercial pilot's certificate in 1932, and, subsequently, to make a transcontinental flight.
   Anderson is also well known as the pilot who flew Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of then-U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, convincing her to encourage her husband to authorize military flight training at Tuskegee.
   · In 1948, President Harry Truman enacted Executive Order No. 9981 -- directing equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces, which in time led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military forces.
   · Congress authorized $29 million in 1998 to develop the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, with the University, Tuskegee Airmen Inc. and the National Park Service serving as partners in its development. To date, only $3.6 million has been appropriated for the site's implementation.
   (Facts provided by Tuskegee Airmen Inc. and the Tuskegee University Office of Marketing and Communications.)