Читать книгу Tuskegee Airman, 4th Edition - Charlene E. McGee - Страница 7

1942-1943

• The first successful nuclear chain reaction ushered in the atomic age.

• After numerous delays, the all-black 99^th Fighter Squadron left Tuskegee to join the war in Northern Africa in April, 1943.

• Racial violence erupted on the home front in Detroit and Harlem during the summer of 1943.

•The Allies invaded Sicily in July, 1943; Italy surrendered unconditionally in September and in October joined Allied forces against German troops still fighting on Italian soil.

•Allied leaders Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin held a summit in Tehran, Iran, to plan war strategies.

Charles reported to Tuskegee Air Field Field on November 24, 1942. He and Frances only had a few weeks to pack their belongings, which was more than ample given the few items they had accumulated. The newlyweds had no intentions of being so quickly separated and together they made the trip to Tuskegee, Alabama, 47 miles east of Montgomery. Frances planned to find a job and room close to Tuskegee Air Field, where Charles would be occupied with training six or seven days a week.

In 1942, the trip south was more than a notion for the young black couple accustomed to life north of the Mason-Dixon line. Patterns of discrimination in the North were more subtle, but in the South of the 1940s, rigid Jim Crow laws of segregation were the way of life. The Air Corps had no intention of disrupting these established practices. To the contrary, they were as deeply ingrained in the culture of the Corps as in the wider society.

For cadets making the trip south on troop trains, the transition was immediately apparent. At the last stop in the north, they had to move from their coach seats, occupied at the beginning of the trip, to those directly behind the engine and coal cars. There, recruits contended with cinder filled smoke and fumes from the train's engines and for the remainder of the trip were denied entry to the dining car. Stations along the way prominently displayed "colored" and "white" signs separating drinking fountains and rest rooms. This was standard treatment for black soldiers preparing to fight and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Rolling along the Illinois Central railway, Charles’ thoughts were full of the excitement of taking on a new challenge and worry about how he and Frances would be treated in the south. They did not miss the first appearance of "White Only" signs in southern Illinois, directing Negroes who needed food or rest to out of the way locations and substandard facilities. Charles' days in the south in Florida were a faded memory and Frances was sheltered from the cruel realities of racial hatred during childhood visits to Momma Nellie's family in Moss Point, Mississippi. There had not been much to prepare them for Tuskegee, Alabama, but strictly enforced segregation introduced during their travel began to acclimate them even before they arrived.

Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) was in Macon County, Alabama, near the towns of Tuskegee and Tuskegee Institute. The school, founded by Dr. Booker T. Washington in 1881, was a private Negro college with technical and professional emphases and a trades program. Before the "Tuskegee Experiment" was embarked on, the college operated Moton Field airstrip where Negroes could earn a private pilot license. Tuskegee Institute had successfully bid for the primary training phase of the experimental program. (The Tuskegee Experiment was the War Department’s name for the program to determine if blacks had the mental capacity to fly and fight in combat. The Department’s documented contention was that "these people" were not smart nor disciplined enough to pass the training; and should by some quirk of fate any survive training, they surely did not possess the courage or moral fortitude to face combat. Some believed the placement of the program in the deep south was only one of the many factors designed to contribute to its expected failure, although Tuskegee Institute had an established record of achievement in the Civilian Pilot Training Program.)

In addition to acclaimed Booker T. Washington, Dr. George Washington Carver, one of the world's foremost chemurgist and leader of Tuskegee's recognized research program in biological sciences, was a professor in residence. The presence of learned Negroes of noteworthy stature might have predisposed the white citizens of Tuskegee to greater tolerance of their colored population. In reality, the town was so harsh in its treatment of both permanent and transient Negroes, cadets longed to avoid it when making the nine miles trek from the air field to the Institute. The geography made that impractical, however, and on every commute they risked encountering die hard racists in the town of Tuskegee.

"Even though you were breaking no laws, you proceeded vigilantly. You never knew what to expect."

Whatever happened, the law was not going to be on Charles’ side. He learned with the help of a classmate who happened to be from a well-to-do family in Montgomery to be extra careful and steered his way through the black community whenever possible.

With anticipation and trepidation, Charles and his new bride made their home in Tuskegee. Luckily they found a room on campus in Dorothy Hall for Frances. She got a job working as secretary to Dr. Kenny at the Institute's hospital. As she established her new routine, Charles entered the demanding world of the cadets. Housed in barracks on the Air Field, their regimen was long hard hours of instruction, grueling physical exercises and strict military discipline.

Contrary to the enthusiasm of the cadets, the Tuskegee program was considered a waste of money by many whites, including congressional and military leaders of the time. It was no secret these opponents echoed the War Department’s sentiment that the Negro was not suited for combat assignments.

These nay-sayers were strikingly naïve in their shortsightedness. They failed to understand it took courage and fortitude for many Negroes to face and overcome imposing obstacles every day. The further irony is that patriotism and valor of the Negro soldier had been demonstrated on the battlefield in each of the country's past conflicts, but effectively purged from the pages of history. The feats of blacks who fought in the Revolutionary War, all black civil war regiments and the Buffalo soldiers were buried with these patriots. Now the Tuskegee Airmen had to rewrite the story.

Preflight training was the first phase all cadets entered. Military discipline was the order of the day. All gear had to be “shipshape” and the tuck for the bunk sheet exact, able to pass the bouncing quarter test, before morning calisthenics began at 6:00 am. After physical training cadets hit the books. Preflight training took place in the classroom. Topics included meteorology, Morse code signals for communication and E6B computer (circular slide-rule) computation necessary for flight planning. All of the theories and academic components needed for flying had to be mastered before climbing into the cockpit.

The early weeks proved to be a physical and mental endurance test. Physically, the most demanding challenge was the "cadet chair." If sitting straight backed at attention for long periods of time was hard, imagine doing it without a chair beneath for support. Charles felt his thighs and calves ache unmercifully when forced to "sit" in midair. The choice was clear; "short term discomfort for long term gain." It was reinforcement for the important lesson in keeping focused on the ultimate goal.

"Yes, sir; no, sir; no excuse, sir."

The cadet responses were similar to those from his fraternity pledging days, but now the stakes were higher.

Hours turned into days, days into weeks. It would take months to transform civilians from all walks of life into commissioned officers and combat pilots conditioned to face the harsh realities of war.

Five weeks of lower preflight training were followed by five weeks of upper preflight. The first phase was intended to screen out those not academically fit. Although other classes had as high as 50% wash out, in Charles' group all cadets passed. Whether due to college studies, performance, numbers needed to fulfill military requirements or a combination, Charles was moved up from class 43-G to 43-F, skipping upper preflight. In January of 1943, he was ready to move to the Primary Flight Training phase.

The long week of training was relieved by Sunday afternoon passes, granting cadets a few precious hours of free time. Most of the men were bachelors and free time to them meant the relentless but inspired search for available young ladies. Charles, having already claimed his bride, was spared the chase. He and Frances relished their time together; no moment was taken for granted. Whether sharing a box of cookies sent from home or a picnic under the elms, these afternoons and early evenings were savored, etched in memory to sustain them through the next separation.

Sundays with Frances made life in Tuskegee with all its rigors even more meaningful to Charles. He was preparing a future not only for himself, but for his family. He was a man with responsibilities he did not take lightly.

With Primary Flight Training came Charles' first airborne experience. The PT-17 was a bi-wing, open cockpit trainer.

Cadets used Moton Field, the grass airfield belonging to Tuskegee Institute, for this phase of training. With the help of Institute students, the airfield had been hurriedly completed for flight instruction in the summer of 1941. The instructors for primary training were black civilian pilots. These men were at the controls, demonstrating basic maneuvers including rolls, lazy 8’s, stalls and the art of normal and emergency landings.

The world was a bit strange and disorienting viewed from above during Charles’ first flight. After a few circles, his instructor pointed out significant landmarks.

"See the airstrip over there?" he asked over the sound of the engine and winds speaking into a Gosport Tube, the one way communication system which allowed instructors to talk to their students.

Charles glanced in the general direction indicated and nodded in reply, not at all sure of what was in the blurry panorama.

"Oh, yeah," he uttered.

I had to smile at this brief excerpt from my father's Tuskegee experience. Knowing him to be scrupulously honest and invariably proper in the use of English, if he muttered "yeah" even though he wasn't sure he saw the field, I can only conclude that he was indeed disoriented.

The PT-17, like most trainers, had dual controls and soon the cadets were performing the maneuvers. Instructors critiqued, advised and coached their protégés in the air and in debriefing back on terra firma. Though he mastered the mechanics of flying, Charles had not overcome a queasy stomach. It turned out the root of the problem was physical, not psychological. The flight surgeon recommended a simple solution: cut out fried foods for breakfast. After that, when he climbed and rolled, diving in and out of clouds, mind and body worked together and he began to enjoy himself.

The inevitable day, no matter how long awaited, seemed to arrive without warning. It was January 24, 1943. Just after landing, when it appeared the lesson was over, the order came.

"I want you to take it back up, make a pass around the field and come directly in for the landing," the instructor ordered.

Then the instructor stepped out and left Charles in the cockpit alone. A new energy pumped through his veins as he taxied back down the grass strip to take off position. The air about the plane seemed thinner. Charles took a deep breath summoning calm, applied power and raced forward.

When his aircraft reached flying speed, he gently eased back on the stick. The tail lifted and he was soloing!

As he climbed into the pattern around the field, a calm exterior belied the voice inside screaming.

"...I'm flying by myself." Banking into final approach, the voice offered a more subdued caution, "don't mess up now. I've got to land this baby," and finally, coaxing words of encouragement, "Come on. You can do this."

He maneuvered the plane to a gentle, almost perfect landing. Charles, fighting to suppress a Cheshire Cat grin, taxied back to the hanger where his instructor awaited the debriefing.

It was his first solo! The unforgettable milestone of all aspiring pilots had finally arrived and he passed!

From there, his education progressed more confidently. In each take off, Charles followed a specific plan. Aligning the aircraft into the wind, he advanced the throttle, used the rudder to keep the selected direction, and eased back on the stick when flying speed was reached, allowing the plane to soar into the sky.

In the propeller craft, the rudder provided control necessary to counter forces created by propeller rotation and engine controls were adjusted and set (throttle to give power, mixture controls for the fuel and air ratio, and pitch on the propeller). Checks assured everything was reading properly: engine temperature, fuel and pressure gauges for various systems. When ready, Charles released the brake, added throttle and started ground roll. There were things which determine the length of ground roll, but at the right speed, flight was inevitable.

The wing provided the lift surface. At takeoff, Charles applied the slight amount of back pressure to elevators to rotate his aircraft to a climbing attitude. At the right attitude and trim, he could take his hands off the controls and still climb. That was the science of flying.

Coming in for a landing was the reverse. Charles learned the correct balance between slowing the aircraft and adjusting the flaps to approach speed. Too much reduction meant a stall if he dropped below flying speed. He descended controlling the attitude to put the plane in landing condition. The wrong attitude could result in a hit and bounce. With too much speed he couldn't keep the plane on the ground. He learned the trick was to come down smoothly, kill speed until the wheels touched ground, and at that point diminish remaining power so the full weight of the aircraft settled down. As experience increased, Charles became more comfortable with the variables and began mastering the art of flying."

…Just to be able to go up at altitudes above all the noise and clutter of earth--it’s something that’s hard to put into words. It’s a feeling of freedom, of not being bound….. It’s what stuck with me and kept me at it. "

While Charles was progressing with primary flight training, the first graduates of the Tuskegee program, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, were stuck at the TAAF enduring many months of delays by the still reluctant military leadership. They were generating enough red tape to keep these new black pilots out of the war they had so valiantly prepared to enter.

Among the white leaders at TAAF, Colonel Noel Parrish believed in the capabilities of the black pilots he trained and spoke earnestly for their activation. Parrish came to Tuskegee in May of 1941 to command the newly activated 66^th Army Air Corps training detachment and followed the first graduates to Advanced Flying School, becoming Director of Training later that year and Base Commander early in 1943. Parrish replaced Colonel Frederick V. Kimble who showed greater concern for upholding the credo of segregation, civilian and military, than the progress of the Tuskegee program. Within War Department policies, Parrish’s thoughtful nature and belief in fairness led him to implement practices to improve the quality of life for blacks at Tuskegee.

Charles' 43-F class, which would join the 332nd Fighter Group, had its first drop outs during primary flight training, but most moved on to Basic Flight Training. Basic was the first time the cadets would be assigned to white military instructors who were their trainers in the BT-13A at the Army airfield. Because they had been instructed to "train by the book," there was no concern that the black cadets were getting different or lesser preparation than their white counterparts.

Basic brought more complex assignments on the ground and in the air. For the weight and winds, Charles computed the speed at which the aircraft would lift. He tested his ability to maneuver the craft and its responsiveness. While he learned to master the challenges of the sky, Frances held her own on the ground, now living in a private residence. She worked by day and busied herself sewing and reading in the evenings. Charles' visits were not as frequent as desired.

Charles' father, sister and brother had each entered military service. Lewis Sr. was again serving as a chaplain, Ruth joined the Woman's Army Corps, and Lewis Jr., leaving college, signed up for the Signal Corp. Because of segregation, often blacks were assigned to Negro training locations regardless of whether or not their skills were needed. TAAF did not need additional Signal Corps officers, but Lewis Jr. was stationed there for a short time before reassignment to the Pacific Theater of operations where his skill was needed. This temporary assignment gave Frances an occasional opportunity to visit with him.

Advanced Flight Training in the North American AT-6 followed Basic, and while a few more fell by the wayside, most cadets persisted. Eglin Army Air Field in Florida was used for gunnery training.

"I reached ‘expert’ in aerial gunnery, but did not achieve that level of accomplishment with the 45 caliber handgun."

The lessons were direct omens of the missions which lay ahead and underscored the importance of mastering each skill needed for survival. Charles was doing well.

On April 15, 1943, the 99th finally shipped out to join the war in North Africa. It was a proud day for everyone at the Air Field. The cadets were filled with new confidence their hopes would become a reality.

Addressing the departing fliers, Base Commander Parrish observed, "You are fighting men now. Your future is now being handed into your own hands. Your future, good or bad, will depend largely on how determined you are not to give satisfaction to those who would like to see you fail."

On 30 June, 1943, Charles was a graduating member of Class 43-F, TAAF, SE (Southeastern) Flying Training Command. He received his silver wings as a single engine pilot and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Air Corp. Frances proudly pinned on his wings and Momma Nellie, who had come down for the special occasion, beamed through the ceremony. Eyes were moist. That day was unforgettable!

There was unmistakable satisfaction in Dad's voice as he recalled the event. Over fifty years later, I relived it with him and shared the feelings of accomplishment it represented.

Most families remained behind in the heart of Alabama, while newly commissioned officers left for the final phase of their preparation, Combat Training at Selfridge Army Air Field in Mt. Clemmons, Michigan. Now pilots, they had to go beyond to become fighter pilots. At Selfridge, three squadrons, the 100^th, 301^st, and 302^nd , Charles' unit, were brought together to form the 332nd Fighter Group. They began training under Col. Robert Selway, later relieved by Lt. Colonel B. O. Davis Jr., who had returned from battle in North Africa where he commanded the 99th Pursuit Squadron. Davis' presence evoked an allegiance not matched by any other commanding officer. All the pilots knew of his story. His father, B. O. Sr., was the first black general in military service in this country and B. O. Jr. was a graduate of West Point. They heard of the intense hazing he had endured at the hands of all-white counterparts at the Academy. He had been sentenced to exile in a world of silence during his four years there. Now, combat experienced, it was his job to mold the men of the 332nd into fighter pilots ready to go up against Germany's finest aerial combatants. Charles and the other men had great admiration for Davis.

The training in Michigan focused on combat readiness. The pilots learned about various weapons and combat strategies. The final challenges to surmount included gunnery, formation and night flying, and combat tactics.

By October the pilots were fully combat ready in the P-40L and the P-40N. That’s when the decision was made for the group to fly the Bell P-39Q. It had the engine in the back and less horsepower than the P-40. In their enthusiasm, the pilots didn’t complain. "If the crew chief can start it, then I can fly it," was their attitude.

As soon as circumstances permitted, Frances moved to Michigan. Once again they found a small room. Charles bought their first car, a Hudson Terraplane, and taught her to drive in Detroit.

Their time together ran out on December 22, 1943. Charles now faced the ultimate test. Three days before Christmas, his unit embarked by train to Fort Patrick Henry near Hampton Roads, Virginia. After several more days of waiting, he boarded the T. B. Robinson which joined the convoy of Liberty Ships departing the evening of January 2, 1944. For reasons of military secrecy, their destination was not divulged even to those being transported.