CT Grognard
Posts: 694
Joined: 5/16/2010 From: Cape Town, South Africa Status: offline
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Ah, a lovely ad hominem logical fallacy. Again, I can not take you seriously. You claim the Red Tails trained for three years - please provide proof. Because as far as I am aware, the 99th Flying Pursuit Squadron was activated in March 1941. The Tuskegee Flight School was only established in June 1941 and Pre-Flight stage training (mechanics, physics of flights, aeronautics, deflection shooting, thinking in 3D) only commenced in July 1941. Primary Pilot Training started in September 41, while Basic Pilot Training started in November 1941, with Advanced Pilot Training starting in January 1942. The first class graduated on 6 March 1942 - after being in training for 9 months (the standard USAAF training period, with each stage - Pre Flight, Primary Pilot (65 hrs), Basic Pilot (70 hrs) and Advanced Pilot Training (80 hours) lasting 9 weeks each, for a total of 36 months). Please note that these aviation cadets graduated with around 215 hours' flight experience (the USAAF required at least 200 hours' flight time to graduate). Contrast this with Imperial Japanese naval aviators who graduated with 500 hours' flight experience. Not a single one of the Japanese pilots at Pearl Harbor had logged less than 600 hours' flying time, some flight leaders had logged 1500 hours. The 99th Flying Pursuit Squadron was only at full strength in August 1942 as they waited for more pilots to graduate. The 90th FPS was declared combat-ready on 15 September 1942 - they then, after a struggle to get a combat posting, was deployed to North Africa in April 1943. Now, July 1941 to April 1943 (assuming the first graduates - of whom there weren't enough to fill a squadron - trained consistently from graduation in March 1942 to April 1943, which is unlikely given the general lack of resources the Tuskegee training centre suffered from - they had almost 2,000 men on base with only two training squadrons) I make as 21 months. Also bear in mind that during their deployment in North Africa, and later Sicily, they were utilised exclusively in a ground attack capacity. Not sure they had much chance to brush up on their air-to-air skill? I am not trying to diminish the great gallantry of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were an inspiration for surmounting the incredible obstacles that were placed in front of them at all times. What I am trying to diminish is the credibility of your argument, firstly, that they had three years' training (please prove this) and, secondly, that they were the finest squadron in the USAAF (again, please prove this).
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