Hollywwood, CA

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

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With the Red Tails movie about the Tuskegee Airmen entertaining audiences nationwide, a novel whose main character is based on Lt. Col. Lee A. "Buddy" Archer. A Killer of Lions by Stan Weisleder, is finding accolades from a wide-spectrum of readers. Weisleder, like George Lucas, worked on his Tuskegee project for decades. In fact A Killer of Lions is the only novel ever written about the Tuskegee Airmen of World War Two. Weisleder came to his knowledge of these extraordinary men a dozen years after first meeting Lt. Col. Archer as his ROTC navigation instructor in 1952. Unlike now, the stories of the Tuskegee pilots, their road into the skies over Occupied Europe as P-51 pilots and heroic exploits were largely unknown.

"No one knew anything about Tuskegee back then or what Lt. Col. Archer went through and had to put up with during the war. For the ROTC students, he was just an Air Force officer with a chest full of decorations and Command Pilot's Wings," Weisleder commented in an ironic tone. "Then, in 1974, I read an item in the paper about someone attempting to make a documentary about the 'colored' World War II pilots, and boom it hit me, Lee Archer was part of that group. I contacted him at General Foods in White Plains, New York, where he working as an executive, and we had lunch and I learned first-hand about his story," says Weisleder.

In an effort to learn more, Stan Weisleder began searching for books about the Tuskegee Airmen, but aside from some factual textbooks there was nothing. He then decided to write his own novel that would honestly, realistically and with historical accuracy tell a compelling tale of the Tuskegee Airmen. Lt. Col. Lee A. "Buddy" Archer generously spent about six hours talking with Weisleder discussing his military service, the men he served with, what they endured at home and abroad and giving his thoughts on the initial book outlines.

Those meeting bore tremendous fruit for A Killer of Lions and Weisleder was amused when Archer "complained bitterly about 'those idiots' (his words) who were attempting to portray on film what they did. I was pleased that Archer heartily approved of my book outline and heartened when he remarked favorably on my extensive research efforts. I had obtained, from the Air Force, six roles of the microfilmed records of the four squadrons comprising the 332nd Fighter Group, and it was an absolute treasure trove of info consisting of thousands of documents relating day-to-day operations of the Tuskegee Airmen," said Weisleder.

All his personal experiences formed the basis of the main character of his book, named Buddy Bowman, and gave Weisleder a personal appreciation for what made Archer and his co-horts so special. At their last meeting, in the early 90's at the Hilton in Tarrytown, NY I learned of the involvement of George Lucas and that he had discussions with the Tuskegee Association about his making a film of their accomplishments.

"He was an incredible person and a true American hero, and I truly believe A Killer of Lions does justice to what Lt. Col. Archer and the Tuskegee pilots did for this country in war and peace," Weisleder concluded.

Lt. Col. Lee Archer passed away at age 90 on January 27, 2010.

Interview with Lt. Col. Lee "Buddy" Archer about his war service as a Command Pilot:





The Tuskegee Airmen, who fought racism at home and in the armed forces for the right to battle the Nazis in skies over Europe, racked up one of the most impressive records in the history of the Second World War. On his website, www.AKillerofLions.com, one page offers descriptions from the official Air Force website and other materials about the Tuskegee Airmen. Stan Weisleder made it a point to seek out Tuskegee pilots to get their reactions to his book and was very meticulous in trying to do justice to this fascinating chapter in American cultural and military history.

Racism was common during World War II and many people did not want blacks to become pilots. They trained in overcrowded classrooms and airstrips, and suffered from the racist attitude of some military officials. The Tuskegee Airman suffered many hardships, but they proved themselves to be world class pilots.

Even though the Tuskegee Airmen proved their worth as military pilots they were still forced to operate in segregated units and did not fight alongside their white countrymen.

The men earned the nickname "Red Tail Angels" since the bombers considered their escorts "angels" and the red paint on the propeller and tail of their planes.

In March of 1942 George Roberts, Benjamin Davis Jr., Charles BeBow Jr., Mac Ross and Lemuel Custis received silver wings of Army Air Force pilots. These men completed the standard Army flight classroom instruction and many hours of flight time. Receiving their silver wings marked a milestone in being the first African Americans to qualify as military pilots in any branch of the armed forces.

By the end of the war, 992 men had graduated from Negro Air Corps pilot training at Tuskegee; 450 were sent overseas for combat assignment. During the same period, about 150 lost their lives while in training or on combat flights. These black Airmen manage to destroy or damage over 409 German airplanes, 950 ground units, and sank a battleship destroyer. They ran more than 200 bomber escort missions during World War II.

On Nov. 6, 1998, President Clinton approved Public Law 105-355, which established the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Ala., to commemorate and interpret the heroic actions of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

When the site opened Oct. 10, 2008, at Moton Field, Ala., National Park Officials designated part of Interstate 85, which passes near the city of Tuskegee, as the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway.

Tuskegee Army Air Field, located at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, was the training center for all black fighter pilots during World War II.

Facts About the Tuskegee Airmen:

Almost 1,000 pilots were trained, along with bombardiers, and navigators.

More than 14,000 black men and women served as their vital support personnel.450 served in combat overseas in the European Theater of Operations, North Africa, and the Mediterranean.

66 of the Tuskegee aviators died in combat.

12 Tuskegee Airmen became prisoners of war. None of the bombers they escorted was lost to enemy fighters.They flew 15,533 sorties between May, 1943 and June 9, 1945.

They destroyed over 400 enemy aircraft.They sank a German destroyer using only their machine guns.  They disabled more than 600 box cars, locomotives and rolling stock.

They won more than 850 medals, including 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, eight Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, 744 Air Medals and clusters, and three distinguished unit citations.

For every pilot, there were at least 15 black men and women on the ground in support roles including mechanics, medical technicians, administrative support and cooks.

They were trained at various segregated facilities around the country. White American pilots were not allowed to fly more than 52 missions, but black American pilots often flew up to 100 missions due to lack of replacements.

The all-black 477th bomber group was activated and scheduled to fight in the Pacific, but the war ended before their deployment. Planes flown by black aviators in WWII: the P-51 Mustang, P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-39, and the PT-13D Trainer.

For media interviews or to request a review copy of A Killer of Lions contact Promotion in Motion at 323-461-3921 or go to www.AKillerofLions.com

Brad Butler

Promotion in Motion

Hollywwood, CA

323-461-3921

First Url: A Killer of Lions, the only novel ever written about the Tuskegee Airmen, by Stan Weisleder

Second Url: Interview with Captain Lee Archer, the inspiration for Stan Weisleder's novel, A Killer of Lions