Hollywwood, CA

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Video Clip: Click to Watch

The January 20 release of the long-planned Red Tails feature film, about the famed World War Two Tuskegee Airmen and coming from George Lucas, dovetails into the recent release of A Killer of Lions, a novel by Stan Weisleder that has received praise from Air Force Veterans, Tuskegee pilots and historians. Weisleder spent a number of years researching and writing his novel and he finds the topic of the Tuskegee Airmen as compelling as Lucas, who also spent many years planning and getting the Red Tails movie made.

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.



Trailer from Red Tails, a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen by George Lucas.





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, a Novel about the Tuskegee Airmen by Stan Weisleder

Second Url: Trailer for Red Tails movie by George Lucas