Existing comment:
The Campaign Over Sicily:
The Allied invasion of Sicily took place during the period 9 July to 17 August 1943. Code named Operation Husky, the campaign's main objective was to clear Sicily and the Mediterranean sea lanes of Axis air and naval forces which would in turn open the way for an invasion of the Italian mainland. The 99th FS participated in this campaign as part of the 33rd FG of the Twelfth Air Force.
It would be in the skies over Sicily that the 99th FS would suffer it's [sic] first combat losses and score it's [sic] first aerial victory. On a mission to escort medium bombers attacking the airfield at Castelveltrano on 2 July, elements of the 99th FS were attacked by German fighters. In the opening moments of the engagement, the 99th loss [sic] two aircraft. Shortly afterward, Lt. Charles B. Hall intercepted one of the German fighters preparing to attack the bombers and shot it down, becoming the first African-American in the United States Military to down an enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
The 99th FS then moved to Sicily and undertook ground support missions that presented few opportunities for air-to-air engagements. Attacking ground targets in support of ground operations would be the primary mission of the unit for the remainder of 1943. Surviving combat with the Germans may have been a lesser challenge than surviving the efforts of those who wanted to see the unit fail. The commander of the 33rd FG made scathing reports about the capabilities and courage of the 99th FS. Were it not for the intervention of some high-ranking officers, the Tuskegee Experiment would have been declared a failure and the black aviators removed from frontline combat. These damaging reports were eventually discredited when the performance of the 99th FS was compared to the performance of similar squadrons flying the same type of aircraft in the same theater of operations. In September 1943, LTC Davis was recalled to the United States to assume command of the 332nd Fighter Group which was reading for deployment to MTO. |