Existing comment:
The War Ends:
In April 1945, the war in Europe was nearing its end. Activity by the Luftwaffe had waned significantly. Even so, in these last days the 332nd FG engaged the enemy. On 26 April, while escorting a photo reconnaissance mission to Linz and Prague, elements of the 100th FD and 301st FS encountered 5 Messerschmitt Bf 109s. In the ensuing combat, 4 of the enemy aircraft were destroyed with no losses to the 332nd. These four aerial victories would be the last of the war for the 332nd and the 15th Air Force. Four days later, P-51s from the 332nd escourted [sic] a single aircraft on an uneventful photo reconnaissance mission to Bolzano, Italy. This was the 332nd Fighter Group's last mission of the war. About a week later, on 8 May 1945, the Second World War ended in Europe.
The experiment that began over four years before to determine if African-Americans could be effective combat aviators also ended, and the result of the experiment is the proud legacy of the 332nd FG. They had passed the test. They fought in one of the most demanding arenas of warfare. They had flow the most advanced aircraft that their nation could produce, miles above the earth, against very capable adversaries -- and prevailed.
By the end of the war in Europe, the 332nd FG had silenced many doubters but many still remained and they would resist the change that was coming. At the end of the war, the United States Military was still segregated, and would remain so for another four years until President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending segregation in the armed forces. Black servicemen and women returned to a country divided by race, but a major battle in the war for equality had been won. Prevailing views about the capabilities of African-Americans had to be reconsidered. A major pillar supporting the argument for denying opportunities to a people based solely upon their race was pulled down. "Separate but Equal," which had been the law of the land, would be struck down. A nation started to change. |