Once an obscure piece of World War II history, the Tuskegee Airmen are now among the most celebrated and documented aviators in military history. With this growth in popularity, however, have come a number of inaccurate stories and assumptions. Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen refutes fifty-five of these myths, correcting the historical record while preserving the Airmen’s rightful reputation as excellent servicemen.
The myths examined include: the Tuskegee Airmen never losing a bomber to an enemy aircraft; that Lee Archer was an ace; that Roscoe Brown was the first American pilot to shoot down a German jet; that Charles McGee has the highest total combat missions flown; and that Daniel “Chappie” James was the leader of the “Freeman Field Mutiny.” Historian Daniel Haulman, an expert on the Airmen with many published books on the subject, conclusively disproves these misconceptions through primary documents like monthly histories, daily narrative mission reports, honor-awarding orders, and reports on missing crews, thereby proving that the Airmen were praiseworthy, even without embellishments to their story.
About the Author :
DANIEL HAULMAN retired as head of the organizational histories branch at the United States Air Force Historical Research Agency, where he worked since 1982. He has authored many books and published dozens of articles on aviation history, including specifically about the Tuskegee Airmen. He is the author The Tuskegee Airmen, An Illustrated History (with primary authors Jerome Ennels and Joseph Caver) and Eleven Myths About the Tuskegee Airmen, both published by NewSouth Books. Haulman travels extensively to present on the subject of the Tuskegee Airmen. He is considered by many to be a foremost expert on the subject. As a member of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. for many years, he has attended eight of the organization’s conventions and counts many Airmen as personal friends. He was recently honored with the Air Force Historical Foundation's Major General I. B. Holley Award.
Review :
Daniel Haulman, an accomplished and respected historian, has done an excellent job and made a major contribution by bringing the efforts and accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen to life.
Daniel Haulman is probably the foremost Air Force historian on the Tuskegee Airmen, regularly serving as a consultant regarding their history.
No one has spent more time researching the historical records of the Tuskegee Airmen, as opposed to the legends that have understandably come to surround this remarkable group of Americans, than Daniel Haulman. Here he separates fact from fiction as only he can.
In this excellent new volume, Air Force historian Daniel Haulman concisely and effectively sets the record of the Tuskegee Airmen straight: first, by explaining how the misconceptions about the airmen's records arose and then mustering the facts to show the airmen's actual achievements.
The Tuskegee Airmen were true American heroes who earned their place in our military and aviation history. Many myths were published about their service record. Daniel Haulman sets the record straight in his fine book, Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen. Their actual accomplishments speak for themselves.
