Freedom Flyers - The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II (Paperback)

In this inspiring account of the Tuskegee Airmen-the country's first African American military pilots-historian J. Todd Moye captures the challenges and triumphs of these brave aviators in their own words, drawing on more than 800 interviews recorded for the National Park Service's Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project. Denied the right to fully participate in the U.S. war effort alongside whites at the beginning of World War II, African Americans-spurred on by black newspapers and civil rights organizations such as the NAACP-compelled the prestigious Army Air Corps to open its training programs to black pilots, despite the objections of its top generals. Thousands of young men came from every part of the country to Tuskegee, Alabama, in the heart of the segregated South, to enter the program, which expanded in 1943 to train multi-engine bomber pilots in addition to fighter pilots. By the end of the war, Tuskegee Airfield had become a small city populated by black mechanics, parachute packers, doctors, and nurses. Together, they helped prove that racial segregation of the fighting forces was so inefficient as to be counterproductive to the nation's defense. Freedom Flyers brings to life the legacy of a determined, visionary cadre of African American airmen who proved their capabilities and patriotism beyond question, transformed the armed forces-formerly the nation's most racially polarized institution-and jump-started the modern struggle for racial equality. "The personal nature of the examples Moye cites make it a far deeper and richer narrative than typical WWII fare.... The author's friendly style should open the title up to even casual readers." -Booklist "An excellent history of the first African-American military pilots.... Moye's lively prose and the intimate details of the personal narratives yield an accessible scholarly history that also succeeds as vivid social history." -Publishers Weekly

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Oxford Oral History Series
Release date:	December 2011
First published:	2012
Authors:	J.Todd Moye (Associate Professor of History)
Dimensions:	234 x 155 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	256
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-989655-4
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Air forces & warfare Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Military life & institutions > Regiments Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political control & freedoms > Human rights > Civil rights & citizenship Books > History > American history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War
LSN:	0-19-989655-0
Barcode:	9780199896554

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