Non-white WWII pilots

[Chiron]

Hey, were Allies recruited other ethnicities? Chinese, Blacks, Arabs, Jews....?

I know there were some African-American pilots, how about RAF in Britain? do they also enlist minorties too?

 

[DaveB.inVa]

I know they had some Indians and Mexicans fighting too.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Brazil had some flyers too. Douglas Jr. posted some great pics and an interesting little history about them, some time ago.

 

[mosquitoman]

There were definitely pilots from the Caribbean in Bomber Command

 

[evangilder]

I think there was a website out there somewhere that listed foreign crews of the RAF. I will have to see if I can find that. I do know that there were crews from India. Mexico had a group of pilots that flew with the USAAF, as did Brazil. I don't havve a complete list.

 

[cheddar cheese]

I heard once that there was a Russian Female ace who was a Jew, this kinda annoyed the Germans

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

we tended to get most of our pilots from Britian and her commonwealth..............

 

[cheddar cheese]

Well obviously, who else we gonna recruit? Nazis? Japs?

 

[Nonskimmer]

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

There's a website about Caribbean aircrews in the RAF during WW2:

Caribbean aircrew in the RAF during WW2

 

[Admiral Beez]

Indian pilots in the RAF and Royal Indian Air Force.

https://acesofww2.com/india/
The RIAF in WW2 - Bharat Rakshak:Indian Air Force

Len Waters' story is interesting Len Waters - Wikipedia. I wonder how many other indigenous men were pilots in the Commonwealth. I'm looking for Canadian examples.

 

[nuuumannn]

Here's one from the Great War of interest - the first aerial Victoria Cross winner William Rhodes-Moorhouse, although born in England, had a native New Zealand mother. Kiwis like to call him theirs.

Fg Off Noel Pirie, RNZAF was part Maori and is credited with shooting down two Zeroes whilst flying P-40s with 16 Sqn, RNZAF in the Pacific.

 

[Ascent]

I remember reading somewhere (wish I could remember where) about some bomber command crews having to be careful when visiting American airbases because of their mixed race crews which was unacceptable where they were landing.

 

[swampyankee]

I remember reading somewhere (wish I could remember where) about some bomber command crews having to be careful when visiting American airbases because of their mixed race crews which was unacceptable where they were landing.

I would expect non-white crew members would have to deal with the base's segregated facilities, which may leave those minority crew members sleeping in the plane.

I read that the British were asked, by the US Army, to declare some restaurants and pubs whites-only to appease the US's segregationists' sensibilities.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Black troops were welcome in Britain, but Jim Crow wasn't: the race riot of one night in June 1943

"Black GIs would drink in mixed company in British pubs, to the horror of the white US Army authorities."

 

[pbehn]

Black troops were welcome in Britain, but Jim Crow wasn't: the race riot of one night in June 1943

"Black GIs would drink in mixed company in British pubs, to the horror of the white US Army authorities."

They just didn't get the colour bar that they wanted, the white only establishments weren't the places that women went.

 

[pbehn]

Theres a whole site dedicated to West Indian / pilots air crew. Caribbean aircrew in the RAF during WW2