Non-white WWII pilots

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Chiron

Airman 1st Class
104
3
Feb 17, 2005
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?
 

evangilder

"Shooter"
19,049
204
Sep 17, 2004
Moorpark, CA
www.vg-photo.com
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.
 

nuuumannn

Major
9,761
8,356
Oct 12, 2011
Nelson
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

Airman 1st Class
299
246
Apr 7, 2012
Bomber country, England
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

Chief Master Sergeant
3,836
2,868
Jun 25, 2013
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.
 

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