were the tuskegee airmen the most skilled pilots in the war?

[freeair10]

despite not having alot of aces, or top aces (i think they had at least 1 ace)

but anyways, aces don't mean anything, in terms of flight, they were the most skillful pilots in the war

agree or disagree

they were better then there white counterparts

 

[TheMustangRider]

Welcome to the forums freeair10.
I'm pretty sure the Tuskegee Airmen tried their best as every outfit during the war did.
Given the tough circumstances in which they served, I am certain their bravery knew no boundaries.

 

[freeair10]

thanks for answering The MustangRider.... but that really doesn't answer the question, not to be rude...

but when it comes to pure flight skill were they the best... is there any unit that is considered more skillful then the tuskeegee airmen

 

[TheMustangRider]

thanks for answering The MustangRider.... but that really doesn't answer the question, not to be rude...

but when it comes to pure flight skill were they the best... is there any unit that is considered more skillful then the tuskeegee airmen

Not offense taken freeair10, without any official records -let's wait for our knowledgeable members- or some other factual evidence to offer, I can tell you there were more successful American outfits operating in the ETO which achieved a greater number of kills and aces.
One thing I can tell you is that the Tuskegee Airmen were very disciplined in their escort missions which lead to a very effective cover of 15th AF bombers.
Without doubt they were a superb group of young and skilled fighter pilots.

 

[michaelmaltby]

".... aces don't mean anything, in terms of flight, they were the most skillful pilots in the war"

Apples to oranges to pears, freeair.

Why would a squadron of Fighter Pilots necessarily be "the best" over a squadron of Bomber Pilots or a squadron of Air Transport Pilots flying supplies over the Himalayas.

Frankly, you're question is naive and insulting to all pilots.

MM

 

[Erich]

agree wholeheartedly with Mike, in a word NO. do some research on the other P-51 grps. of the 15th so you can make an educated answer for yourself.

 

[Rosco P. Coltraine]

agree or disagree

they were better then there white counterparts

Disagree.

How the hell could you possibly say that? on what basis?

Are you trying to say that all other pilots were less skillful on the account of them being white? how racist and backward.
The records would strongly suggest otherwise.

 

[Catch22]

Race should have nothing to do with this particular discussion. Bottom line, there's no way as a group they were the most skilled pilots period. If you ask this question, how can aces be nothing? Often times the most skilled pilots were aces. There was of course an element of luck, so some potentially great pilots didn't get the scores they could have but we can't conclude who's better than who if we don't use qualifiers such as kills etc.

I think if you're looking for the best pilots, look at some of the Germans who fought through the entire war and survived while putting up large scores.

 

[freeair10]

Disagree.

How the hell could you possibly say that? on what basis?

Are you trying to say that all other pilots were less skillful on the account of them being white? how racist and backward.
The records would strongly suggest otherwise.

what units had better records then the tuskegee guys?

 

[vikingBerserker]

I think there are a few German units that far surpassed them.

 

[freeair10]

I think there are a few German units that far surpassed them.

but then again, just because you were a high scoring ace doesn't mean you were a better pilot

i mean you can't say Erich Hartmann was a better pilot then any of the tuskegee guys, just cause he had 352 kills

 

[Matt308]

Easy Rosco. This forum is frequented by people from all over the world. Their English skills are not always superlative and their ages range from very young to old. I do not think that FreeAir was being racist nor insulting. I suspect that he is just asking a question and expecting a knowledgeable answer.

The Tuskegee airmen were certainly highly trained, capable and effective. Were they the most skillful as a group? Surely not. But were they skillful. Absolutely. And deserving of their record.

Perhaps the question ought to be whether they were more motivated than the average pilot. I would say yes they probably were on average, as they had a social stigma that they were likely eager to prove incorrect. Irrespective, they were wariors that deserved equal respect to white counterparts for their contributions to the war effort. But do not forget all the other African Americans that contributed behind the lines in logistic support. Not every worthy WWII participant was on the frontline holding a gun, flying a bomber, fighting in an airplane or manning a ship. Most were supporting our thin red line.

 

[Rosco P. Coltraine]

what units had better records then the tuskegee guys?

Most of them.

Start with the 357th.

 

[Catch22]

but then again, just because you were a high scoring ace doesn't mean you were a better pilot

i mean you can't say Erich Hartmann was a better pilot then any of the tuskegee guys, just cause he had 352 kills

Actually, yes you can.

1) He has shot down more planes than anyone. Ever. It's not necessarily easy to accurately shoot while maneuvering in an aircraft, particularly then without modern technology.

2) He survived long enough to amass 352 kills. The fact he wasn't killed while fighting non-stop for 3 years proves he is an excellent fighter pilot.

 

[freeair10]

Most of them.

Start with the 357th.

you think the 357th was better then the 332nd? interesting

 

[Rosco P. Coltraine]

Easy Rosco. This forum is frequented by people from all over the world. Their English skills are not always superlative and their ages range from very young to old. I do not think that FreeAir was being racist nor insulting. I suspect that he is just asking a question and expecting a knowledgeable answer.

The Tuskegee airmen were certainly highly trained, capable and effective. Were they the most skillful as a group? Surely not. But were they skillful. Absolutely. And deserving of their record.

Perhaps the question ought to be whether they were more motivated than the average pilot. I would say yes they probably were on average, as they had a social stigma that they were likely eager to prove incorrect. Irrespective, they were wariors that deserved equal respect to white counterparts for their contributions to the war effort. But do not forget all the other African Americans that contributed behind the lines in logistic support. Not every worthy WWII participant was on the frontline holding a gun, flying a bomber, fighting in an airplane or manning a ship. Most were supporting our thin red line.

This freeair has made the extraordinary claim the the said unit's pilots were the most skillful.
And made specific mention that their counterparts were white.

How is that not a racist implication?

Anything about discrimination and blah blah does not change the fact that there's nothing to base any assumption that these pilots were any more skillful than the rest.

 

[freeair10]

i don't want to sound like a troll or a ahole, im just trying to find out if they were the best when it came to pure skill

i had a friend, who is black, said the "tuskegee airmen were the best pilots in ww2..." bias, maybe.. but im just trying to find out

 

[Rosco P. Coltraine]

you think the 357th was better then the 332nd? interesting

Yes I think that.

Count the # of aces.

 

[Rosco P. Coltraine]

i don't want to sound like a troll or a ahole, im just trying to find out if they were the best when it came to pure skill

i had a friend, who is black, said the "tuskegee airmen were the best pilots in ww2..." bias, maybe.. but im just trying to find out

Sounds like bias to me. And an inferiority complex.

 

[Catch22]

I don't know about an inferiority complex, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of announcements that they were the best squadron in WW2 due to the film coming out. I'm of course not against the film, and am looking forward to seeing it, but movies have a way of giving people false impressions or people only know about what was in the movie, and don't know the bigger picture or other units.