Tuskegee Airman
Eugene Richardson, standing, far left, with his fellow Tuskegee Airmen.
Centenarian Dr. Eugene Richardson will tell his story at the Millville Army Air Field Museum on Saturday.
The famous Tuskegee Airmen of the U.S. Army Air Forces, also known as the “Red Tails,” were a group of primarily African-American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group and became part of the 15th Air Force, escorting American bombers as they flew over Italy. Flying P-47 Thunderbolts and later P-51 Mustangs, Tuskegee Airmen successfully protected many U.S. bombers from German fighter planes. (About 1,500 World War II pilots also received advanced fighter training for combat in the P-47 Thunderbolt at Millville Airfield, making it “America’s First Defense Airport.” Millville High School athletic teams are named the “Thunderbolts” in its honor.)
Millville Army Air Field Museum is honored to be hosting a special presentation by Dr. Eugene Richardson, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen from World War II. He will speak in the Museum’s Wyble Library at Millville Executive Airport on Saturday, September 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. Visitors may visit the Museum’s Tuskegee Airman display after the presentation.
Richardson, who just turned 100 years old on September 18, completed 40 weeks of training at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, graduating as a fighter pilot on March 11, 1945. He flew both P-40 Warhawks and P-47 Thunderbolts as a 2nd Lieutenant.
Dr. Richardson will talk about his personal experiences as a Tuskegee fighter pilot and also about the many achievements of his fellow Tuskegee airmen in Europe, where they gunned down 112 enemy aircraft in their signature red-tailed P-47, P-40, P39, and P51 aircraft, and provided aerial protection to American bombers flying over Germany. Tuskegee Airmen were the first black fighter pilots to see combat during World War II.
This presentation takes place on Saturday, September 27, 2 to 4 p.m., in “The Briefing Room” of the Wyble Library, 23 Peterson St., Millville Executive Airport. Free event. 856-327-2347.
