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The Tuskegee Airmen pursued the enemy, and by the time
the group returned to their base at Ramitelli, Italy, the Airmen had engaged
more than 100 enemy aircraft, destroying five and damaging another. Less
than a month later the Airmen gained a distinction that no other Fighting
unit, Black or White, during the war could claim. On, June 25, Wendell
O. Pruitt, leading a flight of Airmen, together with Lt. Gwynne Pierson,
jointly sank a German destroyer using only machine guns.
At least twice the Tuskegee Airmen demonstrated enormous courage and
valor as they stayed in flight despite being low on fuel and once also
low on ammunition. Once the bombers were late, but the Airmen stayed, escorting
the bombers to targets in Southern Germany and took on more enemy aircraft
than their own number of 61.
During this engagement, the 332nd pilots shot
down 11 German fighters without a single loss to their own group.
The other time, the 332nd Fighter group was to be relieved by another
fighter group, but that unit failed to make the rendezvous.
This mission
was deep in the heart of Germany, near Berlin, and despite being low on
fuel and ammunition, the 332nd stayed with the bombers. This escort duty
also marked the first time this group had faced German jet fighter aircraft
(at least , newest German aircraft, the Me 262). True to their nature and
ability the 332nd successfully fought off the German jet fighters, downing
three and damaging another six. Prior to that day, only two of the German
jets had been shot down by Americans.
During the course of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen lost 66 pilots killed
in combat, and another 32 were shot down and became prisoners of war (POWs).
On April 26, 1945, the 332nd Group had the distinction of destroying the
last four enemy aircraft shot down in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
during World War II. Eleven days later, the war was over.
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