Embedded Resource
Description
The Tuskegee Airmen, officially known as the 332nd fighter group, were the first African Americans to fly planes in the U.S. military. Although they faced severe discrimination in the country and mandates of Jim Crow laws in the South, they volunteered in large numbers to help fight in World War II. In the skies over Italy, 24-year-old First Lieutenant Luther Smith of Des Moines was on his second tour of duty. As a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Smith eventually was assigned to bomber escort duty in 1944. His job was to protect American bombers from German fighters.
Source-Dependent Questions
- How does First Lieutenant Smith's description of his work embody the ideas of the Double V campaign for black Americans: a victory at home and a victory abroad?
- Does his story show an expansion of rights at home during World War II? Why or why not?
Citation Information
"An Iowan Joins the Tuskegee Airmen During World War II | First Lieutenant Luther Smith," Iowa's WWII Stories, Iowa Public Television, 2006. Courtesy of Iowa Public Television