The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton Field in Tuskegee, AL was established in November 1998 and opened in 2008. It was established in 1941 as a new US Army Air Corps training base in WWII for African American pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance, support staff and instructors – both women and men.
The field and control tower were named after Robert R. Moton, principal of the Tuskegee Institute where aeronautical engineering was part of the curriculum. The historic site covers 90 miles and includes the Hangar One Museum, which focuses on the start of the Tuskegee Airmen training program. Erected in 1943, Hangar Two Museum was lost to fire in 1988 and rebuilt in 2009. Inside this museum hangs a P-51 Mustang, the fighter aircraft that gave the Tuskegee Airmen their “Red Tails” nickname.
During WWII, Tuskegee Airmen flew some 15,000 sorties including 1,578 missions. They are credited with destroying over 250 Nazi aircraft and other enemy vehicles. The double “V” associated with these fliers represents the two wars they fought: fascism abroad and racism at home.
Learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.
