The Tuskegee
Airmen
In memory of our friend Louis G. Hill Jr. Tuskegee Airman June 28, 1916-April 25, 2007
Louis G. Hill Jr., Class 44-B,
served at the former Atterbury Army Air Field as a B-25 Bomber Pilot during
WWII. The Tuskegee Airmen gallery displays their history and Louis' B-25 Bomber
in 1/8 scale is suspended above that display. Pictured here is Louis in his
flight suit during WWII and again at the museum for the dedication of his B-25
Bomber display. Louis along with fellow Tuskegee Airman, Walter Palmer, Class
43-F, were long time friends and supporters of the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum.
We are honored to have known you Louis. The Indiana
Aviation Hall of Fame display at the museum honors the Tuskegee Airman
Tuskegee Airman Walter Palmer
passed away March 28, 2009. Walter was a member of the famed 99th Fighter Group
and flew 158 combat missions over Italy and Germany during WWII. Walter pictured
next to his P-51 Fighter "Duchess" and with Columbus, Indiana Mayor Fred
Armstrong and Major General Retired John Hoff at a function at the Columbus
Airport hosted by the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum. Walter and fellow Tuskegee
Airman Louis Hill were great friends of the museum volunteers and participated
in many of the museum events.
Tuskegee Airmen Historical Monument
on Bakalar Green at the former Atterbury Army Air Field Columbus, Indiana
dedicated August 16, 1997 with many Tuskegee Airman and family in attendance
Tuskegee Airmen Walter Palmer and
Louis Hill at the museum.
The museum needs your help to locate photographs,
artifacts and personal histories of the Tuskegee Airmen who served at the former
Atterbury Army Air Field during WWII.
Click on photographs
for full size
618 & 619 Bomb Squadron Patches
Tuskegee Airman of the 618th and 619th Bomb
Squadrons (M) of the 477th Bomb Group (M) in training at Atterbury Army Air
Field in Columbus Indiana during World War II. They flew the B-25 Mitchell
Bomber like the ones in the photographs. Louis Hill and his crew pictured on
the right.
B-25
SPECIFICATIONS
Span:
67 ft. 7 in.
Length: 52 ft. 11 in.
Height: 15 ft. 9 in.
Weight: 28,460 lbs. loaded
Armament: Five .50-cal. machine guns; 5,000 lbs. of bombs
Engine: Two Wright R-2600's of 1,700 hp. ea.
Cost: $96,000
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 275 mph.
Cruising speed: 230 mph.
Range: 1,200 miles
Service Ceiling: 25,000 ft
Tuskegee Airmen at the
Atterbury Army Air Field
Daily life at Atterbury Army Air Field for the Tuskegee
Airmen in 1944. There is a monument dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen located on
Bakalar Green between the Control Tower and Rotating beacon a short walk from
the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum front door.
Pictured here are some of the Tuskegee Airman who
served at Atterbury Army Air Field. Arthur Saunders on the left,
Maurice Pompey featured in the center and Thomas
Austin, Sr. on the right. Museum research indicates these Tuskegee Airmen at one time
served at the former air base in Columbus, IN.
1st Lt. Arthur Saunders earned his pilot's
license in 1941. He received his commission at Yale University in Armament,
Bombsight and Engineering and trained at Tuskegee, AL. He was one of the first
officers to serve in the 477th. 1st Lt. Maurice Pompey was born in South
Bend, IN. He was a student at Howard University when WWII began. He was assigned
to the 618th Squadron of the 477th based at Atterbury Army Air Field in Columbus
,Indiana for combat training. Staff Sergeant Thomas Austin, Sr. was an
Aircraft Mechanic and Trained at Tuskegee, AL. He had assignments at a number of
Army air fields including Atterbury Army Air Field where B-25's needed his mechanic
skills. He had experience on nine aircraft types.
This photograph is of Colonel Robert R.
Selway reviewing the 618th Bomber Squadron at the Atterbury
Army Air Field on June 24, 1944. The Tuskegee Airman that Col. Selway
is facing is Hubert L. Jones, Class P43H. At Freeman Field,
Seymour, Indiana, Colonel Selway segregated the Tuskegee Airman and white
Officers Clubs. The Tuskegee Airman were not allowed to enter the white
Officers Club under Col. Selway's orders. Suggested reading: The
Freeman Field Mutiny by Lt. Col. James C. Warren USAF (Ret.) and "The
Tuskegee Experiment and Tuskegee Airmen 1939-1949" by LeRoy Gillead.
Tuskegee Airman of the 477th Bombardment
Group being loaded on buses at Freeman Field Seymour, Indiana for transport to Godman Field, Kentucky in April 1945. This was in retaliation for their efforts
to enter the segregated Officers Club at Freeman Field. 101 officers refused to
sign a copy of the regulation keeping them out of the club. All 101 were
arrested. The complete history of this historic event is in the book "The Freeman Field Mutiny"
written by Lt. Colonel (Ret.) James C. Warren.
This official photograph is from the
museum archives and appears to show a B-25 being sprayed with foam by the
base fire department. This is one of many base fire department photographs and
may be the photo of the Tuskegee Airmen B-25 which crashed during
training. According to a 1944 newspaper article "B-25 slides 1,500
feet in field attempting landing." This photo may be of that aircraft but
the museum staff is unable to document this.
Photographs of Tuskegee Airmen, Louis Hill,
Class 44-B and
Walter Palmer, Class 43Fgreat friends of the Atterbury-Bakalar Air
Museum. Joined by Major
General (Ret.) John Hoff, former Bakalar Air Force Base Commander and WWII B-17
Command Pilot in the photo in front of the Museum sign and Louis and Walter
getting a warm welcome from Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong a decorated Vietnam
Veteran. Louis and Walter are part of our Museum Family and attend many of the
Museum events.
Major General (Ret.) John Hoff,
Walter Palmer and Lewis Hill at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum
dedication November 11, 1992.
W.W. II Photographs of Walter J. A. Palmer
1st Lt. (U.S.A.F. Ret.) The photo on the left is of Walter at Tuskegee
Institute as an aviation cadet and the center photo of him after he shot
down an ME-109 on July 18, 1944. Photo on the right is Walter in a dress
uniform. Walter flew P-39's, P-40's, P-47's and P-51's with the 100th
Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. Walter did not fly out of Atterbury
Army Air Base but was a good friend of the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum
and an important part of the Tuskegee Airmen history. Walter flew 158
combat missions with over 400 combat hours flying time. Walter J.A. Palmer as
pictured in an Indianapolis Star feature story about the Tuskegee
Airman. Walter served with the Tuskegee Airman from September
1942 to July 1945
Walter Palmer's 1/8th scale P-51
"Duchess" on display at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum
along with Louis Hill's 1/8th scale B-25 as seen in the
photographs at the top of this page.
Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Colonel (Ret.)
Charles W. "A-Train" Dryden and his wife, Marymal at the Atterbury-Bakalar
Air Museum historical markers dedication program July 12, 2003. Lt.
Colonel Dryden also took time to host a book signing of his book. "A-Train:
Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman." Lt. Colonel Dryden has been inducted
into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame and was on the Board of Directors
of the Atlanta Chapter-Tuskegee Airman, Inc. He resided with his wife Marymal in Atlanta, Georgia. Lt Colonel Dryden is the cousin of longtime Atterbury-Bakalar
Air Museum friend and fellow Tuskegee Airman, Walter Palmer. Walter
holds the record for the most combat missions flown by a Tuskegee Airman
during WWII. A whopping 158 combat missions. Charles passed away June 24, 2008
at age 87.
Charles W. "A Train" Dryden pictured here in a
P-40 Warhawk with Benjamin O. Davis on the wing before a mission in this 1943 AP
photo. Charles' 21 year military career also included combat missions in Korea
and assignments in Japan, Germany and US bases. He retired from the Air Force in
1962.
A special section of the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum is dedicated
to the Tuskegee Airmen.
