SPECIAL ARTIFACT DISPLAY:

African Americans in WWII

January 20 – February 29, 2012
On view in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion

The National WWII Museum is committed to honoring the service of all Americans during the war. To commemorate Black History Month in February, the Museum is paying special tribute to the more than 1.2 million African Americans who served. On view through the end of February, a new display honoring the most well known black servicemen of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen and the “Red Ball Express” drivers, is located in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. This Special Artifact Display highlights the struggles these men faced both at home and abroad, as well as the invaluable contributions they made to the war effort. In addition, the National WWII Museum will soon acquire a P-51 Mustang fighter, which will be painted with a red tail to represent the planes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen as part of the 15th Air Force in Italy. Following restoration, the P-51 will be displayed in the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, slated to open in 2013.

Learn more about the "Red Tails" through Focus On: The Tuskegee Airmen.

All photographs and original captions courtesy of the National Archives

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