African American Weapons

These great men of valor couldn’t have won the many victorious battles without their weapons. Some of the armor used saved their lives and made them stand out. As to African American soldiers and airmen, some the most famous and outstanding weaponry during World War II were the M1 Grand Rifle, P-51 Mustang, and the P-47 Thunderbird.

P-51 Mustang The P-51 was designed as the NA-73 in 1940 at Britain's request. The design showed good future results and the U.S. Army Air Force purchased P-51s in the early 1940’s for photo recon and ground support because of limited high-altitude performance. In 1942, tests revealed much improved speed and service ceiling, and in 1943, P-51s entered combat over Europe. Providing high-altitude escort to B-17s and B-24s, they scored heavily over German interceptors and by the end of the war, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, the most in Europe. The Tuskegee Airmen were called the Redtail Angels because of their custom designs on the Mustangs. It was their signature airplane.The Mustangs served in nearly every combat area, including the Pacific where they escorted B-29s to Japan from Iwo Jima. Between 1941 and 1945, the Army Air Force ordered 14,855 Mustangs. 7,956 of the planes were P-51Ds. During the Korean War, P-51Ds were used for close ground support until they were withdrawn from the war in 1953. The P-51 Mustang was the “Cadillac of the sky.
Source: ”United States Air Force. “North American P-51 ‘Mustang’.” January 1997. <http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/p51.htm>

P-47 Thunderbolt
Nicknamed the Jug, the P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the most famous planes of World War II. It was developed as a lightweight but then became a heavyweight and was first used in service in 1943 during a combat mission over Western Europe, where the Tuskegee Airmen used it often. Because of the plane’s excellent construction and air-cooled engine, the Thunderbolt could withstand many hits from enemy forces and was used in almost every theater by the allies. By the end of the war over 15,600 P-47 planes were produced.

Source: United States Air Force. “Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.” January 1997. <http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/p47.htm>