Blacks in the Army Air Forces During World War II
Blacks in the Army Air Forces During World War II

Author: Alan M. Osur

Publisher:

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13:

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This book is based upon a Ph. D. dissertation written by an Air Force officer who studied at the University of Denver. Currently an Associate Professor of History at the Air Force Academy, Major Osur's account relates how the leadership in the War Department and the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) tried to deal with the problem of race and the prejudices which were reflected in the bulk of American society. It tells a story of black racial protests and riots which such attitudes and discrimination provoked. The author describes many of the discriminatory actions taken against black airmen, whose goal was equality of treatment and opportunities as American citizens. He also describes the role of black pilots as they fought in the Mediterranean theater of operations against the Axis powers. In his final chapters, he examines the continuing racial frictions within the Army Air Forces which led to black servicemen protests and riots in 1945 at several installations.

Buying Aircraft
Buying Aircraft

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1957

Total Pages: 672

ISBN-13:

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The reemergence of French national forces in the war against the Axis Powers, and the role of large-scale American aid.

The Cold War Defense of the United States
The Cold War Defense of the United States

Author: John E Bronson

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2019-05-21

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1476677204

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During the Cold War, as part of its defense strategy against the Soviet Union, the U.S. was forced to establish means of massive long-range attack in response to Soviet advancements in weaponry. These defenses detected and tracked manned bomber aircraft, hostile submarines and missiles launched from the other side of the world. This book shows how these defenses evolved from fledgling stop-gap measures into a complex fabric of interconnected combinations of high-tech equipment over 40 years. Maps illustrate the extent of the geographic coverage required for these warning and response systems and charts display the time frames and vast numbers of both people and equipment that made up these forces.

Separate and Unequal
Separate and Unequal

Author: Alan M. Osur

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13:

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Race relations between white and black Americans in the Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II ran the gamut from harmonious to hostile, depending upon the unique circumstances existing within each unit, command, and theater. In analyzing racial policy as it was implemented throughout the chain of command, there are a number of themes relevant for an understanding of the utilization of African Americans during the war. First, the AAF never willingly accepted black soldiers. This service had totally excluded them for over two decades before they were permitted to enter, and then used them only reluctantly. The fact that the AAF even opened its doors to African Americans and proceeded to make additional opportunities available to them was due to pressures aimed at the War Department and the AAF. Individuals and organizations within the black community and white liberals in and out of Congress were quite vocal and were able to exert sufficient pressure to force the War Department and AAF to examine and modify their policies and practices throughout the war. Another recurring theme was that leadership within the War Department and AAF assumed that segregation was the most efficient system of race relations and accepted the "separate-but-equal" doctrine. However, the AAF did not really maintain equal facilities for black soldiers, and they were not afforded equal treatment. The policy of segregation was unsatisfactory for African Americans and many of them protested. But because of deeply ingrained racist beliefs, the American public and the military were willing to accept the additional financial burden, social unrest, and inefficiency of segregation in an attempt to keep African Americans "in their place." Because of mounting pressure upon War Department officials, there was a change in outlook from 1943 through the end of the war to recognize and alleviate the race problem. The military sought to utilize black soldiers fairly rather than view them as problems.