Red Tail: A Tuskegee Airman’s Rendezvous with Destiny

When they were given the opportunity, finally, to prove themselves in the air and in battle, Black fighter pilots—the Tuskegee Airmen, or Red Tails, as they became known—turned in an unrivaled record of protection for bombers on their mission to stamp out Hitler's tyranny.

Robert L. Martin, an eager young man from mostly white Dubuque, Iowa, was thrust into a segregated unit in the hostile Deep South for his military flight training before deploying to Italy. Overseas, he earned a Distinguished Flying Cross early on for his bravery. On his 64th mission, he was shot down while strafing an airfield.

After parachuting from his burning plane, Martin spent five weeks behind enemy lines before being reunited with his squadron shortly before V-E Day. He earned a Purple Heart and an Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross. Yet, when he returned home, he found that nothing had changed in the racism he encountered, not even for a decorated combat veteran.

Told with honesty, humor, and tension-filled detail, Red Tail reveals how one man’s bravery and skill helped win the war and smash stereotypes.