Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Quentin Smith Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
- Unit of Service: 477th Composite Group
- Location of Service: Tuskegee, Alabama; Seymour, Indiana
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/3001
For Quentin Smith, World War II was a series of delayed actions. He enlisted hoping to become a flight instructor and he did land in the newly formed company of black airman in Tuskegee, Alabama. But the wheels of bureaucracy moved slowly, with officials insisting that ready-to-fly pilots had to wait until other members of the crew were trained, claiming that no white navigator or gunner would take orders from a black pilot. It took a visit from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to get the Army Air Force to ship the Tuskegee Airmen to Europe, where they compiled an enviable record.
Quentin Smith Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayPresident Roosevelt created separate service units for blacks. 00:02:51.9 - 00:04:38.7
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PlaySmith's friend, Willa Brown, had received money to operate a private black flying school. 00:04:40.1 - 00:05:29.0
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PlayIt took flying instructor Willa Brown's predictions of aerial doom to turn Smith into a pilot. 00:05:54.0 - 00:06:45.6
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PlayAfter a time at the airfield in Biloxi, Smith finally arrived in Tuskegee, Alabama, only to be told that they didn't need more primary black instructors. 00:07:15.9 - 00:08:30.8
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PlayStandards to become a pilot were much higher for blacks than whites, and there was a significant drop out rate. 00:08:45.2 - 00:10:12.1
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PlayAs the war progressed, the strict entrance standards for black pilots were decreased. 00:10:16.9 - 00:10:55.1
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PlayTuskegee Airmen went largely unutilized in the war effort until Mrs. Roosevelt came to visit and flew with a black pilot. 00:10:58.7 - 00:11:49.3
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PlayBlack pilots did not fly combat missions in the European Theater until Anzio, where they recorded 16 kills. 00:11:49.6 - 00:13:10.1
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PlayEven many years after the war, other airmen remembered the welcome sight of the red tails of a Tuskegee Airmen plane. 00:13:53.5 - 00:15:42.8
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PlayBlack bombardier pilots couldn't fly until they had an all black crew; senior commanders wouldn't put black pilots in charge of white assistants. 00:17:35.5 - 00:17:47.9
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PlayAfter being transferred to Seymour, Indiana, Smith and over one hundred other black officers were arrested for trying to enter the Officers' Club; incident resulted in Thurgood Marshall appealing to President Truman for their release. 00:19:34.4 - 00:24:18.6
About this Item
Title
- Quentin Smith Collection
Names
- Lugar, Richard
- Smith, Quentin
- Sanders, Timothy J.
- U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar
Home State
- Indiana
Headings
- - Smith, Quentin
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Black or African American
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
- Unit of Service: 477th Composite Group
- Location of Service: Tuskegee, Alabama; Seymour, Indiana
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Dates of Service: 1942-1945
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: Member of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Materials
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2006-04-08)
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2006-04-08; 2006-04-09)
- Audio: CD [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 2005-11-21; 2005-11-21)
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-03-12)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/3001
Cite as
- Quentin Smith Collection (AFC/2001/001/3001), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- online text