Black Wings Tour: Integration of the Air Force

Stand near the exit of the World War II Gallery, where you’ll see the Integration display. In April 1948 Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Carl Spaatz announced that the Air Force would desegregate to improve its combat effectiveness, and in May 1949 the Air Force published regulations dismantling segregation. Men and women joining the Air Force from then on were assigned according to their ability and not race. An interesting artifact in this exhibit is the 1949 USAF Fighter Gunnery Competition Trophy. It commemorates the outstanding achievement of four Air Force units in both the 1949 and 1950 service-wide competitions. The 1949 competition included both conventional (propeller) and jet fighter aircraft units with winners for each category. The 332nd Fighter Group, a segregated African-American unit stationed at Lockbourne Air Base, near Columbus, Ohio, won first place in the conventional fighter class.