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Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing 2,402 and wounding 1,282 Americans. The USS Arizona, left, belched smoke as it toppled over into the sea during the surprise attack. The U.S. entered World War II the following day, and the need for combat pilots skyrocketed. <a href="http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=21511195&event=650039&CategoryID=38578&picnum=6&move=B#Image" target="_blank">See more photos from the Pearl Harbor attack.</a> -
Squadron created
The 100th Pursuit Squadron is constituted. -
100th Pursuit Squadron activated
The 100th Pursuit Squadron is activated at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Ala. It is the second African-American Army Air Forces unit to be activated. Learn about the 99th Fighter Squadron. -
Squadron name changes
The 99th Pursuit Squadron is redesignated the 99th Fighter Squadron, and the 100th Pursuit Squadron is redesignated the 100th Fighter Squadron. -
332nd Fighter Group created
The 332nd Fighter Group is constituted. The 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons also are constituted for eventual assignment to the group. Learn more about the 301st
Learn more about the 302nd -
332nd Fighter Group activated
The 332nd Fighter Group is activated at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Ala., and the 100th Fighter Squadron is assigned to it. The 301st and 302nd fighter squadrons also are activated for the first time, and assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group. This was the first black group in the Army Air Forces. On Oct. 19, Lt. Col. Sam W. Westbrook is named commander of the 332nd Fighter Group. He is a white officer. -
Walker is first black officer of 332nd
1st Lt. Charles W. Walker becomes the first black officer assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group. He is a chaplain. -
Emblem for 332nd approved
The emblem for the 332nd Fighter Group is approved. On a blue shield with a gold band across the middle, the emblem features a fire-breathing black panther. It is still used today by the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. -
332nd moves to Michigan
The 332nd Fighter Group and its 100th, 301st and 302nd fighter squadrons move from Tuskegee Army Air Base to Selfridge Field, Mich. On April 12, the 332nd moves to Oscoda, Mich., then back to Selfridge Field on July 9. -
Davis leads 332nd Fighter Group
Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who had served as commander of the 99th Fighter Squadron in combat in North Africa and Italy, becomes the first black commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, replacing Col. Robert R. Selway Jr. Both Selway, who had led the group since May, and Davis graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. -
332nd deploys to Italy
The 332nd Fighter Group deploys for overseas combat. In January 1944, the group travels from Hampton Roads, Va., to Italy aboard the USS William Few. The ship passes through the strait of Gibraltar on the way. The 332nd arrived in Taranto, Italy, on Jan. 29, and moved to Montecorvino, Italy, its first overseas base of operations, on Feb. 3. -
332nd begins combat missions
The 332nd Fighter Group begins operations for the 12th Air Force, flying P-39 Airacobra's on convoy escort, harbor protesction, scramble and point patrol missions. Learn more about the P-39 -
Volcano erupts
Mount Vesuviuis erupts near Naples, Italy, spreading ash over the 332nd Fighter Group at Montecorvino. -
332nd moves, gets new planes
The 332nd Fighter Group moves to Capodichino, Italy. In April and May, the group converts from P-39s to P-47 Thunderbolts. Learn more about the P-47 -
332nd joins 15th Air Force
The 332nd Fighter Group transfers from the 12th Air Force to the 15th Air Force. Its first mission with the 15th Air Force is a fighter sweep of the Ferrara-Bologna area on June 7. Its first heavy bomber escort mission, protecting B-17s from the 5th Bombardment Wing on a mission to Pola, Italy, is June 8. On May 28, the 332nd Fighter Group moves to Ramitelli Air Field, Italy, where it will remain for the rest of the war in Europe. -
First mission over Germany
While escorting B-24s of the 304th Bombardment Wing on a raid to Munich, Germany, the 332nd Fighter Group's first mission over Germany, four pilots from the 301st and 302 fighter squadrons shoot down five enemy planes. Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. earns a Distinguished Flying Cross for the mission. Enemy planes shoot down two of the B-24s. -
Enemy warship sunk
Eight pilots from the 332nd Fighter Group strafe and sink an enemy warship in the Adriatic Sea near Pirano. -
Group gets new planes
The 332nd Fighter Group flies its first mission in the P-51 Mustang. Learn more about the P-51 -
6 enemy planes shot down
2nd Lt. Clarence Lester shoots down three enemy planes, 1st Lt. Jack D. Holsclaw shoots down two enemy planes and 2nd Lt. Walter J.A. Palmer shoots down one enemy plane during an escort mission to Memmingen, Germany. In all, the 332nd Fighter Group shoots down 12 enemy planes; some of the B-17 bombers it is escorting are shot down by enemy planes. -
1 enemy plane shot down
1st Lt. Langdon E. Johnson shoots down one enemy plane during an escort mission to Friedrichshafen, Germany. In all, the 332nd Fighter Group shot down four enemy planes; two of the escorted B-24 bombers were shot down by enemy planes. -
1 enemy plane shot down
2nd Lt. Richard W. Hall shoots down an enemy plane during an escort mission in the Budapest area of Hungary. In all, the 332nd Fighter Group shot down eight enemy planes. -
1 enemy plane shot down
2nd Lt. Carl Johnson shoots down an enemy plane during an escort mission to Budapest, Hungary. -
1 enemy plane shot down
2nd Lt. George M. Rhodes Jr. shoots down one enemy plane during a strafing and fighter sweep mission int he Toulon area of France. -
1 enemy plane shot down
1st Lt. John F. Briggs shoots down one enemy plane during an escort mission to Pardubice Airdrome in Czechoslovakia. In all, the 332nd Fighter Group shot down three enemy planes; one of the escorted bombers was shot down by enemy aircraft. -
Dozens of grounded enemy planes destroyed
The 332nd Fighter Group attacks airfields in Czechoslovakia and destroy 22 enemy aircraft on the ground while returning from a mission to Blechhammer, Germany. On Aug. 30, the group destroys 83 enemy planes on the ground during a strafing mission at Grosswardein Airdrome in Romania. On Sept. 8, the group destroys 36 enemy planes on the ground during strafing missions to two airfields in Yugoslavia. -
Roberts temporarily leads 332nd Fighter Group
Maj. George S. Roberts becomes commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, temporarily replacing Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who returned Dec. 24 to command the group. -
Squadron's emblem approved
The 100th Fighter Squadron's emblem is approved. It features a winged panther on a globe. -
3 enemy jets shot down
1st Lt. Roscoe Brown, 1st Lt. Earl R. Lane and 2nd Lt. Charles V. Brantley each shot down an enemy jet on their way to an escort mission. The 332nd Fighter Group earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for the escort mission to Berlin, Germany. -
7 enemy planes shot down
1st Lt. Robert W. Williams shot down two enemy planes, and 1st Lt. Roscoe C. Brown, 1st Lt. Earl R. Lane, 2nd Lt. Raul W. Bell, 2nd Lt. Bertram W. Wilson Jr. and Flight Officer John H. Lyle each shot down one enemy plane during a fighter sweep of the Munich, Germany, area. In all, the 332nd Fighter Group shot down 13 enemy planes. -
1 enemy plane shot down
2nd Lt. Richard A. Simons shot down an enemy plane during an escort mission to Linz, Prague. In all, the 332nd Fighter Group shot down four enemy planes; it was the group's last bomber escort mission with the 15th Air Force and the last day members would shoot down enemy planes during World War II. The group flew its last reconnaissance escort mission four days later. -
Squadron prepares to leave Europe
The 332nd Fighter Group moves from Ramitelli Air Field, Italy, to Cattolica, Italy. On July 18, the group moved from Cattolica to Lucera, Italy. -
Roberts in charge of 332nd again
Maj. George S. Roberts resumes command of the 332nd Fighter Group. -
Squadron arrives in U.S.
The 332nd Fighter Group arrives at Camp Kilmer, N.J. The group left Lucera, Italy, in September. -
Squadron inactivated
The 100th and 301st fighter squadrons and the 332nd Fighter Group are inactivated. -
Board votes for segregation
A War Department board of general officers, led by Lt. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem Jr., submits its final report on the employment of black troops. The board favors continuing segregation. -
Last class graduates from Tuskegee
The last class of pilots graduates at Tuskegee Army Air Field. -
Squadron reactivated
The 100th and 301st fighter squadrons and the 332nd Fighter Group are activated at Lockbourne, Ohio. They are equipped with P-47s. On July 28, the 332nd Fighter Wing is established. It is activated on Aug. 15 under the command of Maj. Edward C. Gleed at Lockbourne Army Air Base, Ohio. The 332nd Fighter Group is assigned to the new wing. -
Military integrated
President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, officially ending segregation in the U.S. armed forces. -
Squadron inactivated
The 332nd Fighter Group and its squadrons are inactivated. Members are reassigned to other organizations, which are racially integrated.
