These days, any World War II flying movie is an unusual one, but Red Tails is especially so. Taking the basic fact that long before the civil rights movement, black Americans successfully fought the Luftwaffe in the skies over Europe, it is amazing that the story of these airmen has taken 67 years to reach the screen.
Aside from a lame HBO movie and a few articles in obscure flying magazines, the fact that the U.S. Army Air Corps had two all-black fighter squadrons has been pretty much forgotten ... until now. The movie focuses on the 332nd Fighter Squadron, which painted the tails of its P-51 Mustangs red.Steven Spielberg's fascination with and knowledge of World War II flying, and his ability to bring the story to the screen, has resulted in a technically good and basically accurate film without the usual distractions (toylike models or hokey nonauthentic planes) common to so many previous air war films.The planes, uniforms, equipment and even the pierced steel planking of the runways exude authenticity. The cast was taken to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, Calif., for rides in P-51 Mustangs modified with a second seat where the heavy WWII radio equipment was. Roscoe Brown, a 332nd Fighter Squadron veteran, was on the set to give cast members tips on acting as fliers.The movie has been characterized by some media as an "all-black action movie," a phrase that brings to mind something other than a WWII documentary (think Shaft). The truth lies in between. The movie, "inspired by true events," portrays the segregated all-black military of WWII for the first time, including the music, culture and interaction of the officers and enlisted men with white officers and men from the Pentagon down to the bomber crews they escorted.Yes, there is some Glenn Miller floating over the camp loudspeakers, but there's also soulful guitar. There is the section leader who drinks cheap off-brand whiskey before he flies, and a young officer whose talisman is a toy ray gun carried instead of a .45.This is not Robert Stack in Fighter Squadron.The aircraft, too, are stars in themselves: real flying P-40s and P-51s and plenty more mocked up or computer-generated images of ME-109s and ME-262 jet fighters flying in opposition. The B-17s all seem to be CGI, but it's so well-done you won't notice.One criticism about the movie (mainly from people who have not seen it) is the depiction of "cowardly white fighter pilots running away" from the Germans. The movie represents that the normal U.S. fighter escorts, who were white, were so aggressive that they chased after the German fighters and sometimes left the bombers unprotected. My understanding is that aggressiveness -- not cowardice -- was involved. The black fighter pilots had the reputation for staying with the bombers and following orders ... mostly.Another criticism is that the movie states that the 332nd "never lost a bomber." The movie does not make that claim, although many have suggested it over the years, while others claim evidence to the contrary.There is an unexpected POW segment in the film that borrows liberally from The Great Escape and Stalag 17, which is pretty fanciful to say the least. I have to mark Spielberg down for that one.Is Red Tails the perfect five-star flying movie I had hoped for? Maybe not, but it is still worth a look. For students of the 1940s and airplane nuts, it's a must-see.Griffin Murphey, a Fort Worth dentist with a lifelong interest in aviation, served as a Naval dental officer with the U.S. Marine Corps. He organizes the biennial services for the World War I British, Canadian and American volunteer pilots of the Royal Air Force buried at Greenwood Memorial Park.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
