The P-51 was one of the best fighters ever flown, at the time when the 332nd Fighter Group began to develop a reputation with its escorted bomber groups. They knew that if they were escorted by the Red-Tailed Mustangs they stood a greater chance of returning home from their missions. Very soon the 332nd Fighter Group was placed on many mission boards "By Request". This delighted Col. Davis Jr.so much, that he had his crew chief paint the phrase on the side of his aircraft.

On a mission the group was credited with shooting down some of the first jet fighters of the war. Whether myth or fact, the 332nd never lost a single bomber to enemy action. Certainly, no other fighter group can come close to this claim. This is due to the philosophy of one man, Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. He told his fellow pilots, that under no circumstances were they to leave the bombers. That stragglers were to be escorted to a safe base of departure. Also that the group would not leave the bombers, even after the drops had found their targets of opportunity. Effective bomber escort was the mission of the 332nd Fighter Group.

Many a 15th Air Force bomber crew owed their lives to this philosophy and The Tuskegee Airmen of the 332nd Fighter Group. To this, I give you the Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr CS. Enjoy