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Joseph Elsberry

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Joseph Elsberry
Born
Joseph Dubois Elsberry

April 25, 1921
Langston, Oklahoma,US
DiedMarch 31, 1985(1985-03-31)(aged 63)
Los Angeles, California,US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Alma materLangston University
Occupations
  • Military officer
  • fighter pilot
Years active1942-1962

Joseph D. Elsberry(April 25, 1921 – March 31, 1985) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and a prolificAfrican-AmericanWorld War IIfighter pilot in the332nd Fighter Group's301st Fighter Squadron,best known as the famedTuskegee Airmen,"Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ( "Black Birdmen" ) among enemy German pilots.[1]Elsberry destroyed three enemy aircraft over France in a single mission on July 12, 1944, and a fourth aircraft in July 20, 1944, becoming the firstAfrican Americanfighter pilot in history to do so. He is only one of four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat:Clarence Lester,Lee Archer (pilot),andHarry Stewart.[2]

Elsberry was one of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Army Air Corps, the United States Army Air Forces and later theU.S. Air Force,eventually earning the rank ofMajorbefore retiring in 1962.[1]

Elsberry was one of three Tuskegee Airmen to have come close to achieving the US Military's designation offlying ace.[3][4]Elsberry, Lee Archer and Edward L. Toppins each destroyed four enemy aircraft during missions in Europe.[5]None of these Tuskegee Airmen ever received a fifth “kill” which would have placed them in the “ace” category.[6][7]However, despite some contention, Lee Archer is considered by some as the first and only African American U.S. pilot in World War II to earn an "ace" designation.[8][9][10]

On September 10, 1944,Brigadier GeneralBenjamin Davis Sr.,the first African American to receive the rank ofGeneraland the father of Tuskegee Airmen commanderBenjamin O. Davis Jr.,awarded Elsberry the prestigiousDistinguished Flying Cross.Elsberry received this award for single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flights on July 12, 1944 and July 20, 1944.[11]Several major military leaders attended the ceremony includingIra C. Eaker,Commanding General of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces,Nathan F. Twining,Commanding General of the 15th Air Force, andDean C. Strother,Commanding General of the 306th Fighter Wing of the 15th Air Force.[1]

Early life and family

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Born Joseph Dubois Elsberry inLangston, Oklahoma.Elsberry was the youngest child and only son of Joseph Dean Elsberry (1890–1930), a school teacher and civic leader, and Beulah Earle Meeks Elsberry (1894–1969), a school teacher. He was the younger brother of Beulah O'Dyne Elsberry Irons (1916–1984), an accomplished pianist and organist, and finish tailor.

Prior to joining the military, Elsberry attendedLangston Universityfor three years.[12]

Elsberry is considered Langston's most famous resident for his heroics in World War II.[13][14]

Military career, fame as Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilot

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Elsberry enlisted in theUS ArmyinOklahoma City, Oklahomaon 19 Feb 1942, receiving Army Serial Number 18086103[12]

Prior to 1942, African Americans were not permitted to become fighter pilots because of rampantracial discriminationin the U.S. armed services. As the United States ramped up its involvement in World War II, the U.S. military experienced a severe shortage of skilled, experienced pilots. African American newspapers and civil rights leaders including theNAACP's Walter White, JudgeWilliam H. Hastie,andPullman Porterunion leader A. Philip Randolph pleaded with PresidentFranklin Rooseveltto include African American in aeronautics and theUnited States Army Air Corps,theU.S. Army Corps.In response, the U.S. military created an 'experimental' aviator training program for African Americans.[15]Some of the way was paved by U.S. Congress' April 3, 1939 Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 which designated funds to train African-American pilots at civilian flight schools.[16]

This program, initiated in June 1941, began atTuskegee, Alabamaat the Tuskegee Army Airfield nearTuskegee Institute(nowTuskegee University).[17][18]

Elsberry became one of the most famous graduates of Tuskegee Army Flying School, graduating with Class 42-H-SE on September 6, 1942. As a member of the all-African American332nd Fighter Group,Elsberry would be considered one of the greatest, most fearless fighter pilots to have graduated from the Tuskegee Army Flying School.[1]

As aCaptain,Elsberry led the 301st Fighter Squadron.[19]On 23 June 1944, Elsberry and his squadron ofP-51“Mustang”long-range, single-seat fighters sank a German destroyer in Italy's Trieste Harbor employing exclusively 50-caliber machine guns. Though the German military denied destruction of its destroyer at the hands of US fighter pilots, film confirmed the successful attack.[20]

On 12 July 1944, Elsberry, while escorting bombers with his squadron in southern Italy, shot down three GermanFocke-Wulf Fw 190sin a single day.

On 20 July 1944, Elsberry destroyed an enemy Messerschmitt 109 aircraft on his accomplishments were tantamount to those of an “ace” fighter pilot. His 4 kills came very close to meeting the designation for an ace.[4]Elsberry joined fellow Tuskegee Airmen Edward L. Toppins and Lee Archer to each destroy four enemy aircraft.[21]

A prolific member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Elsberry was one of only nine 332nd Fighter Group pilots with at least three confirmed kills during World War II:

  • Joseph Elsberry - 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron - 4 Confirmed Kills, 1 Possible
  • Edward L. Toppins- 332nd Fighter Group's99th Fighter Squadron- 4 Confirmed Kills, 1 Possible
  • Lee Archer- 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron - 4 Confirmed Kills
  • Charles B. Hall- 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron - 3 confirmed kills
  • Leonard M. Jackson- 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills
  • Clarence D. Lester- 332nd Fighter Group's 100th Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills
  • Wendell O. Pruitt- 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills
  • Roger Romine- 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kill, 1 Unconfirmed
  • Harry Stewart, Jr.- 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills

He is only one of four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat:Clarence Lester,Lee Archer and Harry Stewart.[2]

Elsberry retired in 1962 with the rank ofMajor.[20]

Later life and death

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After returning to Oklahoma, Elsberry relocated to San Francisco in 1962, working for Western Electric Company until his final retirement in 1977.

On 31 March 1985, Elsberry had a heart attack and died in his San Francisco, California apartment. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 42, Grave 2804.[20][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcd"Joseph Dubois Elsberry".CAF RISE ABOVE.2019-04-11.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  2. ^ab"The People | Tuskegee Airmen Inc".Retrieved2023-06-14.
  3. ^"THE LEGEND OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ACE." Daniel Haulman, PhD. Air Force Historical Research Agency.https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/AFD-141118-043.pdf
  4. ^ab"The Aces | American Fighter Aces".2018-07-11.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  5. ^Aces of WW2. "Tuskegee Airmen."https://acesofww2.com/tuskegee/
  6. ^BlackPast."The Tuskegee Airmen on BlackPast.org •".Retrieved2023-06-14.
  7. ^“TUSKEGEE EXPERIENCE”. Theopolis W. Johnson. https://www.tuskegee.edu/Content/Uploads/Tuskegee/files/TuskegeeExperience(1).pdf
  8. ^Francis, Charles E. The Tuskegee Airmen. Boston: Bruce Humpries, Inc., 1955. pp. 92, 194.
  9. ^"Tuskegee Airmen Ace of World War II, Dies." CBS News, January 29, 2010. Retrieved: December 25, 2012.
  10. ^The First Tuskegee Ace of WWII | Dogfights | History,17 February 2020,retrieved2023-06-14
  11. ^"Distinguished Flying Cross". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the ARMY. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  12. ^ab"Joseph D Elsberry: PERSON, pictures and information".Fold3.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  13. ^Noire, Travel (2019-05-21)."Three Predominantly Black Towns That Are Still Thriving After The Great Migration".Travel Noire.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  14. ^Francis, Charles E. (1997). The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men who Changed a Nation. Branden.
  15. ^Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War | Full-Length 90 Min. Documentary | Lucasfilm,16 October 2020,retrieved2023-06-14
  16. ^Francis, Charles E.; Caso, Adolph (1997). The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation. Boston: Branden Books. ISBN 0-82832029-2. Pages 38–9.
  17. ^ab"Tuskegee Airmen".www.arlingtoncemetery.mil.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  18. ^"Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site".National Park Foundation.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  19. ^"Tuskegee Airmen - Facts about the First Black Pilots in WW2".acepilots.com.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  20. ^abc"Joseph Elsberry; One of 1st Black Combat Pilots".Los Angeles Times.1985-04-13.Retrieved2023-06-14.
  21. ^"The Tuskegee Airmen".acesofww2.com.Retrieved2023-06-14.
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