Murder of a Tuskegee Airman – 75th Anniversary Special Presentation

This is a story of a Red Tail P-51 pilot shot down over Austria in a dogfight during the last days of WWII. The pilot was held for three days, awaiting transport to an interrogation center in Germany. On the third evening, two Luftwaffe officers showed up with false papers and the airman was released to their custody. He was found hanging from the lamp post later that morning. Jerry Whiting discusses the situation in Austria at that time and the reasons this airman and many other airmen were murdered in Austria during the final days of WWII. Why weren’t the Luftwaffe officers prosecuted? Jerry will also relate how the Austrian government officially acknowledged the murder and had a ceremony in 2018 where a monument was dedicated at the crash site.
Presenter: Jerry Whiting

After the program, there will be a short video in celebration of recently departed Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend, who would have been 100 years old on this day, Feb 29, 2020. Friend’s family will be in attendance, and we will have a birthday cake to be shared with everyone there.

And, there will be not one, but TWO P-51 Mustangs in the air:  Our P-51D Mustang Bunny and Planes of Fame’s P-51A Mustang. Flight exhibitions will follow program.

Special program, birthday celebration and flight exhibitions are all included with regular paid admission.