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The 99th Fighter Squadronwent to North Africa in April 1943 and flew its first combat mission against the island of Pantelleria on June 2, 1943. Capt. Charles B. Hall was the first African American pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft. Later the squadron, operating from its base in North Africa, supported the invasion of Italy and participated in the air battle against Sicily. The 332d Fighter Group flew more than 3,000 missions in Europe and destroyed almost 300 enemy planes. Eighty-eight of the group's pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross, proving their test by fire a success. A native of Brazil, Indiana, Captain Charles B. Hall was an ace fighter pilot during World War II with the famous all negro 99th Fighter Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen), 1944. After retiring from the Air Force in the grade of Major, he became a popular insurance agent in Oklahoma City.
Captain Charles B. Hall (r), is pictured chatting with fellow Tuskegee Airman Lemuel Custis.
Courtesy of Find A Grave
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