10/09/2026
On This Day, October 8, 1943, Benjamin O. Davis Jr. took command of the 332nd Fighter Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan.
He had just returned from leading the 99th Fighter Squadron in combat in North Africa and Sicily. Back in the United States, he also had to defend the squadron against officers who questioned its performance and wanted it removed from combat. Davis brought the record of the men who had flown those missions to Washington and made their case.
Now he was responsible for preparing a larger group of Tuskegee Airmen for war. The 332nd would deploy to Italy and eventually bring the 99th together with the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons under his command.
What do you think he was feeling?
