World War II and Ties To Tuskegee Airmen
As the Army Air Service became the U.S. Army Air Corps, enhancements to Chanute Field followed. The United States Army Air Service Technical Training Command was established at Chanute Field in 1941, and as a U.S. Army Air Forces installation during World War II, thousands of airmen were stationed there to train new recruits who cycled in and out.
On March 19, 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron ("Pursuit" being an early World War II synonym for "Fighter") was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois. Over 250 enlisted men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground support trades. This small number of enlisted men was to become the core of other black squadrons forming at Tuskegee Field and Maxwell Field in Alabama — the famed Tuskegee Airmen.
Read more about this topic: Chanute Air Force Base
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