Claiming to have never lost a bomber under their care, members of the 332nd Fighter Group: the 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons were the only African American pilots flying escort duties for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Despite heavy political opposition, these pilots flew with distinction as they racked up an impressive combat record while flying escort for heavy bombers during WWII missions. The "332nd Flies Its 200th Mission Without Loss", stated the Chicago Defender on March 24, 1945.

The "Tuskegee Airmen" were initially equipped with P-40 Warhawks, briefly with P-39 Airacobras (March 1944), later with P-47 Thunderbolts (June-July 1944), and finally with the airplane that they would become most identified with, the P-51 Mustang (July 1944). They claimed to be the only outfit to fly four various aircrafts in their area of operations and the only group to sink a destroyer with fighters in Europe. The distinctive crimson paint on the vertical stabilizers (a group identification tail marking) earned them the nickname: "Redtails". Although bomber groups would request Redtail escort when possible, few bomber crewmembers knew that these pilots were African American.

The Tuskegee Airmen were credited with a very impressive 108.5 aerial victories, including three Luftwaffe jets. In total, they were awarded several Silver Stars, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars and 744 Air Medals.

Little is known of Lieutenant Fred Hutchins, who piloted this particular aircraft. Records show that he had at least one victory against a German Bf109 (July 26, 1944) and was a member of the 302nd, the most successful of the four Tuskegee fighter squadrons.

I used Hasegawa's excellent 1/48 model kit to produce Lieutenant Fred Hutchins' "Little Freddie" P-51D Mustang. It carries the distinctive "Redtail", as well as the gear doors, wing tips and spinner. In keeping with the original colour scheme of the aircraft, I utilized Natural Metal Silver with Olive Drab anti-glare panel. The theatre stripes on the wings and the trim tabs were Chrome Yellow. Enjoy the photos.

Above Photo: Lieutenant Fred Hutchins and his "Little Freddie" Mustang.