Charles Blakesly "Buster" Hall (August 25, 1920 – November 22, 1971) was an American combat fighter pilot and

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

/ U.S. Air Force officer with the

332nd Fighter Group The 332d Expeditionary Operations Group is a provisional air expeditionary group of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command, currently active. It was inactivated on 8 May 2012 and reactivated 16 November 2014. The group forms part of ...

99th Fighter Squadron The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the ...

, best known as the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

or "Red Tails". Highly celebrated by the

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

press during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Hall became the first African American combat fighter pilot to shoot down enemy aircraft. General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

personally met and congratulated Hall on his victory. Hall also became the first African American combat fighter pilot to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Early life and family

Hall was born on August 25, 1920, at his parents' home on 742 N. Columbia Street in rural Brazil, Indiana,

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Flor ...

. He was the son of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

native Franklin Hall, a kiln-burner, and Mississippi native Anna Blakesly Hall. Hall was a 1938 graduate of Brazil High School, where he excelled in academics,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. Hall attended

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

, majoring in Pre-Medicine. While at Eastern Illinois, Hall participated in sports and worked a job as a waiter. On December 14, 1942, Hall married stenographer Maxine Jessie Parish Hall in Vigo County, Indiana. There is no documented information on Hall's marriage and probable divorce to Maxine. Hall also married an Emma Jeanne Hall Ackiss. There is no documented information on Hall's marriage and probable divorce to Emma. Hall had a daughter, Peggy Ann Hall-Lofties, born August 9, 1956, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with ex-fiancé Ida Mae Mucker (February 2, 1929- April 24, 1987). The couple's marriage plans were discussed but never took place. Hall later married Lola Delois Miles Hall (February 18, 1933 - August 7, 1997), an

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, native. Hall and Lola were married until Hall's death. The Halls had one biological child together, Kelli Ann-Hall Jones, born December 1961. and Charles also had one stepdaughter by his wife Lola, Sherri Lynn Hall-Harris from his wife's previous relationship.

Military career

In 1941, Hall enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet, serial number 0790457, at

Lawrence, Indiana Lawrence is a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is one of four " excluded cities" in Marion County. The city is home to Fort Benjamin Harrison within Fort Harrison State Park. The population was 46,001 at the 2010 census. The ci ...

's Fort Benjamin Harrison. In 1942 he was assigned to

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

, to attend Advanced Flight Cadet Training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield. On July 3, 1942, Hall graduated from the program's fourth Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-F, earning his wings and a commission as a

2nd Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. He was then assigned to the

. Hall was briefly assigned to the 324th Fighter Group. During

, Hall, nicknamed "Buster", flew 198 missions over North Africa, Italy, the Mediterranean and Europe. On his eighth mission in the European Theater/ Mediterranean Theater on July 2, 1943, Hall and his squadron escorted B-25 medium bombers on a raid on Castelvetrano Airfield in southwestern

Sicily, Italy (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. Flying in a P-40, Hall shot down a German

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' ("Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, th ...

. Hall became first African American combat fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft. After Hall's victory, the 99th Fighter Squadron, in lieu of Champagne, awarded "Buster" Hall the last chilled bottle of Coca-Cola on base at that time. Hall's victory was the 99th Fighter Squadron's sole aerial victory in 1943. Hall became the first African American fighter pilot to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross. He became an immediate star of the African American press. On July 10, 1943, Pittsburgh Courier war correspondent Edgar T. Rouzeau ran a lead that celebrated Hall’s July 2, 1943, aerial victory. The Courier‘s piece with a massive headline, “99th PILOT DOWNS NAZI PLANE”, featured editorial cartoonist

Sam Milai Ahmed Samuel Milai (March 23, 1908 – April 30, 1970), better known as Sam Milai, was an African American editorial and comic strip cartoonist who drew for the ''Pittsburgh Courier''. From 1940–c. 1971, Milai illustrated ''Your History'' ...

's compelling cartoon depiction of Hall in his flight gear. Other African American publications including the Baltimore-based Afro-American, the

Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

, the

New York Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

, the Atlanta Daily World ran similar leads highlighting Hall's exploits. Supreme Allied Commander and General

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, visiting troops in North Africa with senior officers including General Jimmy Doolittle and General

Carl Spaatz Carl Andrew Spaatz (born Spatz; June 28, 1891 – July 14, 1974), nicknamed "Tooey", was an American World War II general. As commander of Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, he successfully pressed for the bombing of the enemy's oil product ...

, visited the 99th Fighter Squadron's base to personally congratulate Hall after his victory. Major General

John K. Cannon General John Kenneth Cannon (March 9, 1892 – January 12, 1955) was a World War II Mediterranean combat commander and former chief of United States Air Forces in Europe for whom Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico, is named. Biography Joh ...

, Commanding General, Twelfth Air Force, also personally congratulated Hall. On January 27 and 28, 1944 in

Anzio, Italy Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands ...

, large formations of German FW 190s raided Anzio. The 99th Squadron downed eleven enemy German aircraft. Now a captain, Hall downed two German FW 190s, raising his aerial victories to three. Hall earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valiant achievements. Hall was one of only nine 332nd Fighter Group pilots with at least three confirmed kills during World War II. Later in 1944, Hall arrived back in the United States, traveling extensively on an official tour to boost the sale of war bonds. Hall later returned to Tuskegee as a flight instructor. In 1946, Hall left the U.S. Army Air Corps with the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Freeman Field Mutiny

He was one of ten officers to preside over the Freemen Field Mutiny Courts-Martial, appointed by General

Frank O'Driscoll Hunter Frank O'Driscoll Hunter (December 8, 1894 – June 25, 1982) was a World War I flying ace, being credited by the United States Army Air Service with downing nine enemy aircraft. Hunter became an advocate of fighter aircraft strategy and tactics. I ...

. They were: Colonel

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002) was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. He was the first African-American brigadier general in the USAF. On December 9, 1998, h ...

, Captain George L. Knox II, Captain

James T. Wiley James Thomas Wiley (August 7, 1918 – May 3, 2000) was a U.S. Army Air Forces/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails". One of the Unite ...

, captain John H. Duren, Captain Charles R. Stanton, captain William T. Yates, Captain Elmore M. Kennedy, Captain

Fitzroy Newsum Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum (May 22, 1918 – January 5, 2013) was an American military pilot and officer who was one of the original members of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He reached the rank of colonel before retiring in 1970. Early lif ...

, 1st Lieutenant

William Robert Ming William Robert Ming Jr. (May 7, 1911 – June 30, 1973) was an American lawyer, attorney with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and law professor at University of Chicago Law School and Howard University School ...

Jr. and 1st Lieutenant James Y. Carter. Trial Judge Advocates were: Captain James W. Redden and 1st Lieutenant Charles B. Hall.

Post-military career

After leaving the military, Hall moved to Chicago where he worked as an insurance agent. In 1948, Hall moved to Oklahoma where he briefly worked at a drug store and managed a restaurant. Like many African American World War II veteran pilots, Hall could not find substantive jobs with the commercial airlines or commercial transport company based on his race. In 1949, Hall worked at

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, origina ...

until 1967 before landing a role at the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He later became a well-known insurance agent in Oklahoma City.

Death

Hall died on November 22, 1971, in Oklahoma City at the age of 51. Hall was interred at Spencer, Oklahoma's Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in the Garden of Devotion section, Lot 160, Section B, Grave #3. The local paper made little mention of Hall's history in World War II.

Legacy

* Hall's hometown of Brazil, Indiana, named a street "Charles B Hall Drive" in honor of Hall. The street signs also have a silhouette of a WW2 fighter in honor of his service. * On July 24, 1994, the USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial honored Hall for being the first Tuskegee Airman to shoot down a German plane on June 21, 1943. The Memorial also renamed its North AmericanP-51D Mustang , 4474216 - USAF for fellow Tuskegee Airman Leon C. Roberts who hailed from the Mobile, Alabama area. Robert's mother, Nellie Roberts, twin brother and former Tuskegee Airmen Cleon Roberts, and sister Imogene Roberts Howard represented Roberts' family at the ceremony. Tuskegee Airman Herbert Carter served as the keynote speaker. * The 1997 GI Joe Classic Collection Tuskegee Bomber Pilot (WWII Forces Collection GI Joe Limited Edition) featured Hall.Black Doll Collecting by Debbie Behan Garrett @blackdollcollecting.blogspot.com https://blackdollcollecting.blogspot.com/2010/10/gi-joe-tuskegee-airmen.html * On June 18, 2002, the Tinker Heritage Airpark was renamed the Major Charles B. Hall Airpark in his honor. * In August 2009, Hall's hometown of Brazil, Indiana, dedicated a monument to Hall.BRAZIL TIMES. "Board of Works approves placement of Hall memorial." y JASON MOON, Managing Editor. AUGUST 5, 2007. Its inscription reads:

''Major Charles B. Hall - 08-25-1920 to 11-22-1971 - Brazil native and World War II Hero, Mr. Hall became a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Mr. Hall was one of the first 43 African American pilots assigned to combat duty with the 99th Pursuit Squadron 332d Fighter Group (the Red Tails). On July 2, 1943 Lt. Hall earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down a German Focke-Wulf 190 during a mission over anelleria, Tunisia, North Africa In doing so, he became the first African-American pilot to earn official credit for destroying an enemy airplane in the Second World War. After retiring as a Major in the Air Force, he resided in Oklahoma City until his death in 1971. The airplane above is a replica of the P-40 flown by Major Hall in 1943.''

*On November 13, 2015, Charles B. Hall was inducted into the Indiana Veterans Military Hall of Fame, in Indianapolis, IN.https://imvhof.com/2015-class/ *On October 8, 2022, Charles B. Hall was inducted into the Indiana Aviation Hall of Fame, in Carmel, IN. https://inahof.org

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Charles B. 1920 births 1971 deaths Military personnel from Indiana Military personnel from Oklahoma Tuskegee Airmen United States Army Air Forces officers