Halbert Leo Alexander (June 12, 1922 – March 25, 1953) was an officer in the

U.S. Army Air Forces 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 ...

and

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

and a fighter pilot with the all-

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 ...

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 ...

and 300st Fighter Squadron, colloquially 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 ...

. He was one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots. Alexander is noteworthy for winning the

's 1949 inaugural "Top Gun" team competition with his all-

Weapons pilot team.

Early life and education

Halbert Alexander was born on June 12, 1922, in North Carolina. On November 20, 1944, Alexander graduated from Tuskegee's Class 44-I-S, receiving his wings and commission as a

second 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 assigned to the

99th Pursuit Squadron The 99th Flying Training Squadron (99 FTS) flies Raytheon T-1 Jayhawks and they have painted the tails of their aircraft red in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II fame, known as the "Red Tails," whose lineage the 99 FTS inherited. The ...

.Caf Rise Above. "Halbert Leo Alexander." https://cafriseabove.org/halbert-l-alexander/

Winner of the 1949 "Top Gun" competition

In January 1949, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force sent out a directive to each Air Force group requesting their participation in an aerial weapons competition. Four later in May 1949, Alexander was selected as an alternate pilot for the 332nd Fighter Group Weapons three-member pilot team that won the

's inaugural "Top Gun" team competition held at the Las Vegas Air Force Base (now

Nellis Air Force Base Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...

). A grueling 10-day event, the competition comprised six events: aerial gunnery at 20,000 feet, aerial gunnery at 12,000 feet, dive bombing, skip bombing, rocket firing, and panel strafing. Alexander and his team led from start to finish. Alexander's

team included the 100th Squadron's First Lieutenant

Harry Stewart, Jr. Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. (born July 4, 1924) is a retired United States Army Air Forces officer, a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, and a fighter pilot who served in the 332nd Fighter Group, best known as the all-African American Tuskegee ...

, the 99th Squadron's James H. Harvey, the 300th Squadron's Captain Alva Temple, and Staff Sergeant

Buford A. Johnson Master Sergeant Buford A. Johnson (August 30, 1927 – April 15, 2017) was a member of the famed group of African-American World War II pilots and support personnel known as the Tuskegee Airmen. During World War II, he served as the chief mechan ...

(August 30, 1927 – April 15, 2017) as aircraft crew chief. Harvey and his team competed in obsolete P-47N Thunderbolts. The results and the 3-foot high silver winning trophy, stashed in a

Wright Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...

Museum storage area for 55 years, were absent from the

archives until 1995. Flying F-47Ns, a variant of the

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

, Temple and his team defeated U.S. Air Force fighter group teams in far more advanced aircraft. His teammate, James H. Harvey remarked, "They knew who won, but did not want to recognize us."

Death

On March 25, 1953, Alexander, then 32 years old, was killed instantly when his F-51 Mustang nosedived out of a seven-plane formation and exploded in a heavily forested area near

Chelmsford, Massachusetts Chelmsford () is a town in Massachusetts that was established in 1655. It is located northwest of Boston. The Chelmsford militia played a role in the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. ...

. His plane tore through the treetops for almost 100 yards before exploding and strewing over a half-mile. Police authorities who found his body identified him as 1Lt Halbert Alexander, a married pilot from

Plymouth, Ohio Plymouth is a village in Huron and Richland counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,857 at the 2010 census. The Richland County portion of Plymouth is part of the Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County ...

Fold3 by Ancestry. "Halbert Leo Alexander - Stories." https://www.fold3.com/page/653602032/halbert-leo-alexander/stories

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Halbert 1922 births 1953 deaths Tuskegee Airmen United States Army Air Forces officers Military personnel from Tuskegee, Alabama Military personnel from North Carolina People from North Carolina

Early life and education

Winner of the 1949 "Top Gun" competition

Death

See also

References