Joseph D. Elsberry (April 25, 1921 – March 31, 1985) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and a prolific

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

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 ...

fighter pilot in 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 ...

's 301st Fighter Squadron, best known as the famed

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 ...

, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots. Caf Rise Above. "Joseph Dubois Elsberry". https://cafriseabove.org/joseph-d-elsberry/ Elsberry destroyed three enemy aircraft over France in a single mission on July 12, 1944, and a fourth aircraft in July 20, 1944, becoming the first

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 ...

fighter pilot in history to do so. He is only one of four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat: Clarence Lester,

Lee Archer (pilot) Lee Andrew Archer, Jr. (September 6, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an African-American fighter aircraft, fighter pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group, commonly known as the Tuskegee Airmen, during World War II. He was one of the first African-Americ ...

, and

Harry Stewart Harry Stewart (October 21, 1908 – May 20, 1956), born Harry Skarbo, was an entertainer, singer, comedian, and songwriter. He was best known for his portrayal of Yogi Yorgesson, a comically exaggerated Swedish American.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 ...

, eventually earning 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 ...

before retiring in 1962. Elsberry was one of three Tuskegee Airmen to have come close to achieving the US Military's designation of

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

. Elsberry, Lee Archer and Edward L. Toppins each destroyed four enemy aircraft during missions in Europe. None of these Tuskegee Airmen ever received a fifth “kill” which would have placed them in the “ace” category. However, despite some contention, Lee Archer is considered by some as the first and only African American U.S. pilot in World War II to earn an "ace" designation. On September 10, 1944,

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Benjamin Davis Sr., the first African American to receive the rank of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and the father of Tuskegee Airmen commander

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 ...

, awarded Elsberry the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross. Elsberry received this award for single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flights on July 12, 1944 and July 20, 1944. Several major military leaders attended the ceremony including

Ira C. Eaker General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to England to form and ...

, Commanding General of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces,

Nathan F. Twining Nathan Farragut Twining ( ; October 11, 1897 – March 29, 1982) was a United States Air Force general, born in Monroe, Wisconsin. He was the chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957, and the third chairman of the Joi ...

, Commanding General of the 15th Air Force, and Dean C. Strother, Commanding General of the 306th Fighter Wing of the 15th Air Force.

Early life and family

Born Joseph Dubois Elsberry in

Langston, Oklahoma Langston is a town in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,724 at the 2010 census, an increase of 3.2 percent from the figure of 1,670 in 2000. Langston is home ...

. Elsberry was the youngest child and only son of Joseph Dean Elsberry (1890–1930), a school teacher and civic leader, and Beulah Earle Meeks Elsberry (1894–1969), a school teacher. He was the younger brother of Beulah O'Dyne Elsberry Irons (1916–1984), an accomplished pianist and organist, and finish tailor. Prior to joining the military, Elsberry attended

Langston University Langston University (LU) is a public land-grant historically black university in Langston, Oklahoma. It is the only historically black college in the state. Though located in a rural setting east of Guthrie, Langston also serves an urban missio ...

for three years. Fold3 by Ancestry. "Joseph D Elsberry - Facts: World War II · US Army." https://www.fold3.com/page/84801016/joseph-d-elsberry/facts Elsberry is considered Langston's most famous resident for his heroics in World War II.

Military career, fame as Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilot

Elsberry enlisted in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

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 ...

on 19 Feb 1942, receiving Army Serial Number 18086103 Prior to 1942, African Americans were not permitted to become fighter pilots because of rampant

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

in the U.S. armed services. As the United States ramped up its involvement in World War II, the U.S. military experienced a severe shortage of skilled, experienced pilots. African American newspapers and civil rights leaders including the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

's Walter White, Judge

William H. Hastie William Henry Hastie Jr. (November 17, 1904 – April 14, 1976) was an American lawyer, judge, educator, public official, and civil rights advocate. He was the first African American to serve as Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, as a ...

, and

Pullman Porter Pullman porters were men hired to work for the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Starting shortly after the American Civil War, George Pullman sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars. Their job was to carry passengers’ bagga ...

union leader A. Philip Randolph pleaded with President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

to include African American in aeronautics and the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

, the U.S. Army Corps. In response, the U.S. military created an 'experimental' aviator training program for African Americans. Some of the way was paved by U.S. Congress' April 3, 1939 Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 which designated funds to train African-American pilots at civilian flight schools. This program, initiated in June 1941, began at

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. ...

at the Tuskegee Army Airfield near

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

(now

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

). Elsberry became one of the most famous graduates of Tuskegee Army Flying School, graduating with Class 42-H-SE on September 6, 1942. As a member of the all-African American

, Elsberry would be considered one of the greatest, most fearless fighter pilots to have graduated from the Tuskegee Army Flying School. As a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, Elsberry led the 301st Fighter Squadron. On 23 June 1944, Elsberry and his squadron of

P-51 The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

“

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...

” long-range, single-seat fighters sank a German destroyer in Italy's Trieste Harbor employing exclusively 50-caliber machine guns. Though the German military denied destruction of its destroyer at the hands of US fighter pilots, film confirmed the successful attack. On 12 July 1944, Elsberry, while escorting bombers with his squadron in southern Italy, shot down three German

Focke-Wulf 190 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 ...

s in a single day. On 20 July 1944, Elsberry destroyed an enemy Messerschmitt 109 aircraft on his accomplishments were tantamount to those of an “ace” fighter pilot. His 4 kills came very close to meeting the designation for an ace. Elsberry joined fellow Tuskegee Airmen Edward L. Toppins and Lee Archer to each destroy four enemy aircraft. A prolific member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Elsberry was one of only nine 332nd Fighter Group pilots with at least three confirmed kills during World War II: * Joseph Elsberry - 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron - 4 Confirmed Kills, 1 Possible * Edward L. Toppins - 332nd Fighter Group's

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 ...

- 4 Confirmed Kills, 1 Possible * Lee Archer - 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron - 4 Confirmed Kills * Charles B. Hall - 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron - 3 confirmed kills * Leonard M. Jackson - 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills * Clarence D. Lester - 332nd Fighter Group's 100th Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills *

Wendell O. Pruitt Wendell Oliver Pruitt (June 20, 1920 – April 15, 1945) was an American military pilot and Tuskegee Airman originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He was killed during a training exercise in 1945.Roger Romine - 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kill, 1 Unconfirmed *

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 ...

- 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron - 3 Confirmed Kills He is only one of four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat: Clarence Lester, Lee Archer and Harry Stewart. Tuskegee Airmen. "LEGACY - THE PEOPLE." https://tuskegeeairmen.org/legacy/the-people/ Elsberry retired in 1962 with the rank of

. Los Angeles Times. "Joseph Elsberry; One of 1st Black Combat Pilots". APRIL 13, 1985. FROM TIMES WIRE SERVICES. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-13-fi-12351-story.html

Later life and death

After returning to Oklahoma, Elsberry relocated to San Francisco in 1962, working for Western Electric Company until his final retirement in 1977. On 31 March 1985, Elsberry had a heart attack and died in his San Francisco, California apartment. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 42, Grave 2804. Arlington National Cemetery. "Tuskegee Airmen." https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Notable-Graves/African-Americans/Tuskegee-Airmen

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elsberry, Joseph Tuskegee Airmen United States Army Air Forces officers Military personnel from Tuskegee, Alabama African-American aviators Military personnel from Oklahoma Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 1921 births 1985 deaths

Early life and family

Military career, fame as Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilot

Later life and death

See also

References