Walter Manning | |
|---|---|
| File:Walter Manning.jpg Walter Manning in 1944 | |
| Birth name | Walter Peyton Manning |
| Born | May 3, 1920 Baltimore City, Maryland |
| Died | April 3, 1945 (aged 24) Austria |
| Plot K, Row 36, Grave 37 | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Rank | 2nd Lieutenant |
| Unit | 301st Fighter Squadron |
| Awards | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "wikitext").
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2nd Lieutenant Walter Manning (May 3, 1920 - April 3, 1945) was a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He flew 50 missions, and was awarded the Air Medal for heroism 6 times. In 1945 he was shot down and captured in Austria: he was subsequently lynched by a mob.[3] He was Posthumously awarded the congressional Gold Medal in 2007. Manning is the only known black man to have been lynched in Austria during World War II.
Military service[]
World War II[]
The Tuskegee Airmen's aircraft had distinctive markings that led to the name, "Red Tails."[N 1]
In 1942 Manning was rejected for military service because of a hammer toe. Manning used his savings to pay for surgery to repair his toe so that he could enlist.[1] In 1943 he enlisted in the Army Air Force. in 1944, after graduation he was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd fighter Group with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He served as a pilot and his base was Ramitelli Air Base, Italy.[5]
Dogfight[]
Manning was involved in a dogfight with Nazi planes on Easter morning April 1, 1945 over the Danube River. Tuskegee airmen escorted B-24 bombers on a bombing mission to St. Polten, Austria. On the return trip to their base at Ramitelli Air Field in Italy, the group spotted enemy planes near Wels, Austria. There were 7 Tuskegee Airmen flying the mission that day and they engaged the German planes. The Tuskegee Airmen shot down 12 German planes in the dogfight. However three of the Tuskegee Airmen's planes were shot down: one pilot was able to make crash-land in friendly territory, one was killed outright when he was shot down and the third pilot was Manning: his plane was damaged so badly that he had to bail out. He ejected, and parachuted into a waiting mob.[1][6][7]
Lynching[]
On April 3, 1945, Manning was captured and jailed in Austria: He was held in a jail at a Nazi Luftwaffe Air Force base. A gang of white citizens broke into the jailhouse and tied Manning's hands behind his back. They dragged Manning outside and beat him badly. They hung a wooden tablet around his neck that read "We help ourselves! The Werewolf," and they hanged him from a lamp post.[3][6][8]
Awards[]
- Air Medal for heroism with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters,[1]
- European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (EAME)
- Purple Heart Medal.
- Congressional Gold Medal (2007) (posthumously)[2]
Education[]
- Attended Howard University[1]
- Tuskegee Institute (1944)[citation needed]
Personal life[]
Manning was born in Baltimore Maryland but grew up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He loved swimming and growing up he always wanted to fly planes. He was engaged to Dicey Thomas before he left for war.[1][6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Newall, Mike (20 April 2018). "Honors, finally, for a Tuskegee Airman from Philly, lynched by the Nazis". The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/mike_newall/tuskegegee-lynching-walter-manning-philadelphia-austria-nazi-20180420.html. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Guzzo, Paul (21 November 2016). "Oldest remaining Tuskegee Airman, a St. Petersburg man, dies at 101". Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/news/oldest-remaining-tuskegee-airman-a-st-petersburg-man-dies-at-101/2303534/. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Berger, Tia (29 May 2018). "Tuskegee Airman Lynched By an Austrian Mob Is Commemorated 73 Years Later". Atlanta Black Star. https://atlantablackstar.com/2018/05/29/tuskegee-airman-lynched-by-an-austrian-mob-is-commemorated-73-years-later/. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ↑ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
- ↑ "2Lt Walter Peyton Manning". Find A Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56657981/walter-peyton-manning. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Dwinell, Joe (1 June 2019). "One of 12 surviving Tuskegee Airmen recounts his 43 WWII combat missions". Boston Herald. https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/06/01/one-of-12-surviving-tuskegee-airmen-recounts-his-43-wwii-combat-missions/. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ↑ Smith, Erica (26 September 2009). "Lt. Walter P. Manning scores aerial victory". STLtoday.com. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/lt-walter-p-manning-scores-aerial-victory/article_c03ec49a-5ed0-11df-a570-0017a4a78c22.html. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ↑ Patterson, Brandon (27 May 2018). "Tuskegee Airman honored 73 years after being lynched in Austria". Detroit Free Press. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/05/27/tuskegee-airman-honored-easter-austria/549023002/. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
Notes[]
External links[]
- Tuskegee Airmen at Tuskegee University
- Tuskegee Airmen Archives at the University of California, Riverside Libraries.
- Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
- Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
- Fly (2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
- Executive Order 9981
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
- Military history of African Americans
The original article can be found at Walter Manning and the edit history here.