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[Uzin]

There are two movies - one from 1995 the other from 2012.
Can anybody compare the two, please?

[SAS~Bombsaway]

Red Tails 2012 and The Tuskegee Airmen 1995

[Gatrasz]

I think that the 1995 one was quite acceptable, I used to like it very much (even if the Bf-109 was a "Buchon" - but always better than CGI )

[SAS~CirX]

I own copies of both.

The older one verges on being able to convey to you the struggle these guys went through against their own army and against the enemy. Some of it is of course embellished for the sake of the story. It is a pretty good flick.

The new one has CGI of course, which presented the producers with the chance to make an awesome historical presentation, which they, as with Pearl Harbor and Midway movies more recently, (or 12 Strong come to think of it) totally and completely fucked up, in the hope of , I dunno, getting more children to buy tickets for the movie (which in itself should tell you something about their grasp of reality).

It has been a few months since I watched the new one, so I cannot comment on anything specific. This is because it is not good enough for me to watch again just to get my criticisms right, and because it was almost instantaneously forgettable.

Watch it for a few nice CGI scenes, feel free to turn the dialogue off. You could probably recreate all of it better in IL2 by yourself. Come to think of that, there must be a Tuskegee Airmen campaign out there somewhere. Hopefully there is, and someone can post a link. If there is, that would be probably a better experience than the Lucasfilm movie.

My statements above may sound a little negative, so let me just try to clarify:

The 2012 Lucasfilm movie took an important and significant event in the history of the US, the world, and humanity, and cheapened, trivialized and dumbed it down to an level that should be insulting to every person ever involved in the study of history or the study of and the struggle for civil liberties, and especially insulting to these airmen themselves, and for which they aught to be criminally liable.

[Bullard]

I agree with the reviews above. Fortunately, you can still find some pretty informative YouTube documentaries (many made during the '40's) on the history of the Tuskegee Airman, 99th Pursuit Squadron and interviews with veteran Red Tail pilots who flew and fought during WW2.

Stay well, all

[Flanker27]

Iv got documented proof that my grandfather was escorted several times to and from a bombing target by the red tails, iv got to wonder if he ever realized what the significance was   (Read under fighter opposition and support)

[Knochenlutscher]

The new has a complete fictional Me262 Markings Scheme. The CGI is good, but the Design Department took Manga Comics as a base
for the liveries. Arrrrggghh

Here in Halle stranded a Tuskegee Air Men, after getting shot up by Flak Position Am Sandanger on one of their
first long legs to a Leuna Raid. That day a Liberator crashed in the same area, the Tuskegee airmen
is not found in Allied records. Both were recorded by that Flak, having watched them both trailing and seeing Parachutes in both cases.
Except 1 which was a Bomber Crew, probably dead.
The Liberator was last year found in the Saale river south of Halle, it's serial is the same of
that missing. So the Liberator victim the Sandanger Crew saw trailing. The Fighter crashsite is unknown in our local archives.
Locals saw it last trailing abovee Ammendorf/SW.
Possibly salvaged privately, a fact that happened often in our outskirts. And some Scrapshop owners where notorious for this.
What I know from living Whitnesses, he parachuted over our southern City into a rural living area called Böllberg,
directly under the main stream towards Leuna, landed in a foregarden of a shop owner, who was quite astouned over seeing a Afro American Pilot.
Before bypassing him to authorities they both went to a local pub for some drinks and chatting.
It made the round and even hordes of kids gathered around a real pilot.
Our Local kids and some people ignored the Raid Alarm frequently, the kids collected depris, ammunition, to cock it off, play and collect,
amongst them the Shop owner and pub inhabitants, locals attending there.

After he was passed to POW, his fate remains unknown.
The son of the Shop owner still searching for his fate. Telling his fathers aim was to protect the Pilot during the given Alarm,
and wait it out in that pub, as Safety Troops searched for passants, children not gathering protection during the raids.

[BalDaddy]

To my mind, as often with such films of the two different periods these were made, the early version attempted some veracity and documentary elements, the latter one pure fantasy, especially the impossible combat manoeuvres made possible by CGI.

[_1SMV_Gitano]

Iv got documented proof that my grandfather was escorted several times to and from a bombing target by the red tails, iv got to wonder if he ever realized what the significance was   (Read under fighter opposition and support)

This document does not refer to Tuskegee Airmen. The bomber was from 306th bomb Group, 8th AF, flying from in England in a mission to Berlin. The red nosed P-51 likely refer to the 4th Fighter Group from Debden, England

[Bullard]

The Red Tailed P51s flown by the 99th and 332nd also had red noses.




~ Bullard: "All Blood Runs Red"

[Bullard]

_1SMV_Gitano,

... However, you may be correct in the consideration that this red nosed / red tailed P51 escort group may be someone other than the Tuskegee Airman. I have not (yet) found any reports or records of them being assigned escort duty to the 8th. However, there exist accounts of the 99th attacking enemy aircraft that were attacking allied bombers as targets of "opportunity". In other words... not under orders.   

~ Bullard "All Blood Runs Red"

[_1SMV_Gitano]

Hi Bullard,

yes the 332nd FG did perfrom escort mission and most likely was going for targets of opportunity. My point was about any mission to Berlin in general and the mission report by shown by Flanker27 in particular. The group was assigned to the 15th AF, so their area of operation did not contemplate Berlin (to my knowledge).