| Director | Anthony Hemingway |
|---|---|
| Budget | $58 million |
| Box office | $50.4 million |
In 1944, as the air war over Europe enters a deadly phase with increasing losses of Allied bombers, the 332d Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen), consisting of African-American USAAF fighter pilots, after enduring racism throughout their recruitment and training in the Tuskegee training program, are sent into combat in Italy. Flying worn-out Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft and chafing at their ground attack role, the Tuskegee Airmen fear they may never fight the Luftwaffe. The tight-knit group of Captain Martin "Easy" Julian, 1st Lt. Joe "Lightning" Little, 2nd Lt. Ray "Ray Gun" Gannon, 2nd Lt. Andrew "Smokey" Salem, and 2nd Lt. Samuel "Joker" George, under the guidance of Major Emanuel Stance and Col. A.J. Bullard, face a white military bureaucracy still resistant to accepting black flyers as equals.
Tension develops between Lightning, a hotheaded and reckless pilot, and Easy, an alcoholic prone to self-doubt. Lightning becomes infatuated with Sofia, an Italian woman, and starts a relationship. When Lightning punches a white man who uses a racial slur at a "whites only" officer's club, he is confined and reprimanded by Colonel Bullard. Opportunities for aerial combat finally materialize when the Tuskegee Airmen are ordered to support the Allied landings at Anzio, Italy. They battle Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters led by a German ace pilot they nickname "Pretty Boy." When they damage Pretty Boy's plane and raze his airbase he is stunned to learn his adversaries are African-Americans. When Ray Gun's eyesight is impaired by anti-aircraft fire, Easy reluctantly allows him to continue flying.
Impressed with the Tuskegee Airmen's performance, the USAAF Bomber Command asks Bullard's group to escort Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers because of unacceptably high casualties. Bullard accepts on the condition his unit be supplied with the new North American P-51 Mustangs. The tails of the aircraft are painted bright red and become the unofficial name of the outfit.
Noting the reckless aggression of previous escorts, Bullard orders his pilots to stay with the bombers at all times. Their first escort mission is a success, and the 332nd downs multiple Luftwaffe aircraft without the loss of a single bomber. Lightning even takes his chances to attack a Kriegsmarine destroyer before returning to base.
Attitudes against the Tuskegee Airmen begin to change as they earn the bomber crews' respect, though at a cost. Ray Gun is shot down and captured, and a seriously injured Deke is rescued from a crash-landing and medically discharged. Ray Gun is recruited by fellow POWs at Stalag 18 for their escape committee. Ray Gun and his group of POWs escape, but Ray Gun provides a distraction when the Germans detect them, allowing the others to escape. One of the escapees reaches the 332nd's base and informs them Ray Gun sacrificed his life for their freedom. Easy blames himself for Ray Gun's loss, and spirals deeper into alcoholism. Lightning promises Easy he will fly less recklessly as long as Easy remains sober, and Sofia agrees to marry him as long as he stays in Italy.
The Tuskegee Airmen are tasked with escorting the first American bombers to attack Berlin, though only on the first leg of the mission. When their relief never arrives, Easy orders the group to stay with the bombers into enemy airspace where Pretty Boy leads a flight of the revolutionary new Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters against them. Despite being outclassed, the Tuskegee Airmen shoot down several of the jets, then escort a damaged B-17 back to Allied airspace. Pretty Boy nearly shoots down Easy, but is shot down by Lightning who is seriously wounded in the dogfight and killed when his Mustang crashes.
Easy informs Sofia about Lightning's death, and overcomes his alcoholism. At Lightning's funeral, Ray Gun returns, having survived his escape from German captivity. The Tuskegee Airmen are awarded the Presidential Unit Citation in honor of their achievements.