✈️ Meet the Team: Setting the Stage for the 1949 USAF Gunnery Meet

The Unknown Champions: The 1949 USAF Weapons Meet

The story of the Unknown Forty Nine begins not with a victory, but with a challenge that set the stage for the newly formed U.S. Air Force (USAF).

This "First Ever" USAF Weapons Meet—held in May 1949—pitted the nation's best against each other to prove aerial excellence. The goal was to prove the capabilities of every fighter unit in a grueling test of skill.

The Challenge: May 1949

The competition gathered the highest-scoring fighter groups at Las Vegas Air Force Base, Nevada. The intense gunnery competition ran from May 2 to May 12, 1949.

🦅 The 332nd Fighter Group: The Tuskegee Airmen

This competition was set up to test the best. But for the 332nd Fighter Group, it was a chance to prove, yet again, that their excellence was undeniable.

Home Base: Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio.

The Aircraft: P-47N Thunderbolts. Crucially, they flew these heavy aircraft against lighter, more nimble competitors flying the F-51 Mustang and the F-82 Twin Mustang in the Conventional (Propeller) Class.

The Maintenance: The aircraft were kept in peak condition by dedicated professionals like Staff Sergeant Buford Johnson, a trailblazer who later became the first African-American jet mechanic and Crew Chief to serve in a combat zone.

The Pilots: The UNKNOWN Champions

These four men carried the weight of history into every maneuver. They represented the skill and courage of every Tuskegee Airman who came before them.

Captain Alva Newte Temple (Team Captain) (1917–2004) A decorated WWII veteran from Carrollton, Alabama, Temple led the team through the grueling competition. He achieved the highest individual total score on the 332nd team (577.557 points) and placed 2nd individually in the entire Reciprocating Class.

1st Lieutenant James Henry Harvey III Flying a highly maintained P-47N Thunderbolt, Harvey was a critical component of the winning trio. His precision was on display with a perfect score of 200.000 in the Skip Bombing event.

1st Lieutenant Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. Born in Newport News, Virginia, Stewart was a highly decorated pilot who had previously been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down three ME 109 German aircraft on April 1, 1945. His disciplined skill contributed directly to the team's decisive victory.

1st Lieutenant Halbert Leo Alexander (Alternate Pilot) Alexander served as the critical alternate pilot for the competition. He remained a skilled aviator until his tragic death in an F-86 aircraft accident.

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References:

Official Records: 1949 USAF Fighter Gunnery Meet Score Sheets (Las Vegas Air Force Base, May 1949). Retrieved from 99th Air Base Wing Historian, Nellis AFB.

Historical Analysis: Haulman, Daniel L., PhD. Top Ten False Claims About the Tuskegee Airmen. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 2019.

Historical Context: Orr, Zellie Rainey. Heroes In War, Heroes At Home. (Documenting the 332nd Fighter Group's 1949 Victory).

Event History: 1949 USAF Weapons Meet Summary, referencing the "First Ever" competition held May 2–12, 1949.

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