both shot down large numbers of enemy aircraft and sometimes also lost some of its escorted bombers to enemy aircraft. For example, on the June 9, 1944 mission, the 332d Fighter Group encountered very many enemy fighters, and while it shot down five of them, two of the escorted bombers were shot down. On July 18, 1944, on the Memmingen mission, the 332d Fighter Group encountered more than a hundred enemy fighters, and while it shot down 12 German airplanes that day, fifteen of the bombers it was assigned to escort were also shot down. The report implies that the group had a choice between protecting bombers and shooting down enemy fighters, and that it chose to protect bombers instead, resulting in lower aerial victory credit totals. However, the mission reports indicate that, regardless of group, when more enemy airplanes showed up, there were both more aerial victory credits and more bombers lost. Certainly, on a mission in which no enemy aircraft were encountered, which was a majority of the missions for all the groups, there could have been no bombers shot down by enemy aircraft, and no aerial victory credits, either. In other words, a group did not really have much control over whether a mission would produce more opportunity for aerial victory credits, and at the same time, more bomber losses. (Gillem Report, AFHRA call number 170.2111-1; IRIS number 00128007) 28 November 1945: In a memorandum to Secretary of War Robert B. Patterson, Truman K. Gibson Jr., Civilian Aide to the Secretary of War, criticized the Gillem Report for failing to clearly address the issue of segregation and called for the War Department to issue a clear policy statement on the issue. (“Supplemental Report of War Department Special Board on Nero Manpower,� AFHRA call number 170.2111-1A, 26 Jan 1946) 31 January 1946: The 126th Army Air Forces Base Unit at Walterboro Army Air Field, South Carolina, was inactivated. 13 March 1946: The 99th Fighter Squadron moved to Lockbourne Army Air Base, Ohio, along with the 477th Composite Group to which it was assigned. (Maurer, Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II; Maurer, Air Force Combat Units of World War II) 14 April 1946: The 2143rd AAF Base Unit (Pilot School, Basic-Advanced) was discontinued at Tuskegee Army Air Field, but the field did not close yet, and the last class, (46-C) continued training there. (organization record cards for both organizations; folder on Tuskegee Army Air Field at Air Force Historical Research Agency). 15 April 1946: The 385th AAF Base Unit was organized at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama, replacing the 2143d AAF Base Unit that had served there. (385 AAF Base Unit organization record card). 29 June 1946: The last class of pilots (46-C) graduated at Tuskegee Army Air Field. There were only 9 pilots in the class. 992 pilots had trained there since the first class (42-C) entered in early November 1941. (385th AAF Base Unit history, Jun-Oct 1946, vol. I; Thole, p. 19)
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